Israel's Dilemma with Iran's Nuclear Facilities/ Isaiah 17

  Iran Tests Advanced Missiles, Threatens Israel
by Maayana Miskin

Iran fired some of its most powerful missiles on Monday as the Revolutionary Guard concluded two days of war games. Among the missiles tested, according to Iranian state media, were the Shahab-3 and Sajjil.

Both missiles have a range of more than 1,000 miles, and are capable of hitting Israel, Europe, and United States military bases.

On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guard fired a number of short-range missiles. Military leaders said they had also tested a multiple missile launcher for the first time, and had successfully fired two missiles at once.

The announcement of the two-day war games, which began Sunday, was made at the same time as Iranian leaders admitted the existence of a covert uranium enrichment site. “Allah willing, this plant will be put into operation soon, and will blind the eyes of the enemies,” the Supreme Leader's Office said in an official announcement."  From Arutz Sheva


  I just read an article about the options Israel has with regard to Iran. 

1. An airstrike, which would not do away with the nuclear facilities, and it would endanger Israeli pilots
2. Using nuclear force, which would endanger Iran's civilian population
3. Praying for a miracle 

This is from Isaiah 17:1 "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." I opt for a miracle from God, who prophesied Damascus' (Iran) destruction in more than one place in the Old Testament.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Whose Land Is It?

From the Golden Report by Jerry Golden

A Short History Lesson

You can go all the way back to the Stone Age and then forward through the Bronze and Iron Age on to the Israeli Conquests from 1,200 – 1,000 BC --  and you will not find in any of those times a "Palestinian" people.  Much less one that was in control of this land called the Holy Land.  You can then search the history books and see that from 1,000 BC up until 587 BC the Jews struggled among themselves over the land, yet stayed in control of it.  Afterward came the Persians then the Hellenists, and later,  the Hasmoneans. 

Then came the Romans.  To shorten a long story, they had so much trouble with the Jews they ended up destroying everything Jewish that they  could find.  This  even included changing the name of the place from Israel to “Palestine”. That happened around 63 BC through 324 AD.  From that time forth everyone who lived here in this land were called "Palestinians". The Greeks, Persians, and even the Jews, were all called Palestinians.  Much the same as those who live in the USA are all called Americans.

After the Romans came the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Mamluks, and the Ottoman’s. In 1917 came the British who stayed in control of Palestine until 1948.  During their stay in Palestine they even created a State for the Arabs (Palestinians) who lived here, it's called Jordan.  Then in May of 1948 God brought the Jews home, and ISRAEL BECAME A NATION ONCE AGAIN, Ezek. 37. 

From 1948 until 1967 Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip and Jordan controlled the “so-called” West Bank, Samaria and Judea.  After the 1967 six day war this all changed, and Israel was once more in control of their mountains “Judea & Samaria” and more importantly their beloved Jerusalem. 

However,  I am sure you know all of this.  I want to make this very clear to everyone;  there is one thing absent in all of the above.  At no time did the “Palestinians” have control of anything,  much less this land.  It is also interesting to note that during the time span 1948 –67 when Egypt and Jordan were in control,  there was never any talk of a Palestinian State.  So why is it so important now?  The answer is simple; it is JIHAD “A Holy War” - not a national one.  It is the war that has raged on for thousands of years between Ishmael and Isaac, the Arabs and the Jews. 

To keep this report short, I will not continue further with the thought above; instead I will close with this;  The Palestinians cannot have their "State" back, because they never had one in the first place! This is yet another Islamic lie, and part of their desire to control or kill Jacob.  So when you hear them say the Jews are on Palestinian land, it is another of their lies.  But what is so amazing is that no one is questioning their right to say it. 

This can't be reiterated enough!!! I hope people get it...Soon!
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Apocalyptic Storm Forming over the MidEast

Interesting read from Joel Rosenberg about what is happening right now in the "Epicenter" of the World...
"Humanly speaking, war is coming. The West does not seem determined enough to stop Iran from getting the Bomb. So unless the Lord intervenes, Israel might soon feel compelled to launch a preemptive strike against Iran. It won’t be easy, and the entire region could go up in flames.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. So on this day of Yom Kippur, let us commit ourselves to prayer and fasting for the peace of Jerusalem and the physical and spiritual salvation of all of Israel and all of Iran."
Please read the entire post HERE


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Israel's Restoration

Where are the days of sighing,
crying for My Spirit’s touch?
A noise comes to My straining ears,
but I hear not the voice of My beloved.
She is lost in the sea of humanity,
her way is not clear, she is a barren tree,
and sees not her nakedness. She
shivers from the cold winds of change
and bends beneath its cares and anxiety,
longing for a peace she can't have
without Me.

So I will come to her with My cloak and
cover her shame with My love. I will
be a strong tower and lift her above
the tides of evil, and she will revive
and remove the veil that hides her eyes
of understanding. The One she has
rejected, she will embrace in tears.
She will go forth in a spirit of humility
and proclaim My Mercy and Grace
to a dying world--in need of Life.
© Mid Stutsman 1997

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Yom Kippur by Brock and Bodie Thoene

 

 

 

YOM KIPPUR—2009
by
Bodie and Brock Thoene

    “If I have offended you in the past year, I humbly ask your forgiveness.”

