How a hot seaside property unlocked the door to the nations!

Having lived in a ‘bubble’ during a lengthy tour of Israel visiting sites connected with the Gospel that has changed the world, it came as a shock to re-enter the atmosphere of nations in turmoil – Germany in trouble, Mugabe finally deposed in Zimbabwe and Britain continuing to fight both internal and external battles in the wake of Brexit.

There is perhaps a message in this strange transition – the countries in difficulty have been built largely on a Judeo-Christian ethos, but have begun to cast off its ‘shackles’ in favour of a no-holds-barred secular humanist system.

The Story of Cornelius

The last ten days of our four-week trip was spent at Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, an old port city known in Bible times as Joppa, where the Apostle Peter had a vision that brought the good news of Jesus to the entire Gentile world.

He was staying at Simon the Tanner’s house (which is still there) and was resting on the rooftop when he fell into a trance and saw a vision of all kinds of animals, including those regarded as unclean by Jews.

This was not, as some suppose, a license to eat pork, but a supernatural message that he was not to regard Gentiles as being unworthy of God’s love. It coincided with a similar encounter experienced by a Roman centurion called Cornelius in the coastal city of Caesarea, some 40 miles north. Cornelius was a God-fearing man who loved the Jews, and an angel appeared to him saying that his prayers had been heard and he was to send for a man called Peter, who was staying with Simon the Tanner at his house by the sea. The rest is history.

Peter’s vision was not, as some suppose, a license to eat pork, but a supernatural message that he was not to regard Gentiles as being unworthy of God’s love.

Joppa: The Start of Western Civilisation?

Cornelius and his extended family heard the triumphant message of the Gospel and were filled with the Holy Spirit, just as the Jewish disciples had been on the Day of Pentecost. This opened the door for the good news to spread across the nations, bringing kindness, compassion and justice with it which helped to establish a powerful force known as Western civilisation.

Tragically, the Jewish people were exiled throughout the world within a generation of Jesus’ death and resurrection after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and massacred many of its inhabitants. And Christians eventually translated the Bible into hundreds of languages, further enabling the Gospel to spread.

But God had not forgotten the people with whom he had made an unbreakable covenant and, in fulfilment of many ancient prophecies, the scattered seed of Abraham finally took root in the Promised Land after nearly 2,000 years.

Israel’s Spiritual Restoration

Just as the Gospel was originally ‘exported’ from Joppa, so it has now become a re-entry point for Jews¹ – not only coming back to the land, but in being restored to their Lord.

My stay there was unplanned as I was initially prevented from returning to the UK due to new restrictions on ‘foreigners’ like me. Though South African-born and still a citizen of that country (my wife is British), I have lived in England for nearly 50 years. Yet I now apparently need a visa – though an inked stamp in an old passport sent over by neighbours eventually proved sufficient!

We stayed in a guesthouse which also hosts two Messianic congregations (Jews who follow Jesus) as well as a music school led by a former director of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a very moving experience to witness hands and eyes lifted to the skies in adoration of the Lord in a revived form of ancient Hebrew as we worshipped together on a Friday night – the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Headsets were provided for Russian members and English visitors like us.

Just as the Gospel was originally ‘exported’ from Joppa, so it has now become a re-entry point for Jews – not only coming back to the land, but in being restored to their Lord.

Committed to the spiritual restoration of Israel, this peaceful oasis is perfectly placed to go some way towards achieving this divine goal, with its great potential for reaching out to Greater Tel Aviv where almost half the country’s Jewish population lives.

The whole ethos of the place beats loudly with a heart of love for the largely lost world around them, who find welcome, warmth and hospitality in this gem of an international community steeped in history and within a short walk of some of the most significant sites in biblical history, not to mention magnificent beaches.

Reality is Tough

Life in Tel Aviv is tough, rough and expensive! I watched poor people struggling as they waited in the swamp of a filthy launderette while others begged for food and wandered the streets with no apparent hope. But there are also swanky high-rise hotels and a bustling downtown area overshadowed by skyscrapers, with many indulging in a hedonistic lifestyle of clubs and coffee bars. But they are living in a bubble, afraid to confront reality.

I met one of them at the airport, a charming young lady commuting between London and Tel Aviv, confessing to being a ‘secular Jew’ yet listening with interest when I shared of our study tour learning about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. She admitted to being shocked when she left her ‘bubble’ to visit friends in the north who lived within the sound of exploding bombs across the border in Syria where violence continues to rage.

But even in Tel Aviv the mangled wreck of a beachside café stands as a stark reminder of the constant threat facing its inhabitants – a bloody terror attack killed 21 mainly young people enjoying a night out there just three months before 9/11.

Although in general we sensed an atmosphere of profound peace throughout our tour, there were a couple of incidents to remind us of the conflict that has raged here ever since the Jews began returning to the land. The IDF bombing of a Hamas terror tunnel raised a security alert as the organisation had promised vengeance, and a suicide bombing in a Druze village just across the border in Syria caused another alarm – and a long wait at a checkpoint.

Messianic congregations in Tel Aviv, committed to the spiritual restoration of Israel, are perfectly placed to help achieve this divine goal.

Turning and Returning

The resettling of Jews in Israel following their long exile is very reminiscent of the time of Nehemiah 2,500 years ago when they returned from 70 years in Babylon. Nehemiah was given authority by King Artaxerxes of Persia to restore the broken walls of Jerusalem, but his work was strongly opposed by others in the surrounding lands.

Now the Jews have returned once more to the Promised Land, and yet again they face fierce opposition. Nehemiah’s men built the walls using one hand for construction and the other to hold a weapon – exactly as Israel has developed since the birth of the modern state as ancient ruins have been rebuilt, barren wastes have been richly cultivated and wars have been won against all odds.

When, in Nehemiah’s time, the city was finally re-built and made secure, Ezra was assigned to read the Book of the Law, as a result of which the people repented of how far they had strayed from God’s rule. And now Jewish people are returning to the Lord once more in fulfilment of ancient prophecies, with Jeremiah adding that there will come a day when they will all know the Lord, “from the least of them to the greatest” (Jer 31:34).

If Jews are thus turning back to God, it means the return of Jesus is that much closer (Zech 12:10, 14:4; Rom 11:26). But what of the nations to whom the Gospel was graciously given? Will they be among the sheep or the goats on Judgment Day (see Matt 25:31-46). On the closing page of the Bible, Jesus says: “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Come, Lord Jesus!

Notes

1 Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport is not far away.

Tracing the hand of God in the re-gathering of the Jews to Eretz Israel.

On 31 October 2017 we celebrated the centenary of the writing of the Declaration by Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour “in regard to the establishment of a national home in Palestine for the Jewish people”, which started the process by which the State of Israel was created on 14 May 1948.

The Declaration was a letter of “sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet” for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. It was sent to the leader of the Jewish community in Britain, Lord Walter Rothschild, assuring him of the British Government's “best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective”, and was published on 2 November 1917.

