July 2003

Summer Shalom in the Prince of Peace!

Those of us who know Yeshua the Messiah, the Prince of Peace (Sar Shalom) have a deep abiding peace in our heart this month in spite of a world reeling about us in fear and unrest. We have peace because we have the truth. The truth is the Word of God and Yeshua, the living Word of God. Our peace is on the inside, independent of the world’s peace.

Israel desperately needs peace right now. She needs truth even more. As believers we must not accept peace in Israel at the expense of truth. Truth must be our first choice. That truth, based on the Holy Scriptures, is what we feel led to communicate to you this month as things heat up in the Middle East as the "road map" to establish a Palestinian State begins to be implemented.

According to many verses in the Bible, God does not want the land of Israel to be divided. This is precisely what the "world" is trying to do at this very moment. The "Quartet" which includes the U.S., the European Union, the U.N. and Russia have as their goal the division of Israel into an Israeli state and a Palestinian state. The plan under consideration would force Israel back to pre-Six Day war, 1967 borders by the year 2005. There is great concern, with good reason, that this division will be both a reward and an encouragement for the Arab nations to again try to destroy Israel. Israel must remain intact!

The God of the Bible deals with nations according to their treatment of Israel and the Jewish people. Beginning in the very first book of the Bible we find scriptures that express very clearly that God blesses those who bless Israel and curses them who curse this nation (Genesis12:3, 27:29). In Numbers 24:9, the Lord refers to the people He brought out of Egypt and says, "Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you." God has judged all the nations that have come against Israel over the centuries. The God of Israel is very protective of His dwelling place. Israel is His land. He is the one true God, and all nations will come to the realization of that truth.

The prophet Ezekiel gives us numerous examples of God’s judgment upon nations according to their treatment of Israel. Ammon, Moab, Edom and the Philistines faced God’s judgments (Ezekiel 25:1-17). Tyrus (Ezekiel 26:2-3) and Zidon (Ezekiel 28:21-24) were likewise judged. In Ezekiel 29:2-10 we read of a very interesting judgment of God upon a nation that has fearful implications for our day. This insight along with much of the information in this letter, was gleaned from the writings of our dear friends Chuck and Karen Cohen of Jerusalem, Israel, Messianic ministers who keep us up to date on what God is doing in the Middle East. The Cohens point out that in Ezekiel 29, God is going to judge Egypt because of her arrogance toward Him as well as her treatment of Israel. Egypt had said, "My River is my own; I have made it for myself," referring to the Nile. Egypt was an unreliable ally to Israel, a "staff of reed to the house of Israel." God judged Egypt for this. He will do the same today to nations who proclaim that they are true friends of Israel but are not. God will be glorified. The pride of man and opposition to the will and Word of God will cause the downfall of nations.

The most relevant verses of scripture relating to the "land for peace" issue in Israel today are:

"In those days, and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgement against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land" (Joel 3:1-2).

These prophetic verses are coming to pass before our eyes. The "captivity" of Judah and Jerusalem refers to Jews living outside the land of Israel (diaspora). God has brought His people back from captivity to live once again in the land of their fathers. This was prophesied many times throughout the Tenach. The prophet Joel told us that a day was coming when God would gather all nations and bring them down to a valley whose name means "Adonai judges." There He will pronounce sentence upon nations who have scattered God’s people and divided His land.

God will not be mocked. He watches over His Word to perform it. He does not want His land divided. A "peace process" which is a "piece process" is reprehensible to the God of the Bible, the owner of the Land of Israel. If we want "truth," we must take a stand for an undivided Israel. "Peace," not based on truth, will never be real peace.