    Sunset tonight marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is the culmination of the Ten Days of Awe that began with Rosh Hashanah. Of all Jewish holy days, this is the most significant. There are only a handful of fasts in the Jewish religious calendar, but from sunset to sunset Yom Kippur is one. It represents a recognition of past failings and a opportunity to repent and atone for them…to ‘wipe the slate clean’….in preparation for the year ahead.

    This is the one day of the year when the High Priest, the ‘Cohen Hagadol,’ entered behind the veil of the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat. The blood of the goat represented a ‘substitutionary sacrifice,’ and foreshadowed the atoning death of Jesus on the cross.

This is a holiday Yeshua knew well. Part of the Yom Kippur liturgy was and is the entire book of the Prophet Jonah. Read the scriptures for today aloud, and keep that fact in mind as you as picture the ceremony in the Temple of Jesus’ day.

Reading 1
Isaiah 53:4-9 (speaking of the Messiah who was to come)
"Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood."

Reading 2
I John 2:1,2
"My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation (ATONEMENT) for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world."

Reading 3
Hebrews 4:14-16 (not just through the Temple veil, but ‘through the heavens’)
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."

Reading 4
Jonah 3:4-10
"Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, 'Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,' when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: 'Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.' When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out."

Reading 5
Matthew 12:38-41 (See how the Pharisees tried to change the subject from their hypocrisy and how Jesus brought the message back again to the absolute need for repentance and a rejection of self-righteousness)
(Jesus said:) "'Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.' Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' He said to them in reply, 'An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.'"

Reading 6
II Chronicles 7:14
“and if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land.”    

To Sum Up:
Jesus is both High Priest and Sacrifice. He carried His own atoning blood through the veil! He is the final, full and complete atonement for our sin, and the means of our reconciliation with God. On this Day of Atonement, recognize both that we need pardon, but also that, because of Jesus, we have that pardon as soon as we ask.

Pray with us:
“Lord Jesus, I admit my failings for the year just past and I humbly ask your forgiveness. I recognize that, despite my best intentions, I will fail in the year ahead. I acknowledge that I am a sinner saved by grace, eager to ‘humble myself and pray and seek Your face,’ and in that spirit and by Your invitation, I ask healing for myself, my family, my friends, and my nation.”
In the Almighty Name of Yeshua haMashiach, Amen.

Blessings in Jesus’ Name.
Bodie and Brock
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

You Are Mine Forever!

I wrote this over a year ago and posted it here last year. The Lord led me to post it again as a reminder to all that His promises will never fail, we can always trust Him, and His promises are forever. The message is not only appropriate for Israel in these last days, but for all believers everywhere.

Don


Isaiah 43:1-3a NKJV
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior..."

In that Scripture the Lord said, "I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." Wow! What a powerful statement and promise from God to Israel!

Even though Israel was unfaithful, God still loved her and promised her release from captivity. The Holy One of Israel created her, He redeemed her, He promised to be with her through all trials and difficult times, and He will protect her - for Zion is desired as His dwelling place and resting place forever (Ps. 132:13,14).

Just as it is with Israel, we can also claim His promises. When we repent and by faith alone accept Jesus into our life as Savior and Lord, we instantly become royalty. We become sons and daughters of the most-high sovereign God - Who not only made those promises to Israel, but they are valid promises for us today. As a child of the King, we become worthy heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Revelation 3:4 promises that the faithful in Christ will walk with Him in purity and righteousness. The Apostle Paul stated in Galatians 3:29 NIV, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Can you truly claim the promises in God's Word as your own? Do you belong to Him? Are you able to say with absolute confidence and assurance that, "I am His, and He is mine?"

If so, then one day soon you will hear Jesus say, "My child, I have redeemed you, your sins once as scarlet are whiter than snow - you are Mine forever!" Oh, what wonderful words of life…eternal life!

John 10:27,28 NKJV
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Sing praises to His Holy name!

I love praise and worship songs that glorify His Holy name, and songs that proclaim His awesome power and majesty. Many of them are songs of thanksgiving for Who He is, and for what He has done. As I sing those songs, my emotions are often tearful, joyful, humble and up-lifting - all at the same time.

Yesterday I listened to a song that I've heard many times before, but this time as I focused on the words, they held a special meaning and significance. I'd like to share the song with you and offer my thoughts.

"Shout to The Lord"

My Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like You;
All of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength;
Let ev'ry breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You.

Chorus
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing
Power and Majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

There are many examples of praise, worship and thanksgiving in Scripture. The children of Israel were very expressive people with singing, dancing, raising of hands and arms, and making music using a variety of musical instruments in their praise and worship of Almighty God.

Just a few examples of their passionate worship are found here:
2 Sam. 6:14 David danced before the Lord with all his might.
Ps. 47:1,2 Clap your hands and shout with joy.
Ps. 63:4 Lift up hands in praise.
Ps. 95:1,2 Sing for joy with thanksgiving.
Ps. 149:3 Praise His name with dancing and make music to Him.
Ps. 150:3-5 Praise Him with the sounds of many instruments.

Just as the children of Israel worshiped, may we also praise God's greatness and glory with all that is within us.

Psalm 96:1-6 (NKJV)
1. Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2. Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3. Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
6. Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

The last line of the 'Shout To The Lord' chorus reads, "Nothing compares to the promise I have in You." With the world crumbling all around us, with turmoil everywhere we look, and with Israel surrounded by armies seeking to destroy her, we know Who holds tomorrow. We can find rest and comfort in His promises.