This seminal event, in conjunction with the epic Battle of Beersheba (also on 31 October), heralded the end of the 400-year Ottoman occupation of the Land of Israel.

God’s Mo’ed

In God's calendar this date was a mo'ed: a set or appointed time in his promise to gather his ancient, scattered people back to the Land that he promised by covenant to give them (Gen 13:15, 15:18). There are many mo'edim in the scriptures (e.g. Gal 4:4; Rev 9:15).

1917 was both a confirmation of God’s faithfulness to his covenant and a footprint of the promised return of Messiah Yeshua.

The aggressive response to the celebration of its centenary, with many insisting that Britain 'apologise' for the Balfour Declaration, indicates God's hand at work.

In God’s calendar, 31 October 1917 was a ‘mo’ed’: an appointed time in his promise to gather his ancient, scattered people back to the Land.

In the Tanakh, the biblical mandate for Jewish presence in and return to the Land of Israel is clear (e.g. Gen 13:15, 15:18; Psa 132:13-14; Jer 32:37-38; Hos 2:23; Rom 9:26). God clearly states that Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel, is his choice for himself and his people.

But the prophesied return could not have happened without many people and situations being aligned. The letter sent to Baron Rothschild was but the latest step in a series of unlikely events that only the God of Israel could have arranged.

Figures of Faith

Many people in history anticipated the return of the Jewish people to Israel, believing God's promise to re-gather them from exile among the nations. These included:

• William Tyndale (1494-1536), a skilled linguist who translated the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek texts, allowing people to read and understand God's future plan for Israel’s return in their own language. An English Bible was placed in every parish.
  
• Henry Grattan Guinness, c. 1910. See Photo Credits.John Owen (1616-83), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, who wrote that Jews “shall return to their own land; they shall enjoy it for a quiet and everlasting possession, their adversaries being destroyed; they shall also be filled with the light and knowledge of the will and worship of God…and perhaps, shall be entrusted with great empire and rule in the world.”¹
  
• George Whitefield (1714-70) and John (1703-1791) and Charles Wesley (1707-88) established in all church denominations belief in God's promise to re-gather the Jewish people, and helped embed biblical authority in British society.
  
• Bishop Ryle (1816-1900), who taught that more than ten of the 16 prophets of the Tanakh expressly predicted a final gathering of the Jewish people in their own Land. He said “I ask you, then, to settle it firmly in your mind that when God says a thing shall be done - we ought to believe it”.²
  
• Henry Gratton Guinness (1835-1910), through studies of Daniel and of astronomy, considered that 1917 would be a very significant year for Israel, to do with their restoration. When General Edmund Allenby was depressed by lack of advance in ousting the Turks from what was called Palestine, a friend encouraged him with the words, “You may make all the mistakes in tactics or strategy, but nothing can prevent you from being in Jerusalem by the 31^st December”,³ citing Guinness’s prediction as proof. A letter published in the Daily Mail in January 1917 reminded readers that Guinness had said that this year is “one of the most important, perhaps the most momentous, of these terminal years of crisis.”⁴
  

Add to these the names of earlier supporters of a return of Jews to their Land: Cromwell, Rutherford, Gill (born 17^th Century), Rippon, Wilberforce, Simeon (18^th Century), Shaftesbury, Booth, Spurgeon, Hechler, Herzl, Moody (19^th Century), as well as Balfour, Allenby and Rothschild, and we can see how God prepared the ground for the restoration of his people.

The prophesied return could not have happened without many people and situations being aligned.

19^th Century: Preparing the Ground

In 1809, the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews (now CMJ, the Church's Ministry among Jewish People) was founded. Its purpose was to declare the Messiahship of Yeshua, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile (Rom 1:16), to teach the Church about its Jewish roots and to encourage the physical restoration of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. This work made the Jews jealous, and helped develop infrastructure such as schools and hospitals for their future return.

Christchurch, Jerusalem. See Photo Credits.In 1839-41 the British Consulate in Jerusalem, as a reward for helping the Turks repel Egyptian advances, was given orders for the first time to protect the interests of Jews, and in February 1840 permitted to build both a guesthouse and a chapel in the Old City (Christchurch).

In 1841 the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Michael Solomon Alexander, was appointed. And in 1849, George Gowler (Governor of Australia) returned to Britain and accompanied Sir Moses Montefiore to Israel to encourage investment in settlements for the returning Jewish people – all part of God's arrangements for the next century.

We must also remember the amazing and timely work of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the Lithuanian who went to Israel in 1881 and almost single-handedly restored the Hebrew language, following a vision of open heaven and a voice saying, “The renaissance of Israel on its ancestral soil”.⁵ His life’s work produced a working language that has helped to fulfil his vision to hold the Jewish people together and “conduct the business of life”.⁶ 30,000 followed his hearse when he died in 1922.

Britain's unbelief in God's work and timing was shown by the comment in the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannia that “The dream of some Zionists, that Hebrew - a would-be Hebrew, that is to say - will again become a living, popular language in Palestine, has still less prospect of realization than their vision of a restored Jewish empire in the Holy Land”.⁷ How dull of hearing can our nation be!

Zionism and Chaim Weizmann

But there is more! The rise in Jewish Zionism in Europe; the pogroms and persecution in Russia in the 1880s; the publication of Der Judenstadt in 1896 by Theodore Herzl following the framed Dreyfus trial in Paris; Herzl's encouragement by William Hechler, an Anglican minister who was convinced of Jewish restoration to Israel; these and more led to Herzl's prophecy of a Jewish state within 50 years following the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.

World War I, when God began a shaking of the nations that continues today, also produced situations that God used for his purpose and timing. The British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked on the eve of WWI that "The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time". The political and social changes in Europe at that time altered situations irrevocably for whole nations, as well as for individuals.

World War I, when God began a shaking of the nations that continues today, also produced situations that God used for his purpose and timing.

One such individual was a chemist from Eastern Europe named Chaim Weizmann, who first met Arthur Balfour in 1905 while working in Manchester on the production of acetone for cordite needed for ammunition. He was an avid Zionist, and on 31 October 1917 (note the date) became President of the British Zionist Federation, working with Balfour to pen the Declaration.

God gave Weizmann favour with both the British and the American governments through 1915-1917 and he lobbied successfully to promote Jewish immigration to Israel in the face of British Mandate resistance. He became the first President of the new State of Israel.

Perfect Conditions

Despite all these historic arrangements, only in 1917 were conditions right for Balfour's declaration of intent and the British Government's agreement to act for its fulfilment.

Conditions were not right in 1916, because the PM (Asquith) was not a Zionist, or in 1918, when the War Cabinet had been disbanded and the (post-war) atmosphere was totally different. The miracle of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 was a mo'ed.

The British War Cabinet that God assembled in December 1916 at the collapse of the Asquith administration was interesting and unusual, being very cosmopolitan and composed mostly of Christians who supported a Jewish restoration to Israel. Each member, whether British or not, had a background and career that predisposed him to favour Balfour’s declaration, as Charles Gardner has outlined in this article.