The Bible tells us that God judges Israel according to her sins: "Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you" (Jeremiah 30:12-15). But, God judges the nations according to what they have done to His children, the children of Israel! There is a passage in the New Covenant that talks about the Son of Man coming in glory and judging the nations by separating "sheep" from "goats." The King praises the "sheep" for their ministry to Him by saying: "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:31-46)

When Yeshua taught this parable, the Scriptures divided the world into two groups, the Jews (Ami, My People), and the Nations (L’Goyim). "Sheep" and "goats" were judged by their treatment of Ami.

Because of our concern for the future of our country, Jamie wrote the following letter to the Editor of our local newspaper:

America is the greatest nation in the world today. Spain, at one time was a great nation too. Then she expelled the Jews, and lost her former glory. The same can be said of Great Britain. What will happen to the U.S. if we cease to stand by Israel and go against God’s plans and eternal purposes for His nation? Can we continue to be blessed if we resist God’s plan to restore the nation of Israel for His glory? (See Ezekiel 36.) Some believe we are already under God’s judgment. A number of recent natural disasters have coincided precisely with decisions made by our government to take away from Israel what God has given to her. (i.e. The very week Secretary of State Colin Powell was pushing the "road map" in the Middle East, the U.S. set a tornado record. Almost 400 tornadoes ripped through our land during a single week, leaving more than 40 dead.) Someone has wisely said, that President Bush should hearken to the views of the Prophets over those of Powell.

We are concerned that God might be forced to judge us by lifting His protection from us. We must not be deceived; the vision of two states living in peace side by side is an impossibility. It challenges the truth of the Word of God and presupposes a totally fallacious desire for peaceful coexistence on the part of the Palestinian Arabs. (Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Authority’s new Prime Minister represents the very radical Palestinian position that does not accept the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state. He also denies the Holocaust and is a known terrorist.)

We must pray that in the midst of judgment, God remembers mercy for our nation (Habbakuk 3:2)! Pray that our country continues to stand by Israel. Pray against this "road map." It is not God’s map! Intercede for our President–that he will hear and obey the voice of God. Pray for truth to be revealed to those in authority in our nation–the truth that the "occupied territories" are really the God-given mountains of Judea and Samaria as well as the city of Jerusalem. Israel is not an occupier; Jews can trace their right to the land of Israel back over 3,000 years! Pray according to Zechariah 12 which says that in the days when all the nations come against Israel, Jews will be in both Jerusalem and Judea. Intercede for God’s protection and blessing on the Israeli "settlers" in these areas. (This includes our friends the Cohens.) Pray for God’s will to be done even as the world says "Get out!" to them. President Bush is considered by many to be the best friend Israel has had in the White House in a long time. Pray that he remains strong and does not give in to pressure from other nations. Pray that lies will be exposed for what they are, i.e. that the major blockage to world peace is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, solvable by Israel giving up land. Be a watchman on the wall for Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:6-7). Pray against anti-semitism which is on the rise in our country. It is indeed time to "watch and pray." The future of our nation is at stake. God is seeking intercessors in this hour (Ezekiel 22:30-31). Hard work? Yes. Selfless? Yes. Popular? No. Crucial? Absolutely!

Wear a lapel pin with the flags of Israel and America to show you are standing with God for Israel. Give one to a friend who will "agree" with you in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

Testaments of Israel is a compilation of Scriptures in Hebrew and English combined with beautiful photographs of modern day Israel. The 12 inch by 13 inch hard cover book makes an excellent gift for that someone special (maybe yourself?). This book originally sold for $75. We have 53 copies which we obtained at a publisher’s close out price to make them available to you.

Marty Goetz is our favorite psalmist. His new album Songs of Israel contains 10 of our favorite songs including "Exodus," "Jerusalem of Gold," and "Hatikvah" (Israel’s national anthem). We think you will really enjoy it. We do.

Jamie's ancestors came over on the Mayflower (the "Hatfields"). One of her relatives was George Washington's personal physician. Neil's parents came to the U.S. as a haven from persecution. WE LOVE THE U.S.A. WE ALSO LOVE ISRAEL. JOIN US!!

Neil and Jamie