Will you join me with raised voices and joyful hearts to sing praises to Him - giving all honor and glory to our Lord and King? I pray we can all do that today.

Don

Netanyahu Delivers His Speech to the UN/ Amos and Israel

 One cannot read Old Testament Prophets concerning Israel in the latter days and not know we are already there!
One example: The book of Amos progresses from scathing judgments on Israel's enemies, (read them carefully, you'll notice some interesting facts about familiar countries) to a rebuke of Israel for her transgressions and a pronouncement of judgment because she has turned away from the Lord and from following His Law of righteousness, ending with a promise of redemption: Amos 9:14,15 "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land, which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God." Compare this with Ezekiel 34:28
Pray for the (true) peace of Israel and for Binyamin Netanyahu~
 

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Bibi's Response to a Reporter plus Arab/Israeli Conflict Facts

By Jerry Golden from the Golden Report (email)

Even those who aren't particularly sympathetic to Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, could get a good measure of satisfaction from this interview with British Television during the retaliation against Hamas' shelling of Israel.

The interviewer asked him: "How come so many more Palestinians have been killed in this conflict than Israelis?" ( nasty question if there ever was one!)

Netanyahu: "Are you sure that you want to start asking in that direction?"
 
Interviewer: (Falling into the trap) Why not?

Netanyahu: "Because in World War II more Germans were killed than British and Americans combined, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the war was caused by Germany's aggression. And in response to the German blitz on London, the British wiped out the entire city of Dresden, burning to death more German civilians than the number of people killed in Hiroshima. Moreover, I could remind you that in 1944, when the R.A.F. tried to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen, some of the bombs missed their target and fell on a Danish children's hospital, killing 83 little children. Perhaps you have another question?"
 
Apparently, Benjamin Netanyahu gave another  interview and was asked about Israel's occupation of Arab lands. His response was, "It's our land". The reporter was stunned.  
Read below "It's Our Land..." It's important information since we don't get fair and accurate reporting from the media and facts tend to get lost in the jumble of daily events.

"Crash Course on the Arab-Israeli  Conflict." Here are overlooked facts in the current & past Middle East situation. These were compiled by a Christian university professor:

BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY...  (It takes just 1.5 minutes to read!) It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew or  non-Jew -- it doesn't matter.

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem: Israel became a nation in  1312 BC, two thousand (2000) years before the rise of  Islam.

2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying  themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after  the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the  Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand (1000) years with  a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300  years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest  in 635 lasted no more than 22 years.
 
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been  the Jewish capital.  Jerusalem has never been the capital of  any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they  never sought to make it their capital, and Arab  leaders
did not come to  visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in  Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures.  Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the  Koran.

7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem.  Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
 
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem.   Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
 
9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab  refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge  the land  of Jews.   Sixty-eight percent left (many in fear of retaliation by their own  brethren, the Arabs), without ever seeing an Israeli soldier. The ones  who stayed were afforded the same peace, civility, and citizenship  rights as everyone else.

10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee  from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and  pogroms.

11.  The number of Arab refugees who left Israel  in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees  from Arab lands is estimated to be about 800,000.
 
12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not  absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite  the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War  II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been  absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees  were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the  state of New  Jersey.

13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are  represented by twenty two separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five  wars and lost.  Israel defended itself each  time and won.

14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the  destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the  Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and  has supplied them.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites  were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship.  Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved  and made accessible to people of all  faiths.
 
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security  Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against  Israel.
 
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions  voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem  synagogues  were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians  systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians  enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the  Temple  Mount and the  Western Wall.
 
These are incredible  times. We have to ask what our role should be.  What will we tell  our grandchildren about what we did when there was a turning point  in Jewish destiny, an  opportunity to make a difference? 
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Peace Process or War Process?

By: Daniel Pipes
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Diplomacy aiming to shut down the Arab-Israeli conflict is premature until Palestinians give up one addiction.

When Barack Obama announced in June 2009 about Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, "I'm confident that if we stick with it, having started early, that we can make some serious progress this year," he displayed a touching, if naïve optimism.

Indeed, his determination fits a well-established pattern of determination by politicians to "solve" the Arab-Israeli conflict; there were fourteen U.S. government initiatives just during the two George W. Bush administrations. Might this time be different? Will trying harder or being more clever end the conflict?

No, there is no chance whatever of this effort working.

Without looking at the specifics of the Obama approach — which are in themselves problematic — I shall argue three points: that past Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have failed; that their failure resulted from an Israeli illusion about avoiding war; and that Washington should urge Jerusalem to forego negotiations and return instead to its earlier and more successful policy of fighting for victory.
.
.
.
Diplomacy aiming to shut down the Arab-Israeli conflict is premature until Palestinians give up their anti-Zionism. When that happy moment arrives, negotiations can re-open and take up anew the Oslo issues — borders, resources, armaments, sanctities, residential rights. But that is years or decades away. In the meantime, an ally needs to win.


Full story here

Perspective: A Picture is Worth....