Only the Lord could have arranged such a diverse group together for this mo'ed, at such a crucially important time.

From Intention to International Law

The Balfour Declaration in 1917 was a statement of intent only. But it was clearly central to God's purposes, and was later ratified in international law.

San Remo Conference delegates, 1920. See Photo Credits.After WWI, the break-up of the Ottoman Empire led to the formation of mandates in the Middle East: areas not yet ready for sovereignty but given to Britain and France to prepare for independent statehood. The League of Nations agreed unanimously to this at the San Remo Conference in Italy in 1920.⁸

France was given the Mandate for Lebanon, Syria, and Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Britain was given an extended Mandate for what was still called 'Palestine', which was not ready for statehood (many Jewish people had not yet returned, owing to Britain restricting immigration,⁹ and there was already Arab resistance).

Several other important outcomes of the San Remo Conference were:

1. 'Palestine' was now a legal entity. All previous agreements (e.g. the Sykes-Pikot Plan) were ended.
   
2. The Balfour Declaration was recognised and incorporated into international law.
   
3. Sovereignty over 'Palestine' was invested in the Jewish people. They became the beneficiary because of their historical connection to the Land of Israel.
   

The legality of the State of Israel thus stems from the 1920 San Remo Agreement (which is still valid international law), NOT the UN Partition vote on 29 November 1947.^10,11 But without the Balfour Declaration, the San Remo Conference would not have taken place.

Despite all these historic arrangements, only in 1917 were conditions right for Balfour's declaration of intent and the British Government's agreement to act for its fulfilment.

Onwards to Fulfilment

The journey from the San Remo Conference in 1920 to the re-creation of the State of Israel in 1948 is the subject of another article, but suffice to say that it was a spiritual battle every step of the way, as anti-Jewish forces (including within British politics and the military) sought to prevent the return of the Jewish people to their Land and to destroy the nascent state, both before and immediately after its creation.

All this time, God continued his preparation for the fulfilment of his mo'ed, for the re-gathering of his covenant people to Eretz Israel. Through the people and events of the day, even including those who resisted his purposes, we can see the orchestration of everything to serve his will and fulfil his word.

The birth of Israel in May 1948 was truly a miracle from the hand of the God of Israel, and in perfect accord with his timing.

• Isaiah 66:8: “Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day, or a nation be brought forth in a moment?” We know the answer to these questions: it is Yes! For God answers his own questions and keeps his promises.
  
• Isaiah 55:10: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish…so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
  

Amen and amen! Our response should continue to be as David’s was in 1 Chronicles 17:23: 'Lord, do as you have said.'

References

1 An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Second Edition, Volume 1, published in Edinburgh in 1812, pp443-455.

2 Are You Ready for the End of Time? Available online.

3 Guinness, M, 2005. The Genius of Guinness. Ambassador.

4 Ibid.

5 E.g. see here and here.

6 St. John, R, 1952. The Life Story of Ben-Yehuda: Tongue of the Prophets. Balfour Books, 2013.

7 Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, Semitic Languages.

8 This was also confirmed by the Allied Supreme Council in April 1921 and accepted wholesale when the UN was formed in 1945.

9 The British military administration became more pro-Arab and anti-Jewish between 1920 and 1948, reneging on their Mandate responsibilities by severely limiting Jewish immigration during this time.

10 The legal right of Jewish people to the Land of Israel was further confirmed and ratified by the League of Nations in July 1922.

11 This proposed that part of the Land (west of the River Jordan) should be for the Jewish people, and part (east of the River Jordan – the area we now call Jordan, which in 1920 was part of 'Palestine') should be for the Arabs, although the Arabs immediately rejected this plan. No Jews were permitted to settle east of the river Jordan, though Arabs were allowed to settle west of it.

Walking in the steps of the prophets, patriarchs and Messiah.

As I reflect on a much-anticipated study tour of Israel, I am conscious more than ever that this is God’s land.

Partially thwarted by security alerts in both the north and the south, we nevertheless experienced the miracle of modern Israel, in the context of its connection to an ancient and glorious past, on a tour run by Shoresh (Hebrew for ‘root’), part of the work of the Church’s Ministry among the Jewish people (CMJ), which has been established in this region since the 1840s.

In the Footsteps of the Israelites

Our journey followed a biblical route, via the wilderness through which the Israelites wandered for 40 years after escaping from slavery in Egypt, when the sea opened up to make a way where there was no other way.

We marvelled at how, some 3,500 years ago, that vast multitude survived in these arid conditions, with water scarce and vegetation hardly visible. No wonder they needed manna from heaven, and water from the rock. It was designed to teach them to trust in the Lord – for “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).

Even today Bedouin shepherds watch over their sheep in this desert, leading from the front, not behind. It is an extremely dangerous environment for sheep – especially at night, with steep ravines, rock faces and sink-holes waiting to catch them off guard, not to mention wolves and other predators.

So they need to stay close to the shepherd in order to hear his voice above all others, and so avoid falling into traps and being taken captive by deceitful hirelings.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”, Jesus taught his disciples (John 10:27).

We marvelled at how, some 3,500 years ago, the vast multitude of Israelites survived in these arid conditions, with water scarce and vegetation hardly visible. 

God Our Refuge in the Wilderness

The Wilderness of Zin. See Photo Credits.We travelled through the vast and magnificent Wilderness of Zin, stretching as far as the eye can see. Surely God is in this place. Indeed, he is our only sure refuge in the great wilderness of sin through which we travel, in an increasingly wicked world that has turned its back on the living God.

At the Dead Sea, we were reminded of the ultimate fate of those who pursue unrighteousness and licentiousness – the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are no more, destroyed by fire and brimstone.

It’s fun floating on the water there, at 1,200ft below sea level - the lowest point on earth - as salt also has a positive role in lifting you up to a higher place. We are called to be salt of the earth in raising the standards of the communities and institutions in which we live and move.

As we ascended the hills of Galilee, our excellent guide explained how sheep cut the grass as they graze while goats pull it out by the roots. I thought of the separation of the sheep and goats at the end of the age (Matt 25:31-46). The sheep feed on fresh pasture as they closely follow the Shepherd while the goats, thinking only of their present needs, cut themselves off from the roots of their faith by considering Israel forsaken by God.

Jesus is the Messiah!

At Caesarea Philippi, we saw why Jesus asked the question, “Who do men say that I am?” For there are remains of temples to idols, along with a huge cave in an overhanging cliff said at the time to have been the gate to Hades (Hell). So Simon Peter made his great confession: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). And Jesus added that on this confession of faith he would build his Church (body of believers), and that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it.

God is our only sure refuge in the great wilderness of sin through which we travel. 

On the shores of Lake Galilee, we stood on the beach where the risen Christ cooked breakfast for his disciples, who had toiled all night for a catch of fish, to no avail. He told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, and they landed 153 fish. And we learn that, in Jewish tradition, the numerical value of this figure adds up to the statement, “I am God.”