First you see Israel as she appears today... Now compare her to her Arab neighbors (who, incidentally, are resolved to take away what little territory she has left) Israel makes up .15% of the entire Mid East land map. Add Turkey in the upper left hand and Iran in the upper right hand, which borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Now you begin to see Israel's dilemma about security. Plus, the third map shows a divided Israel that is being pressured to give up More land now.  As you can see, there is not much left of a place that is the size of New Jersey, but the Arabs say they will NEVER be satisfied until Israel is completely wiped off the maps as a nation.

Enough said....

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Peace at what Price??? Tripartite Meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd

 From the Jerusalem Post
US President Barack Obama will host a meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in an effort to lay the groundwork for renewed peace negotiations, the White House announced Saturday night.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the three-way meeting would take place after Obama meets separately with each of the two leaders.

"These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed," the statement said.

The announcement of the meeting came as something of a surprise, as earlier this week Mitchell failed to make progress in talks with the two leaders. Hours before the Saturday night's announcement, Israel and the PA continued to squabble over which side was to blame for the current stall in peace talks.

On Thursday several PA officials hinted that such a meeting might take place, but stressed that the Palestinians would not drop their demand that Israel halt all construction in settlements before the resumption of peace talks. A PA official said that under the current circumstances, a decision by Abbas to meet with Netanyahu would only be because of the heavy pressure the Americans have been exerting on him in recent weeks.

In Saturday's statement, Mitchell said "It is another sign of the president's deep commitment to comprehensive peace that he wants to personally engage at this juncture."

The meetings will take place in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

No announcement is expected at the meeting of the three leaders, according to an administration official. But Obama scheduled the meeting to show his personal commitment to making progress, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the discussions.


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

What Wise Men See... by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Shanah tovah!

Tonight (Friday, September 18) at sunset is the start of the Jewish New Year---Rosh Hashanah. Tonight inaugurates the Year of Creation, 5770.

It is also the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

It is a time for reflecting on the choices…victories and short-comings…of the past year. It is a time of recommitment to the Lord for the year ahead. It is a time to acknowledge our need of repentance, to be more constant in prayer, and to regard the needs of others as superior to our own.

In Jewish tradition this is a time when the Lord inscribes His assessment of your year just past and the expectation of your year ahead. (Hence the traditional greeting: “May you be inscribed for a GOOD year!”)

In looking to the skies we note two significant sights in the heavens on this New Year—
Rising in the east at sunset is Jupiter, Tzaddik, the Righteous King. As always, Jupiter is a reminder that Jesus is the One who is wholly righteous. Jesus presided over creation (at its beginning) and continues as the Lord of Creation forever. As the wholly righteous king He is the only one worthy to be the Lord of your life…but can be so ONLY if you LET Him take control of your life.
On this New Year, what part of your life are you still trying to keep in YOUR control instead of surrendering it to Jesus?

Mirroring the sunset image is what we see in the pre-dawn sky: Venus, Nogah, Splendor, rising in the paw of the Leo the Lion. There is a day coming…and closer now than ever before…when the Lion of Judah will return to claim His people (Us!) and to assert His sovereignty.

What a brilliant and encouraging two-part picture this is! This Rosh Hashanah we see Jesus portrayed from being the One Who created all things….right the way through to His coming revelation to the universe when He arrives IN SPLENDOR to rule and to reign!

As you read today’s scripture, observe and reflect on references to Splendor, Creation, Righteousness and Kingship! Marvel with us at how the writer of the letter to the Hebrews anticipated these High Holy Days almost 2000 years ago!
Hebrews 1:1-3, 8-12
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets. In these last days, He spoke to us through a Son, whom He made heir of all things and through whom He CREATED the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory (SPLENDOR!), the very imprint of His being, and who sustains all things by His mighty word. When He had accomplished purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
******
of the Son He said: "Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of Your KINGDOM You loved RIGHTEOUSNESS and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, anointed You with the oil of gladness above your companions" and: "At the beginning, O Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end."
The word of the Lord!
To sum up:
Confirming the scriptures, the heavens declare splendor and the soon return of our Righteous King, just as prophets and the heavens pointed the way to His birth 2000 years ago! Stand in awe before your Redeemer! This Rosh Hashanah prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord!

Happy New Year 5770!
Shalom!
Bodie and Brock

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Netanyahu: PA Will Take Over Part of Israel

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) “The Land of Israel is divided. The question is how it will be divided in the future,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Hebrew-language daily Israel HaYom (Israel Today) in an interview published Wednesday. He emphasized the security aspect concerning the future borders of Israel and of a “Palestinian entity,” a phrase he used before conceding in the face of pressure from U.S. President Barack Obama that he would acknowledge a Palestinian Authority state under certain conditions.

“There are those who envisioned from the beginning that the borders would be along the 1967 lines [prior to the Six-Day War], which are not defensible," he said in the interview. "Israel today needs borders where it can always defend itself.”

Unspecified borders
In his statements he did not specify what he sees as the borders of an Arab entity or state, and he did not comment on the future of outlying Jewish communities. The consensus in the government coalition and among most Israelis, according to polls, is that large centers of Jewish populations must remain under Israeli sovereignty.

These areas include Ma'aleh Adumim (east of Jerusalem), Gush Etzion (south of the capital) and probably Ariel (east of Tel Aviv). The Prime Minister did not specify which areas in Judea and Samaria are needed for the defense of the rest of the country and which areas can be surrendered without sacrificing security.

Concerning the PA, he said, “I demand from them what no one else has demanded the past five years. I expect its leadership to tell the truth to its people as I am telling you things that are not pleasant for a portion of your readers.” Israel HaYom is owned by American billionaire and Likud supporter Sheldon Adelson and is the only mass circulation Hebrew-language daily that comes close to being in favor of a Jewish presence throughout most or all of Judea and Samaria.

Prime Minister Netanyahu added that he has no desire to govern 1.5 million Arabs in Judea and Samaria. “We need to find a true solution to coexistence,” he said. “It is clear that they need to rule themselves in any final status solution – but without the authority and ability to threaten Israel."


Story source here

Rosh HaShannah

Rosh HaShannah by Jerry Golden

Tishri 1, 5770 or Sept. 19, 2009
This report is for those who would like to observe God’s Holidays. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Law; this has everything to do with the Holidays God has given us to be observed. It is not complete, and if I tried to make it complete it would be more than most would want to read. So I do hope it wets your appetite.
The Hebrew word Rosh means “head” or “Beginning” Ha means “the” and Shannah means “year”. It’s only used once in the Tenach “Old Testament” Ezekiel 40:1 says, “in the beginning of the year” in the Hebrew it says Rosh Ha Shannah. The more common Biblical name is “Feast of Trumpets.” Lev.23:23-25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, In the seventh month in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Rosh Hashannah is considered the Jewish New Year, but it comes on the seventh month on the first day. In the Jewish world it is considered the birthday of the world. If you count from the first day of Elul (the 6th month) until the 1st day of Tishri (7th month) which is Rosh Ha Shannah you will have counted 30 days. Known as the 30 days of preparation ending with Yom Teruah, Yom in Hebrew is “day” Teruah means “Trumpets” so it’s the day of sounding the trumpets, or known today as Rosh Ha Shannah.
If I haven’t lost you yet, you are doing well, don’t let this get to complicated, because it will come to you in time. Now lets go on…. Rosh Hashannah is the Spiritual New Year, not the regular new year, for it would come on the first day of Nisan, the first month on the Jewish calendar. Much like the 6 days of creation, the 7th day is the Sabbath. The same is true with the first 6 months and the 7th month being a Sabbath, and the 1st day of the 7th month is Rosh Ha Shannah, the spiritual New Year. Recognized in Israel and the Jewish world as the New Year.

Rosh Ha Shannah is the beginning of the ten days called High Holy Days or “Days of Awe” They are also called the Days of Repentance, Days of Admitting, Days of Returning. These ten days end with the Day of Atonement, “Yom Kippur”

I hope you will read the entire report by Jerry,
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Jerusalem, a Praise in the Earth!

Isaiah 62...

¹For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

²And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

³Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

⁴Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

⁵For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

⁶I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

⁷And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Tell me Jerusalem isn't important!!

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Will US submission to Iran negate Israeli strike?

What we are doing is giving Iran more time to finish its nuclear program. Our government knows this...am I the only one wondering whose side the US leaders are on????????
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

09-13-09
The US will join other major powers in seeking an early meeting with Iran although Tehran's refusal to discuss its nuclear program was described by Washington officials as "disappointing." They said the Obama administration is consistent in its aim of dialogue with Iran and wants the meeting offered by Tehran to take place as soon as possible to assess Iran's readiness to deal with the nuclear issue ahead of the Six-Power discussions taking place later this month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Far from meeting the Obama administration's gesture halfway, Iran's new defense minister Ahmed Wahidi delivered a fierce attack on Washington Saturday, Sept. 12, warning the US "not to try the militarize the region" and denying the production of weapons of mass destruction as "contrary to our religion and principles."

DEBKAfile's Washington sources say the Obama White House is relying on the public's short memory on Iran's prevarications. On July 20, 2008, the six powers including the US confronted Iran at the negotiating table in Geneva. Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili listened quietly to the Bush administration's undersecretary of state William Burns' words on its nuclear activities, then announced he was not competent to respond and would refer to Tehran for instructions. Jalili never did come back with his government's response.

After Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated loud and clear last week that the nuclear file was closed for Tehran, the Iranian negotiators will no doubt repeat this exercise which had the effect of tying US hands for more than a year and will keep them tied for several more months. Whatever the outcome, it is no good Washington relying on tough new sanctions because that door has been shut by Moscow and Beijing's published intention to block them.

The former commander of the big Israeli air base at Hatezerim, Brig. (ret.) Shelly Guttman, said Saturday that for the first time since the Yom Kippur War, Israel faces an existential threat. Nevertheless, Russia and France are leading an internatonal drive to stall military action as well.

Thursday, Sept. 10, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin warned against the use of force or new sanctions against Iran, the toughest caution Israel has heard so far. Neither course will "solve the problem," said the Russian leader.

The caution from Moscow followed frantic consultations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in the last week for a decision on whether Israel should resort to its military option for pre-empting the rise of a nuclear-armed Iran already on the threshold, according to US intelligence agencies. Our Moscow sources say the Russians may be expected to keep up their verbal pressure on Jerusalem.

Putin was supported from Paris the same day, when France released the opinion offered by French army chief Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin in Washington that military force to wipe out Iran's nuclear program "was no longer viable."