Jesus asked Peter, restored and forgiven of his earlier denial: “Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15). Could it be that he was referring to the fish (i.e. his business) rather than his fellow disciples? Are we prepared to forsake all else in order to follow the Lord’s leading?

Threats from Without and Within

Weapons recovered from near a tunnel opening in southern Gaza. See Photo Credits.But disturbing news followed in our wake. We heard of Hamas terrorists killed in the bombing of a tunnel into Israel from Gaza in the south, and of a suicide bombing in a Druze village across the border in Syria, naturally also affecting the Druze¹ community within Israel.

This caused a long delay at a checkpoint coming out of Palestinian territory and meant missing part of the tour schedule, including the area where Paul had his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus.

Just 70 years since being recognised as a re-born state by the United Nations, Israel has now developed into a powerful, high-tech democracy with the world’s second-strongest currency, after Jews returned from every corner of the globe in fulfilment of ancient prophecies.

But it remains threatened both from without and from within – in the latter case largely through lack of trust in the God of Israel. The Bible says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps 20:7).

This was soon to become a personal challenge, but before I explain, let me say that Jewish people are beginning to discover the truth about their Messiah (known as Yeshua in Hebrew). A Jews for Jesus survey has found that an astonishing 20% of Jewish Millennials, when asked who they considered Jesus to be, replied that he was “the Son of God”.²

Messiah Will Return

One day soon he is coming back. The Bible says he will stand upon the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem (Acts 1:11, Zech 14:4) and all Israel will recognise him as their Saviour (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26).

As I stood on the Mt of Olives, with an awesome view of the city before me, I reflected on this amazing event – on how Jesus ascended from this very place and will return in like manner.

Jewish people are beginning to discover the truth about their Messiah. 

But I also thought of how much it cost him, how he sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane below, with its ancient olive trees symbolic of the Messiah, who was whipped for our transgressions (sticks are used to beat the fruit off at harvest) and crushed for our iniquities, as olives are crushed for their oil (Isa 53:4-6).

We know the Bible is true, and that Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah. So too will the much-prophesied great spiritual ingathering of God’s chosen people take place in the coming days. God has not forsaken them, but loves them with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3).

God Has Not Finished!

And just as he has not finished with Israel, he is apparently not yet finished with our tour, which was unexpectedly extended when I was prevented from boarding my El Al flight home – because of not having a visa in my South African passport. The British Government is now fining airlines allowing ‘foreigners’ to enter the UK without a visa (the fact that I have lived in England for nearly 50 years doesn’t seem to count!).

I won’t dwell on the details of the stress involved in having to re-organise our lives over this past week. Suffice to say that we two (my wife Linda and I) do not put our ultimate trust in flying chariots or horses, but in the Lord our God, who clearly has a purpose for our extended stay.

Our first extra night was something of an emergency stop, because it was close to the British Embassy, in the luxurious surroundings of Tel Aviv’s Herods Hotel, where we were given a champagne reception on being handed the keys to our $300-a-night room. This was somewhat ironic in view of our pilgrimage as Herod, who also enjoyed the high life, was no friend of the Messiah!

Thankfully we have since temporarily settled in nearby Jaffa, known as Joppa in biblical times and famous for Jonah and the whale, and for Peter’s vision in the house of Simon the Tanner, which opened the way for the Gospel being shared with the Gentiles. How eternally grateful we are for that – and so here we are sharing with the Jewish people the precious gift they passed on to us so long ago. May they be truly blessed with Yeshua’s perfect peace!

Notes

1 An Arab-Muslim sect loyal to Israel.

2 Is it time for a new Jesus movement among Jewish millennials? Gateway News, 8 November 2017. 

But much of the West is silent as believers are brutally tortured.

October 31^st – time to recapture territory from the enemy!

As we have celebrated the significance this week of 31 October, which marks 500 years since the Reformation began, we would do well to be reminded of other important anniversaries which add to the significance of this day.

Nearly 2,000 years earlier on the same day, according to Jewish tradition, the Prophet Ezra called for national repentance as he read the Book of the Law to Jerusalem’s citizens. It was 445 BC and they had sinned grievously against God.

Fast forward to 31 October 1917, to another hugely important event largely ignored by the many Protestants marking the day, 400 years earlier, when Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenburg, challenging the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.

For it is now 100 years since Britain’s War Cabinet agreed the Balfour Declaration (though the letter itself is dated 2 November 1917), promising to make every effort to repatriate Jews in their ancient land. It just happened to coincide with the Battle of Beersheba when 800 bayonet-wielding ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand) soldiers pulled off a surprise, and astonishing, victory over Turkish forces which paved the way for the capture of Jerusalem and all of Palestine, ending 400 years of rule under the Islamic Ottoman Empire.

I have written elsewhere of how the ANZAC horsemen rode a death-defying gauntlet of shrapnel, high explosives and machine-gun fire in a bid to prevent the intended destruction of local wells, and this too is an incredibly important centenary because it opened the way for Jewish restoration and the implementation of the Balfour Declaration – along with the fulfilment of Bible prophecy relating to the return of Jews from every corner of the globe.

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

Reformation Needed

Luther faced two major challenges – a corrupt Church, and the real possibility of a Turkish Muslim invasion via central Europe – in the face of which he recognised the importance of the Book of the Law (the Bible) and the need for national repentance.¹

Many disagreed with Luther. Some German pastors even suggested welcoming Islam, seeing it as less oppressive than their situation under the Church.²

Today’s Church faces the same challenges and more, with secular humanism seriously eroding society’s Judeo-Christian foundations, leaving the Book of the Law despised and Christianity increasingly abhorred.

Dark Distractions

Part of this erosion has included the substitution of a Christian festival – Hallowe’en – for a celebration of the occult, which has taken the shine off the spiritual triumphs we have experienced on this special day.

Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening) was originally dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs and all the faithful departed. But it is widely thought to have pagan roots and is now associated with ghoulish practices. One view is that it originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts, in which case it is hardly surprising that it has morphed into an obsession with ghostly goings-on, playing pranks and divination games.³

If the Church of the Middle Ages had focused less on the dead and more on the resurrection, we may have been spared this nonsense. In any event, it is clearly a devilish ploy to substitute the light of truth with the darkness of witchcraft.

A City Set on a Hill

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:14f), in aiding restoration of the Book of the Law, following in the footsteps of Ezra, Luther and others. It is time to take back spiritual territory lost to 21^st Century paganism, just as the ANZAC horsemen bravely charged across the Negev desert to capture vital wells that would save the Allied forces from dehydration and defeat. We too are called to run a gauntlet of spiritual bullets in order to recapture the wells of salvation from an enemy intent on silting them up with lies and propaganda.

Modern-day Zionists should be seeking the restoration of the Book of the Law – not only to Israel, but to our land as well, where we have endured a long famine of hearing the word of the Lord.

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel.

We must pray and work towards the day when the Jews are able to fulfil their calling to be a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6). True, they have already become a powerful nation since their re-birth 70 years ago, but have not yet fully returned to the Book of the Law. They are back in the Land, but not yet fully with the Lord.

That will come, and Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage them to acknowledge that Jesus, whom they had believed was the God of the Gentiles, is actually their own Messiah too. In fact, he came for them first (John 1:11f; Rom 1:16) and has promised that, if they fully obey him, they would be his “treasured possession” (Gen 19:5).

The Times of the Gentiles

In this respect, it’s interesting that the patriarch Joseph was taken into Egypt after being rejected by his brothers. After Jesus was largely rejected by the Jewish people (though a significant number accepted him, of course, or the Church would never have come into existence), the message about him was taken to the nations, and the Gentile world elevated him to a prominent role in their affairs. Isaiah had prophesied that the Gentiles would put their hope in him (Isa 42:4; see also Matt 12:21).

As far as the UK and the USA are concerned, it would be true to say that from the 17^th through 19^th centuries the Gospel of Christ and the Bible itself was the most influential teaching they possessed, affecting virtually every institution and producing great wealth and power in the process. At the same time a host of passionate preachers went out to the far corners of the world spreading this Gospel to heathen nations.

Jesus had in some respects become Lord of the Gentile world, a situation that would, in time, make Israel “envious”, according to the Apostle Paul, an orthodox Jewish rabbi who led the mission to the Gentiles (Rom 11:11).

But just as Joseph never forgot his brothers, and longed for reunion with them, so Jesus – actually descended from Judah and described in the Bible as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) – reaches out in love to his long-lost brothers in the flesh, for whom things got worse before they got better. Now, over the past two centuries (even in the midst of multiple pogroms and the Holocaust itself), he has been revealing himself afresh to his people.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage Israel to acknowledge that Jesus is their Messiah.

Jewish Restoration to Messiah Jesus

Though sadly Jesus is still seen largely as God of the Gentiles, Jewish eyes have gradually been opened. It is believed, for example, that there were as many as 100,000 Jewish followers of Jesus at the outbreak of World War II in 1939.⁴

Tragically, many of them would have perished in Hitler’s gas chambers. But out of the ashes of the Holocaust, we not only have a re-born nation of Israel, but a growing number of so-called Messianic fellowships bringing Jesus back to where he belongs.

Just as Joseph was a sign of what was to come 400 years later, with deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb, so the voice of the prophets recorded in the Jewish Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament) fell silent for 400 years until the revelation of Jesus in the New Testament. Joseph provided his brothers with grain amidst the famine. And now Jesus is “the bread of life” – the manna from heaven – as he “fills the hungry with good things” (John 6:35; Luke 1:53).

There will come a time when, back in the land of promise and delivered from bondage in a hostile world, all Israel will recognise Yeshua, their Messiah (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26). What a day that will be – life from the dead as he who was despised and rejected of men is revealed to his brothers alive…and as Lord of all!

Notes

1 BarnabasAid editorial, September/October 2017, published by Barnabas Fund, an aid agency for the persecuted church.

2 Ibid.

3 E.g. see here.

4 Restoring Israel by Kelvin Crombie, published by Nicolayson’s Ltd, Christ Church, Jerusalem, p156.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Whose Land? Pt 1: Foundations’ (DVD, Title Deed Media, 2017).

This is the first of a two-part documentary looking at the legitimacy of Israel under international law. A wide range of highly qualified historians and international lawyers provide much of the information while presenter Colonel Richard Kemp anchors the whole presentation in a clear and skilful manner.

The aim of the production is simple: to tell the truth. With so much misinformation being spread around, either through fake history or deliberate misrepresentation of the current legal situation, simply telling the truth is the best weapon to counter the propaganda war being waged against Israel today.

How Lies Become Truth

In the dramatic opening we are shown several examples from the Palestinian media, proclaiming their rights to the land and their desire to destroy the Jews, who are portrayed as evil occupiers and usurpers.

Most striking is the clear indoctrination of children as part of this cause. The tactic is that if a lie is repeated often enough it will be believed without question and become a standard part of the education of the next generation. This belief that the Jewish people have no right to the land and are illegal occupiers is not only widespread throughout the Muslim world but, more alarmingly, is also finding a foothold in the West.

So what is the truth? The documentary starts by countering the claim that the Jews were never in the land in the first place, and that there was no Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This is easily done, as many sources confirm a Jewish presence in the land from antiquity.

Simply telling the truth is the best weapon to counter the propaganda war being waged against Israel today.

It then goes on to demonstrate that a Palestinian claim to any part of the land has no historical validity, and phrases such as ‘occupied Palestinian territory’ and ‘illegal occupation’ have no basis at all. They are all part of a bogus set-up. Verifiable history is the key to meeting such claims, and this is well-presented in sufficient detail without becoming bogged down or over-repetitive.

Charting Historical Progression

The 12 chapters vary in length from 3 to 13 minutes but it is possible to view it all in one sitting, as the film runs continuously through without annoying breaks for the chapter divisions (though it is well worth having the DVD case to hand to see the chapter titles).

The film takes us through the Ottoman Empire and its rule over Palestine, and then charts the historical progress from Turkish rule through to the Balfour Declaration. Some overlap would be expected with other DVDs and similar material on this topic - and inevitably there are some similarities - but there is much here that is new and more detailed. The whole emphasis is distinct: that of exploring the role of international law, hence chapters on the Paris peace conference, the League of Nations, the San Remo conference, and, of course, much on the British Mandate itself.

Special mention is made of the role of Churchill, which provides fascinating details into the political scene in Britain at that time. There is a chapter devoted to the 1939 White Paper and its tragic consequences, and another on the formation of the United Nations as it took over from the League of Nations, and the new charter that came into being as a result.

Britain’s betrayal of their Mandate responsibilities is documented clearly but always through the main lens of international law and how it should have been implemented.

The whole emphasis of this DVD is distinct: that of exploring the position of Israel within international law.

Being Clear About the Facts

The whole film is very informative, with new things to learn for everyone. It will also provide a vital revelation for those who rely on the usual media outlets.

We all need to be clear in our understanding of what is often a deliberately confused situation. With the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel coming up next May we need to be prepared: to know what is binding in international law to this day and how to counter false views. This DVD is an excellent resource to that end and is highly commended.

The DVD also contains two previews, one of six minutes and another of ten minutes. It is not clear why two are necessary, but the longer one seems to contain things which will come up in Part 2 and so acts as a trailer for the whole. Included in the second DVD will be the wars against which Israel has had to defend itself since independence and the campaign to denounce and delegitimise the Jewish State. Part 2 (to be released in 2018) is eagerly awaited!

‘Whose Land? Part 1: Foundations’ (94 minutes, produced and directed by Hugh Kitson) is available from the publishers for £15 + P&P. Click here to visit the official website.

500 years ago this coming week, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

500 years ago this coming week (31 October 1517), Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In those days, this was the traditional way to initiate a public debate on a given theme.

This time the theme was a 95-fold challenge to the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church of the day, that was bent on fundraising at the expense of the poor by selling so-called ‘indulgences’, whereby the unsuspecting were persuaded that they could purchase forgiveness of sins.

The 95 items¹ were headed with the words:

Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Luther summarised his overall purpose under three headings:

1. Selling indulgences to finance the building of St Peter's is wrong.
   
2. The pope has no power over Purgatory.
   
3. Buying indulgences gives people a false sense of security and endangers their salvation.
   

Thus broke out what became the Protestant Reformation, with the rallying cry of Habbakuk 2:4:

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day but became cut off from this community, instead propelling into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church, which has spread its influence widely over these 500 years.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day, but propelled into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church.

Luther’s Blind Spot

This week, we should celebrate this astounding move which brought freedom to millions who were no longer to be chained by the religious orders of the historic Roman Catholic Church, but free to explore the life of faith which pleases God. The later reforms of the Roman Catholic Church surely also owe something to this early proclamation of Luther.

The church door in Wittenberg, Germany, where Luther pinned his 95 theses for all to see. See Photo Credits.

Yet, great though the Protestant Reformation has been, we would also be wise to perceive an unfinished work. Luther had one tremendous blind spot. When he failed to impact the Jewish community with his proclamation of the Gospel, he turned against them. In his publication of 1543 ‘On the Jews and their Lies’, he described Jews as a "base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth." He wrote that they are "full of the devil's faeces...which they wallow in like swine," describing the synagogue is an "incorrigible whore and an evil slut".²

He proposed the following seven actions:

1. To burn down Jewish synagogues and schools and warn people against them;
   
2. To refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians;
   
3. For Jewish religious writings to be taken away;
   
4. For rabbis to be forbidden to preach;
   
5. To offer no protection to Jews on highways;
   
6. For usury to be prohibited and for all silver and gold to be removed, put aside for safekeeping, and given back to Jews who truly convert;
   
7. To give young, strong Jews flail, axe, spade, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
   

Luther could not have foreseen that this unfortunate after-thought in his later life, following many years of powerful and fruitful ministry, would be taken up literally by Hitler’s Nazis as an impetus to the terrible ‘final solution’, culminating in the horror of the Holocaust.

Let us thank God for the good fruits of Luther’s ministry, but now take responsibility for the completion of the Reformation.

The True Life of Faith

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought. He saw the Epistle of James as a “perfect straw-epistle” because he did not understand James’ teaching that faith without works is dead (James 2:26).³

No doubt his mind was already so much against those from a Jewish background (like James, whose name was actually Jacob) to consider them as having a doctrine of salvation by works, like the Roman Catholics of his day.

He did not consider the Hebrew emunah sufficiently to observe that it means both ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’, so that Hebrews 11:1 can be translated equally “faith is the substance of things hoped for” and “faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for”, which completely validates James’ teaching that the faith which pleases God involves the fruitful outworking of our lives.

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought.

A Careful Eye on Prophecy

Of course Luther did not live in our day when we see the miracle of Israel’s re-birth as a nation. Nor did he witness the increasing numbers of Messianic Jews declaring faith in Yeshua HaMashiach. Would he have been ashamed if he knew of his own contribution to fanning the flames of Replacement Theology still rampant in the Christian Church?

Had he lived today perhaps he would not have been so foolish as to speak against the Jews as he did and may well have written a 96^th thesis. He may have had a more careful eye on the outworking of prophecy. In his day, just as he discarded the Epistle of James and also that of Jude, he discarded the Book of Revelation. Perhaps he had not the prompting to consider end time prophecy as we have, with signs all around us.

What would this 96^th thesis be? Let me suggest it:

96 For discussion: We live in the sure expectancy that God is drawing together both Jews and Gentiles into the one community of faith which Paul calls the ‘one new man’ (Ephesians 2:14-15). It is now time to rediscover the original roots of our faith together. God, in His wisdom, is enabling a fresh interaction between Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles as never before to firmly establish the common faith. Surely this will be the means of strengthening for the days ahead, for washing away all doctrinal and denominational division when we are united in Spirit and Truth through Faith in the One True God and His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This is to be the goal of all who believe in Him, whether from Catholic or Protestant backgrounds. Surely this will complete the Reformation begun so sacrificially 500 years ago, but now to be completed as we wait for the return of our Saviour.

References

1 Click here for a translation of the entire 95 theses.

2 Anti-Semitism: Martin Luther - "The Jews & Their Lies" (1543). Jewish Virtual Library.

3 Martin Luther and the Book of James. Biblestudy.org.

Paul Luckraft reviews two DVDs ahead of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this coming week.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (Hatikvah Films, 2017)

To coincide with the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, Hatikvah Film Trust have issued a shorter version of The Forsaken Promise (originally 4 hours along across two discs, first published 2007). This is an excellent resource for those who have no or little knowledge of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration, when Britain repeatedly reneged on its commitment to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine and failed to administer the region as the Mandate required.

The new disc can more readily be used in group discussions or even given away to those who want to discover how events played out in the vital period from 1917 to 1948, when the current state of Israel came into existence.

The DVD has eleven sections which means it can be used selectively if time does not permit a full showing, or paused at suitable moments to allow group discussion. The opening seven minutes set the scene well and would be a good way of opening up such a discussion. After that we start to see how things went wrong as Britain failed to live up to her promises. The presentation covers events from the San Remo meeting of 1920 to the British withdrawal in 1948, including the Hebron Massacre (1929), the White Paper of 1939 and the appalling incident of the Exodus ship (1947). Some of the scenes are quite disturbing and would need to be handled sensitively in a group context.

The DVD ends with an interview with Derek Prince in Israel, whose forthright words leave us in no doubt about the seriousness of Britain’s actions and attitudes during this vital period in our history and that of the Jews.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (44 minutes) is available from AO Vision for £5. The original edition is still available from the publishers for £15.

The Destiny of Britain (Hatikvah Films, 2007)

Also available from Hatikvah is The Destiny of Britain, a prequel to The Forsaken Promise. This has not been reduced in length and remains in a two-disc format, with the main presentation (on Disc 1) being in two parts totalling 107 minutes. Disc 2 features several extended interviews with participants in the main presentation - a chance to hear at greater length what these experts had to say before it was edited down for Disc 1.

Presented by Kelvin Crombie, this is story of how Britain’s Christian heritage and her geo-political objectives in the Middle East combined in the period leading up the Balfour Declaration.

Britain played a key role in the restoration of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and this DVD acts as a positive counterfoil to the more shameful episodes that followed the Declaration. Here we learn about how God placed many strong Christians in positions of influence in order to bring his purposes to fulfilment.

Knowing our history is central to understanding our present and likely future. This DVD provides key information to that end.

The Destiny of Britain: Decisions that Shaped an Empire (107 minutes) is available from Hatikvah Films for £10.

Boycott campaign is another form of anti-Semitism.

As new settlement construction gets underway in Israel’s disputed territories, a fresh wave of condemnation is expected.

Accusations that the Jewish state is practising apartheid – supposedly over its ‘illegal occupation’ and ‘treatment of the Palestinians’ – will inevitably be trotted out, adding fuel to the fire of a Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement masquerading as a compassionate supporter of oppressed Palestinians, but in actual fact demonstrating another form of anti-Semitism.

Backlash Against BDS

Before tackling this gross misuse of the ‘apartheid’ tag, it’s worth saying that BDS has taken a series of knocks of late – both in the courts and in the legislative arena. In Spain, for example, 24 legal rulings and expert opinions were made against the movement and, in France, one court decision ordered that a financial penalty be imposed on BDS activists demonstrating outside supermarkets calling on consumers to boycott Israeli products.¹

In the United States, several pieces of legislation against the movement have been ratified. In Texas, for instance, a law was passed forbidding ties with, or investment in, companies that boycott Israel.² According to Ynetnews, such success owes much to legal investment from Israel’s Justice Ministry, now under Ayelet Shaked.

BDS has taken a series of knocks of late – both in the courts and in the legislative arena.

Even actress Greta Gerwig now regrets putting her name to a letter calling for the cancellation of a play based on a novel by Israeli author David Grossman and funded by Israel’s Office of Cultural Affairs in North America – a letter denounced as “hypocritical, discriminatory and dangerous” by nearly 50 high-level entertainment industry executives.³

Creative Community for Peace, dedicated to countering the cultural boycott of Israel, claims credit for persuading Gerwig to retract her support. “I was unfamiliar with the complexities of the letter and I did not take the time to study them,” she conceded.⁴

Israeli ‘Apartheid’? An Absolute Lie

Meanwhile, claims that Israel is an apartheid state are described as “an absolute lie” and a mockery of the struggle her parents went through by Olga Meshoe, daughter of a South African MP who grew up under the apartheid system.

There is no doubt that international sanctions helped to end that oppressive regime, but comparisons with Israel are outrageous, according to many South Africans like Olga (myself included). Opponents of Israel have been using the ‘apartheid’ tag “to incite and encourage the destruction of a people just because you don’t like them,” she said. “The world needs to recognize that you are not only doing an injustice to the people in the Middle East; you’re making a mockery of what our parents went through.”⁵

Olga and her father Kenneth are founders of DEISI – Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel – part of Africa’s growing movement towards closer ties with the Jewish state.

The irony of the Jewish ‘apartheid’ claim is that Ramadan Dabbash, head of a Palestinian village in Jerusalem, says almost all the city’s Arabs would prefer to live peacefully under Israeli administration.⁶

It is the Palestinian leaders, he said, who destroy the chances for peace with non-stop incitement of Palestinian youth, diversion of funds to terror and a resultant lack of economic growth in Palestinian-controlled areas.

Comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa are outrageous.

Also on the BDS front, I recall that Boris Johnson, on his last tour of Israel, condemned a boycott proposed by what he termed “corduroy-jacketed academics”. He said: “I cannot think of anything more foolish than to say you want to have any kind of sanctions or divestment or boycott against a country that, when all is said and done, is the only democracy in the region; and that is the only place, in my view, which has an open, pluralistic society.”⁷

I need to add that, just because I commend a politician on his/her stand for Israel, doesn’t mean I applaud them wholeheartedly or necessarily regard them as morally superior. But it is a chink of light, as the Bible is quite clear – those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed (Gen 12:3).

How Far Will BDS Go?

And I very much doubt if the boycott advocates would go all the way in their efforts if they really knew the extent of the merchandise produced by little old Israel, or by Jewish people in other lands. It would mean a change of lifestyle few would be prepared to contemplate.

We are not just talking about oranges, Sharon fruit and a few other products we could easily leave out of our shopping baskets without upsetting our appetites too much. Are they prepared to sacrifice their mobile phones, computers and so many other trappings of modern life for the cause? It is no secret that Israel has long been an international hub in the development and production of modern technology from which we all now benefit and without which much of our commerce would grind to a shuddering halt.

A full boycott of Israeli produce would mean a change of lifestyle few would be prepared to contemplate.

For example, you would have to stop googling for all that vital information, as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are both Jews. You would have to close down your Facebook account, because 31-year-old Jewish-American Mark Zuckerberg founded the facility. You would have to stop watching Steven Spielberg movies and throw out all your Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand albums. And, to top it all, you would need to close down your computers as Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer and Dell Computers founder and CEO Michael Dell are both Jewish.

In closing, may I recommend Israel’s delicious mangoes, available at Sainsbury’s. And, if you’re looking for the perfect setting for a special occasion, I could point you in the direction of the world’s No 1 restaurant (according to Tripadvisor!) – the Black Swan at Oldstead, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire – which includes Israeli wine on its menu…at a cost!

Notes

1 Bridges for Peace, 28 July 2017, quoting Ynetnews.

2 Ibid.

3 Oscar Front-Runner Regrets Signing Anti-Israel Letter. United with Israel, 8 October 2017.

4 Ibid.

5 David Soakell’s Watching over Zion, Christian Friends of Israel, 12 October 2017.

6 United with Israel, 9 October 2017.

7 See note 5.

A catalogue of betrayal in British foreign (and domestic) affairs.

Alarming reports are circulating that the British Foreign Office is behind a plot to ‘re-educate’ the Church with teaching that suits the LGBT+ agenda.

And most significantly, this coincides with a shocking rise of sexual assaults by children on other children as encouragement of promiscuity, aided and abetted by an Education Secretary determined to push the LGBT agenda, robs a new generation of its youth.¹

‘Re-education’, a policy apparently adopted both by the Foreign Office and Education Department, was the sinister tactic used for the promotion of Communism by the notorious Khmer Rouge as they went about their killing spree in Cambodia in the 1970s. It also bears the hallmark of China’s so-called Cultural Revolution of that period.

But in both cases, far from carrying out the Marxist aim of destroying the Church, they only succeeded in making it stronger. Today’s China boasts an estimated 100 million Christians, underpinning that vast country’s new prosperity, while Cambodian believers are also flourishing despite the brutal massacres of a generation ago.

Forcing Theology to Fit the LGBT Agenda

And now a Foreign Office ‘think tank’ made up of specially selected advisors, is suggesting that sacred texts be ‘reinterpreted’ in order to conform to the sexual revolution, the ‘re-definition’ of marriage and the celebration of homosexual lifestyles.²

A report produced by FO agency Wilton Park argues that this ‘theology’ should be required teaching in all churches. Wilton Park’s Advisory Council is chosen by the Foreign Secretary himself (currently Boris Johnson) from leading experts and academics. And its findings help determine Foreign Office policy around the globe.

A Foreign Office ‘think tank’ is suggesting that sacred texts be ‘reinterpreted’ to conform to the sexual revolution.

Calling for an inquiry, Christian charity Barnabas Fund has expressed serious concern at the implications for the future freedom of religion of the Foreign Office’s involvement in pushing this ideological agenda.³

Wilton Park, Foreign Office 'think tank'. See Photo Credits.Entitled Opportunities and challenges: the intersection of faith and human rights of LGBTI+ persons, the report is clearly about promoting LGBT while at the same time isolating those holding to traditional biblical teaching.

According to Heart newspaper, which circulates widely among churches in the South of England, mystery remains over what Mr Johnson knows of the report and how far he intends to implement its findings. Over 26,000 have signed a petition launched by Christian campaign group Voice for Justice UK, which was delivered to the Foreign Office on 21 September. But Rev Lynda Rose of VFJUK is quoted as saying there has been a “resounding silence” from Mr Johnson’s office.

Appeasement Never Works

In a desperate bid to appease the strident gay sex lobby, these so-called ‘thinkers’ are willing to pervert the truths of the word of God, hitherto unchanged for millennia. Prime Minister Theresa May, a vicar’s daughter, doesn’t need persuading, however, proclaiming same-sex marriage as one of her party’s proudest achievements while attacking traditional marriage supporters as “lacking compassion”.⁴

Appeasing the gay sex lobby by all major parties has led to the appointment of lesbians to leading positions in Government, most notably Education Secretary Justine Greening, which has serious implications for the welfare of our children.

Tragically, appeasement has marked a succession of British Government initiatives over the years which has in turn led to disaster and brought great shame on our nation.

Neville Chamberlain tried it with Hitler in an effort to win ‘peace in our time’ but instead helped spark off a war in which 50 million people perished, including six million Jews, many of whom could have been saved if we had acted sooner to rescue them from the death camps.

Tragically, appeasement has marked a succession of British Government initiatives over the years, leading to disaster and bringing great shame on our nation.

But the modern State of Israel rose from the ashes of the Holocaust even without our help – despite having promised to do all we could to facilitate their return to the Holy Land through the Balfour Declaration - issued 100 years ago next month. We reneged on our pledge in order to appease the Arabs who had no claim to the Land and were not even looking after it until the Jews began returning in significant numbers.

Riots and massacres followed as Arabs determined to prevent the re-establishment of a Jewish national presence in their midst. Firm leadership from Britain in backing Jewish aspirations was needed (they ruled the region at the time), but appeasement signalled weakness on our part which has been constantly exploited ever since by those who wish to stir up trouble in the Middle East.

The current crisis is, in part, a legacy of our lack of godly leadership in failing to do the right thing. We even sat on the fence when the United Nations voted to recognise the re-born Jewish state 70 years ago next month shortly after the disgraceful act of turning back Holocaust survivors seeking refuge there.

Britain’s Shameful History

This was followed, soon afterwards, by the shameful episode involving the British protectorate of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) in southern Africa. When the Tswana people’s heir-apparent Seretse Khama fell in love with Ruth Williams, a white Englishwoman, the Foreign Office did all they could to derail the marriage.

Why? Because they wanted to appease the South African government of DF Malan, which was in the process of building the apartheid structure separating the races by law. Inter-marriage involving the leader of a neighbouring state was hugely embarrassing, and our Government – both Labour and Conservative – were more interested in the maintenance of economic and other ties with apartheid South Africa than with doing the right thing.

The current crisis in the Middle East is, in part, a legacy of our lack of godly leadership in failing to do the right thing.

It all worked out in the end, but not before Seretse was forcibly exiled and thus separated from his young wife and new baby in a most undignifying manner for the son of a king. It was under (Sir) Seretse’s leadership, however, that Botswana emerged as a newly independent nation in 1966. It has flourished ever since as a beacon of light among African nations, with the discovery of diamonds certainly adding a sparkle to the scene.

The story of Seretse and Ruth is beautifully told in the movie United Kingdom, starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike and filmed on location in Botswana. An absorbing, sensitive and wonderfully romantic tale set against an intriguing political background, it is described as “the true story of a love that shook an empire”.

The Only Voice of Reason

If only our Foreign Office (and Government as a whole) would re-tune its spiritual antennae to the voice of reason and wisdom through which God has spoken down the ages! Otherwise we will only repeat embarrassing mistakes of the past.

The Old Testament says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7). And the New Testament adds: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom…” (1 Cor 1:25a).

In the context of current Tory infighting, Proverbs 28.2 puts it well: “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.”

One hundred years ago David Lloyd George’s War Cabinet was mostly made up of evangelical Christians who believed the Bible. That’s why they agreed to the Balfour Declaration – because they saw clearly that the word of God spoke of the Jews being restored to their ancient land from the far corners of the earth, and that as far as Gentile believers were concerned, the right thing to do was to help them get there.

Now it seems that the Cabinet is mostly made up of those who seek to tamper with the scriptures – and this is a very dangerous exercise. For the Bible ends with dire warnings of judgment from Jesus against anyone who either adds to or takes away from his words – specifically in the Book of Revelation pertaining to the period leading up to his return (Rev 22:18f).

Seeking to tamper with the scriptures is a very dangerous exercise.

Standing Up for Truth

But I conclude on a more positive note from a prominent member of today’s Cabinet, who has stood up foursquare for the Jews just as his colleagues did 100 years ago.

Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel event in Manchester, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said there was no difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

And referring to the Balfour Declaration centenary, he said: “At a time when people are casual, cruel and callous towards the fate of the Jewish people, it is time for all of us to say that over the last 100 years, if we have learned anything, it is that when there is prejudice and hatred directed towards the Jewish people, darker times will follow. And it is our moral duty to say that what begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews. We stand with Israel. We stand with the Jewish community.”⁵

Taking the Bible at its word is the only way to find that elusive peace, prosperity and social cohesion for which most of us long.

Notes

1 According to police figures seen by BBC Panorama, reported cases are only the “tip of the iceberg”. The number of reported sexual offences by under-18s against other under-18s in England and Wales rose by 71% from 4,603 in 2013/14 to 7,866 in 2016/17. Simon Bailey, the national police chief lead for child protection, said: “We are dealing unequivocally with the tip of the iceberg...we are seeing an increasing number of reports, we are seeing significant examples of harmful sexual behaviour and the lives of young people blighted and traumatically affected by sexual abuse.” The Department for Education responded: “Sexual assault is a crime and any allegation should be reported to the police. Schools should be safe places and they have a duty to protect all pupils and listen to any concerns.” BBC News, 9 October 2017.

2 Heart newspaper, October/November 2017 – see also www.heartpublications.co.uk.

3 See the Barnabas Fund’s official analysis: ‘Christianophobia and state sponsored advocacy of the imposition of LGBTI ideology on evangelical Christians in the Global South’. Published July 2017.

4 The Christian Institute. PM smears traditional marriage supporters as she celebrates redefinition. 5 October 2017. Mrs May was addressing the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

5 Jerusalem News Network, 9 October 2017, quoting Algemeiner.