While Putin explained his objections to military action as: "Russia has no reason to doubt that Iran's nuclear program is purely peaceful," the French general argued: "It is very difficult to plan a military operation in Iran, because we are not sure in one shot to be able to solve a problem and if you fail in one shot..."

debka

Gas Bonanza in Dead Sea?

Gas Bonanza Investors Ready to Dive in Dead Sea for Black Gold
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

An oil drilling consortium which includes companies that found billions of dollars in natural gas off the Haifa coast will begin in October to look for black gold in an area along the Dead Sea, according to Delek Group chief executive officer Yitzchak Tshuva.

He said that the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) has consented to the drilling after the consortium agreed to invest half a million dollars to protect the rich nature reserves in the area from damage during the exploration.

Investors' hopes of finding oil in Israel are based on seismic surveys that estimate that Dead Sea oil reserves are worth nearly half a billion dollars.

Delek heads the consortium that earlier this year discovered rich gas reserves approximately 50 miles west of Haifa, and estimates of the value of the gas have more than doubled since the first reports. Tshuva said last month that he foresees Israel becoming self-sufficient in energy in the near future, with the Jewish State possibly becoming an exporter of gas.

A discovery of large oil reserves would further an economic revolution in Israel, which has until now been dependent on foreign countries for oil and gas.

The term Dead Sea is a faulty translation of the Hebrew phrase "Salt Sea" as is written in the Bible. It refers to water that has the densest concentration of salt and other minerals in the world and is found at the lowest point on Earth. Although fish and plant life do not exist in the highly salty waters, its potassium and potash have made the Dead Sea Works one of the world’s largest exporters of the material used for fertilizers. Read the story HERE

If you read Ezekiel 38, you'll find that Israel has become wealthy when a confederate of nations comes against her to try to steal her gold and silver and destroy her... so this all makes sense and is another fulfillment of prophecy!!

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

A Teachable Mid East Moment

09.09.2009 by Michael Freund

For a president who has been in office for just over seven months, Barack Obama can at last point to some meaningful change that he has brought about in the Middle East.

Thanks to his administration's arm-twisting and bullying of Jerusalem over settlements, Obama has unwittingly succeeded in galvanizing the Israeli public like never before. The result is a broad coalition that extends all the way from the moderate left, through the center and over to the reasonable right, giving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu plenty of political breathing space. ( Praise God!!-- Mid)

Consider the following: On Monday, left-wing Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed permits approving the construction of 455 housing units in various Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. This is the same Barak who, as prime minister, sat down with Yasser Arafat at Camp David nine years ago and offered the Palestinians virtually the entire West Bank and Gaza on a silver platter.

Yet here he is, lending a hand to building the Land of Israel, in defiance of the dictates from Washington. This is no small achievement. Thousands of additional Jews will now be able to make their homes over the so-called Green Line, strengthening the Jewish presence in the very areas that Washington so desperately wants to tear away from us.

Ironically, in this respect, Obama has managed to attain what various right-wing MKs and settler lobby groups could only dream of. Through his obstinacy, the American president has inadvertently brought about a resumption of construction in the territories by unfairly pressing Israel to agree to a "freeze."

No matter how one looks at it, Obama misplayed his hand, thinking he could push Israel around. But this approach has clearly backfired. Instead of dividing and conquering the Israeli public, Obama has instead riled them up and united them.

In this regard, Obama can also point to another significant achievement on his watch. Previous American presidents, regardless of their stature at home, have consistently enjoyed high approval ratings among Israelis. Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were all adored by the general Israeli public, which viewed them as true friends. The result was that Israelis trusted them and their judgment, even when they took stands inimical to our interests, thereby making it more difficult for our leaders to openly defy Washington.

Yet here too Obama has managed to alter reality. As a recent Smith Research poll conducted on behalf of The Jerusalem Post revealed (August 28), just 4 percent of Israelis now think Obama's policies are pro-Israel, while 51% consider his administration to be pro-Palestinian.

In effect, Obama has changed the way Israelis view America. It was once considered unthinkable for a prime minister to say no to the United States, yet that is exactly what is happening now, and the bulk of Israelis support it.

Indeed, when Netanyahu's coalition was sworn in on April 1, could anyone have imagined that within just a few months it would successfully stand up to Washington over the issue of settlements? Sure, Obama can and will point to the six-month moratorium on further West Bank construction as a concession that he squeezed out of Jerusalem. But the fact is that the cranes and bulldozers will continue apace in Judea and Samaria for a long time to come, both on the 2,500 units already under construction and the new ones approved this week.

And that is what makes the Netanyahu government's achievement here so noteworthy. For instead of simply acquiescing to Obama's demands on settlements, he has outmaneuvered him, ostensibly giving him what he wants while in effect rendering it moot. And so, the building will carry on, but without the brouhaha that would otherwise have accompanied it.

More importantly, Netanyahu has succeeded in changing the narrative of the Middle East peace process. For the first time in recent memory, Israel has actually said no to America on an issue of major importance.

Supporters of Israel should breathe a sigh of relief at this development. It signifies a much healthier attitude on the part of the country's decision-makers and marks a new maturity in the relationship between Jerusalem and Washington.

If and when a final-status deal is ever negotiated, it is crucial that the Americans and Palestinians go into the talks aware that Israel is self-confident enough to stand firm on issues it views as vital to its existence.

This is what Obama himself would likely refer to as a "teachable moment" on the Middle East - one from which he still has a lot to learn. In a short period, he has hardened the Palestinian position, strengthened the hand of Israel's settlement enterprise and led the Israeli public to reassess its blind faith in Washington.

That's quite a record of achievement.
Read the article HERE
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

New Neighborhood Launched in Disputed Area E1

Hundreds of people, including ministers, MKs and Yesha Council heads attend symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for 'Mevaseret Adumim' neighborhood in disputed area outside Jerusalem. 'We won't be the world's sucker anymore,' Deputy Minister Porush says, 'This is our answer to international pressure on settlements'

Efrat Weiss

Published:

09.07.09, 18:56 / Israel News

"This is our answer to the international community's demand that Israel halt construction in the West Bank," Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) said Monday during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new residential neighborhood in E1, a sprawl of land connecting Jerusalem to Maaleh Adumim

The US is opposed to any construction in the area, claiming that it hinders peace negotiations with the Palestinians. The international community and the Palestinian Authority are closely monitoring developments in E1, as the PA claims Israel's real intention behind the plan is to expropriate Palestinian land, annex Jerusalem and divide the West Bank into Samaria and Judea.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin also spoke out against the government's planned settlement freeze, saying "anyone who thinks that Jerusalem will rise from the ashes of Hebron has learned nothing."

"This symbolic cornerstone laying will eventually become a reality," he said, "I call on the public to keep building and believing."

Among the hundreds of people who attended the ceremony for the "Mevaseret Adumim" neighborhood were Ministers Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi) and Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beitenu), as well as Knesset Members Danny Danon (Likud), Zeev Elkin (Likud) and Uri Orbach (Habayit Hayehudi).

Also in attendance were Maaleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel and heads of the Yesha Council.

Maaleh Adumim is currently home to 37,000 people, while some 3,000 housing units are expected to be built in the new neighborhood.

"The State of Israel cannot find itself in an inferior position again amid the disgraceful and unjust calls to freeze settlement construction," Porush continued to say. "After Israel made all those foolish concessions on the heels of the Oslo Accords, we mustn't make any more unilateral sacrifices and continue to be the world's sucker amid Hamas' terror.

"It cannot be that the US will pressure Israel in order to improve its relations with the Arabs. This will jeopardize our security," he said.

A group of Peace Now activists arrived at the E1 sector while the ceremony was being held.

Peace Now activists protest against new neighborhood (Photo: Dudi Vaaknin)

The demonstrators carried signs reading "Bibi and Barak, this is not a game," and "bi-national state under construction." Police forces kept the demonstrators away from the site.

Zviki Bar-Hai, head of the South Mount. Hebron Regional Council criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "It is unprecedented for a prime minister to agree to a settlement freeze. The settlement enterprise is a living thing, and, God willing, we will overcome the obstacles and continue to build."

Prior to the ceremony Bar-Hai told Ynet, "This is the first time in Israeli history that a prime minister agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu agreed to what (Yitzhak) Rabin and Shimon Peres refused to agree to."

Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan said most of the West Bank construction approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak had already been authorized by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet.

"The only thing Likud has done is bring upon us the coming settlement freeze," he said.

Rivlin was speaking at a memorial service marking the 80th anniversary of the 1929 Palestine riots.

Addressing the US' pressure on the settlement freeze, Rivlin added that, "Our friends in the international arena should know that not all is fair in diplomacy."

Also on Monday, the Labor Party backed Barak's decision to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in the West Bank, saying it was "within the framework of the Zionist consensus."

Attila Somfalvi contributed to this article.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Iran Close to Building First Nuke...

DEBKAfile Special Report

September 5, 2009, 5:19 PM (GMT+02:00)

Iran's IAEA delegate Ali Asghar Soltanieh

Barack Obama has been in the White House for nine months and Binyamin Netanyahu in the Israeli prime minister's office six months. Both have spent precious time batting the numbers of settlement apartments to and fro instead of taking resolute steps to thwart Iran's spectacular advances on the road to a nuclear weapon. DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources note that Tehran has made good use of this time for the longest strides towards its objective than at any time since its program was surreptitiously launched.

The progress confirmed by our sources consists of four major steps:

1. Iran has succeeded in secretly combining uranium processing, airborne high-explosive tests and work on designing a missile cone to fit a nuclear warhead, according to Western intelligence updates.

2. The conflicting reports on the amount of uranium enriched and number of fast centrifuge machines in operation obscure the following hard facts: The Iranians have doubled the number of ever faster centrifuges that are working at their enrichment plants.

They are moreover completing tests on a more advanced homemade centrifuge, the IR4, which will halve the time taken for converting low-grade enrichment uranium into weapons-grade material.

3. By February 2010 - and some say sooner - Tehran will have stocked enough high-grade enriched uranium for two nuclear bombs.

4. Iran has also gone into home production of nuclear fuel rods for plutonium.

Barack Obama' repeatedly held up his plan to engage Tehran in dialogue - first until the June 12 presidential election (hoping a more rational president would replace Mahmoud Ahmedinejad); then, until the popular unrest following the disputed poll died down (for fear of being accused of interfering); and finally on the assumption that the turmoil would divide and weaken the Islamic regime and make it easier to engage constructively.

The six world powers, US, Russia, China, France, the UK and Germany accordingly gave Iran until Sept. 15 to start talks.

It turned out that these delays, instead of weakening Iran's rulers, hardened their position.

Reacting to the new intelligence presented to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's delegate Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Friday, Sept. 4: "The government of the United States has not handed over the original documents to the agency since it does not in fact have any authenticated documents and all it has are forged document"

An anonymous US official in Vienna said Soltanieh's accusations were baseless and the IAEA itself "had accepted the material as credible."

But by then, the Iranian delegate had come up with a new self-serving initiative: a proposal for the agency's board of governors to ban member states from attacking the nuclear facilities of other nations.

Then on Saturday, Sept 5, Soltanieh, made it clear that Tehran was virtually scrapping the Western powers incentives offer which has been gathering dust since last year as the basis for talks and was about to put forward its own "comprehensive package on issues, including nuclear and economic cooperation as well as concerns about the proliferation of atomic weapons."

The Iranian package will be handed in this week.

What do Washington and Jerusalem propose to do now in the face of Iran's aggressive nuclear and diplomatic offensives? Will the foot-dragging continue until Iran conducts its first nuclear test?

Four years ago, prime minister Ariel Sharon said Israel must meet US demands on containing West Bank settlement "because we would need the Americans on the Iran issue."

His successor, Ehud Olmert and foreign minister Tzipi Livni held off Israeli action by reiterating it was up to the "international community" to stop Iran's advance toward a nuclear bomb.

Has anything changed in Washington and Jerusalem?

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

The Question of Jerusalem

The Question of Jerusalem?
-by David Parsons (From ICEJ)

The Obama administration’s outlandish demands that east Jerusalem be included in a total freeze on Jewish settlement activity has once again brought to the fore the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Arab conflict – the fate of Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was genuinely caught off guard in May when US President Barack Obama began openly insisting on a complete halt to all Jewish building in the disputed territories. It took a few weeks for the Netanyahu government to find its footing on the issue and begin issuing assurances that discreet negotiations with Washington would soon work out a deal allowing some continued growth in the settlements.

But then the US State Department twice summoned newly-accredited Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren to deliver formal censures over the Jewish housing project slated for the Shepherd hotel near the Arab neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah, and the demolition of illegal Arab houses in the same vicinity. Israeli officials were surprised once again, this time by the cheeky bid to extend the building freeze to east Jerusalem. Recovery from this latest setback is still in process.

To be fair, this is not the first American administration to issue twisted directives on Jerusalem. US policy on Jerusalem has long been a morass of legal absurdity. In but one example, for any American citizens born here, the US State Department simply stamps their passports as “Jerusalem,” refusing to also designate it as being in “Israel.”

This evidences the astonishing fact that Washington has never recognized any part of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Though US officials meet with their Israeli counterparts there all the time, even the predominantly Jewish western side of town has never been granted de jure recognition.

State Department officials often trip over themselves trying to explain this bizarre policy, and always fall back on the empty mantra that “Jerusalem should remain undivided, but is subject to negotiation.”

This position has essentially granted the Arabs a veto over the US power of recognition, when in turn influences the views of other nations worldwide regarding the Israeli capital. And the sad truth is that the longer the “Question” of Jerusalem has been left open, the larger that question has become. It has reached the point that claims which did not even exist before the city’s reunification in 1967 are now attaching to her, and Jerusalem has become the capital of everyone else except the Jews.

Thus at the Fatah General Assembly in Bethlehem in August, the largest Palestinian faction declared that Jerusalem is "the eternal capital of Palestine, the Arab world and the Islamic and Christian worlds."

Capital of the Arab world? Capital of Islam?

The Arabs and Muslims had centuries to make Jerusalem their capital, but never did. It was always considered a ‘backwater’ provincial town when in Arab or Muslim hands, as evidenced by the fact that only one Muslim ruler visited Jerusalem during the two decades it was in Jordanian hands from 1948 through 1967.

The city has truly been the capital of only one nation – the Jewish commonwealth – based on an historical, spiritual and cultural attachment that dates back 3,000 years. Sure, it served as the capital of a short-lived Crusader kingdom, but no matter what Fatah says, there are no Christians seriously clamoring to revive that claim today – at least not yet.


IN ITS RECENT machinations, the Obama administration has managed to expose not only the legal morass of US policy on Jerusalem, but its utter moral bankruptcy as well. For this particular president to demand that Jews cannot build in eastern Jerusalem is shocking!

Now he may argue that continued Jewish building might prejudice the outcome of negotiations. But so does continued Arab building! After all, both sides lay claim to east Jerusalem, and even-handedness therefore requires either that all can build or none can build.

Otherwise, you are validating the bitter anomaly that for a mere 19 years of its long history, east Jerusalem was Judenrein – rendered so by the force of Arab arms.

This stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the city’s long and glorious past. Whenever the Bible speaks of Jerusalem, from the time the Lord chose the city through the heart of King David (II Chronicles 6), it is speaking of what we know today as east Jerusalem. None of these many verses of Scripture refer to western Jerusalem, because that portion of the modern city only arose within the past 100 years. And this same scared Book promises that the Lord “will again choose Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 2:12)

May that day come speedily!
______________________________________________________

The writer serves as media director for the International
Christian Embassy Jerusalem

This article was first published in the September 2009 issue of
The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition

Subcribe at www.jpost.com/ce


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua