We review two booklets from Christians for Israel (CFI), ahead of the Balfour centenary.

A Nation Called by God: Britain’s Role in Israel’s Restoration (2017, multiple authors)

This booklet is an extended version of a previous booklet, published by Love Never Fails, which in turn was an expanded version of a recorded message given by Ken Burnett. This final edited and expanded version includes extra material from Burnett’s original sources as well as from additional sources. The result is a more comprehensive picture of the relevant history leading up to the Balfour Declaration as well as more details of developments that occurred in the 20^th Century.

The booklet is set out simply and starts by referring to a little-known work by Franz Kobbler entitled The Vision Was There (published in 1956). The theme is clear from the beginning that God chose Britain as a ‘servant nation’, appointed to shepherd Israel under God’s overall sovereignty of history.

There are sections on the usual people and groups that were instrumental in this cause: the Clapham Sect, Spurgeon, Ryle, CMJ. By the halfway point of the booklet we have reached the Balfour Declaration, described as the culmination of the British movement for the restoration of Israel.

God chose Britain as a ‘servant nation’, appointed to shepherd Israel under God’s overall sovereignty.

The booklet continues by commenting that “Sadly, through our scarred history since 1917, Britain has done far more to obstruct Israel’s restoration than to assist it” (p14). A list of 11 examples of this ‘opposite policy’ occupies three pages (pp18-20) and the booklet ends with what is perhaps its main intention: a call to repentance.

The final word is given to Derek Prince, an adapted transcript of an audio recording of a message he gave in Jerusalem on 1 June 2003, a few months before he died there in September 2003. At the end there is a page of references for further reading which brings this well-produced and timely book to a helpful conclusion.

A Nation Called By God (26 pages) is available from CFI for £2.50.

90 Years On: Legal Aspects of Jewish Rights in the Mandate for Palestine (Roy Thurley, 2010)

This is a short but well-produced and glossy booklet (with colour maps), produced from material presented at the 90^th anniversary conference commemorating the San Remo Agreement. As for its message, it makes a very worthwhile contribution towards a better understanding of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration and the subsequent British Mandate.

Of particular interest are the key points listed concerning the British Mandate for Palestine. For anyone who has not studied the legal aspect of this before, this will be a revelatory discovery.
The conclusion is that the Jewish State draws its legality from the San Remo Agreement of 1920, a fact that counters much of the misinformation spread in recent times, especially that which uses the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 (Resolution 181) as its basis.

This is a worthwhile contribution towards a better understanding of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration.

The only modification to the Mandate for Palestine was the creation of the Emirate of Trans-Jordan in 1946 (now Jordan). Thus the provisions of the Mandate to the land west of the Jordan remain applicable to this day. It soon becomes clear that the expression ‘illegally occupied territory’ is totally inapplicable to Israel’s presence in what has become known as the West Bank as well as other areas that were assigned to Israel under the 1920 San Remo agreement.

The booklet concludes that those who would deny Israel’s right to the territories it recaptured in 1967 should be challenged, and the fallacy of such claims should be countered by the legal case set out in its pages.

90 Years On (10 pages) is available from CFI for £2.50.

No peace in Paris: Middle East conference more likely to be a powder keg.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a problem that is going to disappear with a wave of a magic wand from the world's politicians. It's an age-old dilemma that has spiritual roots and a spiritual solution.

Representatives of 70 nations will descend on Paris on Sunday for a global conference to promote a "two-state solution" as the way to lasting peace in the Middle East. It's a 'peace' they plan to impose on Israel, who will not even be there!

And the fear among Jews is that whatever is agreed in France will be used as the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that would permanently divide Israel and create an Islamic Palestinian state.

Denying Reality

But the nations are merely engaging in another distraction – a denial of reality – that does not begin to address the issue. Just three weeks ago the UN passed a resolution declaring that Israel is illegally 'occupying' much of the land to which it is historically, and biblically, entitled – including the Temple Mount, Western Wall and the Old City itself (every inch of east Jerusalem, in fact), which have been part of Judaism for thousands of years. And Britain, to its shame, voted for this!

In re-writing history and making a mockery of justice and fairness, the United Nations has become a sick joke as it brazenly continues to back the Palestinian narrative that would drive Israel into the sea. Their spokesmen have been quoted over and over again saying that they only want such a state as a launch pad for ridding the region of Jews altogether.¹

The nations are merely engaging in another distraction - a denial of reality.

Roots in Anti-Semitism

The response to the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem which killed four Israeli Defence Force soldiers² says it all. Arab Palestinians took to the streets and social media to celebrate and, in Gaza, the ruling Hamas terrorist group praised the attack as a "natural response to the Israeli occupier's crimes". People in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority-controlled 'West Bank' were seen festively handing out sweets to mark the occasion.

According to the PA, the murder of Israeli youths is sanctioned by Islam! The official PA daily said the killer "died as a Shahid" (that is, a martyr for Allah). And the Authority will now reward the terrorist's wife with a lifetime monthly allowance of £627 ($760 or 2,900 shekels). And this in a territory led by Mahmoud Abbas – a so-called 'moderate'.

No, the problem is not the settlements, or Jewish communities, built on disputed land claimed by the Palestinians. The root of this enduring conflict is anti-Semitism, currently in the shape of Islamic fundamentalism. Actually, Israel is entitled under international law to Judea and Samaria (currently known as the West Bank), courtesy of the San Remo Conference of 1922 in the aftermath of World War I.

In fact, it was around this time that a 'two-state solution' was first tried when, with the stroke of a pen, the British Government handed over a major portion of the territory originally earmarked for Israel to the Arabs – the country now known as Jordan. So why is there a need for further division?

The root of this enduring conflict is anti-Semitism, currently in the shape of Islamic fundamentalism.

The Trump Card...

The Paris Conference, like the recent UN resolution, could well make things worse for Israel and render peace even less likely by encouraging terror groups to believe they have the backing of world powers.

This would be a profound tragedy, however, especially for the nations involved. There will undoubtedly be further battles for Israel, but in the end they hold the 'trump' card – and I am not referring to the incoming US President.

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will return to his beloved Land – and the nations who scattered his people and divided up his Land will be put on trial. But the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem will be restored (see Joel 3:1f).

Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and will be king over the whole earth (Zech 14:1-9).

Come, Lord Jesus!

Notes

1 For this and other information in this article, I am indebted to David Soakell's 12 January 2017 newsletter, Watching Over Zion, produced weekly for Christian Friends of Israel (CFI), as well as to official PA TV, 8 January 2017.

2 This included three young women aged 20-22, one of whom, Yael Yekutiel, was a Facebook friend of my CFI colleague David Soakell, who described the 20-year-old officer as "full of light and life" who "seemed to love everyone and everyone loved her." David himself narrowly missed being a victim of a suicide bomb back in 2002.

Jewish and Christian feasts in rare convergence.

When the stars lined up to lighten the path of the Wise Men as they travelled from the East to worship the new-born King of the Jews, it was the dawning of an amazing new era: an era of light.

Now, 2,000 years later, the Jewish feast of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas. They are usually close together, but such a precise convergence doesn't often happen (the last time was 2005; before that it was 1959). Both are festivals of light cheerily illuminating our dreary winter days with sparkling symbols of God's intervention in human affairs.

But at a time of unprecedented threat both to Israel and the Gentile Christian world, are we about to see God's light shine as never before in the midst of the darkness, with growing recognition – especially in Israel – of the Messiah who appeared as a helpless babe in Bethlehem?

The Story of Hanukkah

Special candles will be lit all over Jerusalem to remind her people of the time, in 167 BC, when God came to their rescue. The ruthless Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes had desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig there and blasphemously proclaiming himself God. Judah Maccabee led a brave and successful revolt against the tyrant and re-established temple worship ('Hanukkah' means dedication) with the aid of the menorah (seven-branched candlestick) which burned miraculously for eight days despite having only enough oil for a day – the Greeks had polluted the rest.

I believe this event foreshadowed another great rescue, less than two centuries later, when the Jewish Messiah – the light of all mankind (John 1:4) – was born in a stable at nearby Bethlehem, as prophesied in the Scriptures (Mic 5:2). And now, much of the world is lit up with brightly-coloured decorations – for many people, in commemoration of his birth.

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light..." Isaiah prophesied of Yeshua (Isa 9:2) who did not at first lead Israel in a military victory, although that will indeed happen one day (Zech 12:9), but came to cast his glorious light on a dark world and bring peace, hope and comfort to all those who seek him.

At a time of unprecedented threat, are we about to see God's light shine as never before in the midst of the darkness?

King of the Jews

I love Christmas, partly because it draws my faith back to its roots in Israel. Tragically, much of the Western Church seems for the rest of the year to have divorced itself from the Jewish state, as if it were unrelated to the ongoing story of the Church.

Hanukkah in Israel, 2013.

But there is no getting away from the Messiah's birth being inextricably linked with Bethlehem and Jerusalem, as the carols clearly reflect: Once in Royal David's City, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O come, O come, Emmanuel...shall come to thee O Israel. And, in The First Nowell (an archaic word for Christmas), the chorus keeps repeating the line "born is the King of Israel!"

The Bible clearly teaches that the Messiah will come first as the "suffering servant" (Isa 53) and then, in the fullness of time, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, ruling and reigning from Jerusalem as the 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' (Rev 5:5) after finally defeating God's enemies on the mountains of Israel.

So it is that, as with his first coming, the focus returns to Israel for his second advent. Should we Christians not more adequately prepare ourselves for this great event by re-aligning our hearts with the hopes and aspirations of God's chosen people? We are in this together.

The anti-Semitic hatred currently manifested through Islamic State and related terrorist groups (and in past generations through Haman, Hitler and others) is directed at those who look to the God of Israel – first the Jews, then the Christians. Encouraged by growing co-operation on this level in the face of an implacable foe, we hope for increasing revelation for all that the child born to a virgin (Isa 7:14) is the true Messiah – Emmanuel (God with us) – who fulfilled all the Jewish scriptures. As the carol put it so beautifully, "He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all." It's an awesome truth. He is the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) promised, first to the Jews, and also to the Gentiles (Rom 1:16).

There is no getting away from the Messiah's birth being inextricably linked with Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Bringing Light to All Who Will Believe

Friends from Ireland, Velma and Alan Beattie, at a Christian worship festival in Antrim, Northern Ireland, recently heard the amazing first-hand account of a man who had just returned from Ethiopia, where he had been to look for a remote Jewish village that is under severe persecution. "When he arrived he was told that the people had seen a vision that a man would come bringing light to them. And so he was able to share with them about the light of the world, Yeshua!"¹

Avi Snyder, European Director of Jews for Jesus, tells of a time when his colleague Julia asked a young woman called Miriam to read Isaiah 53, written around 700 BC. "Miriam's eyes literally grew wide as she read from her own Bible the description of the Servant of the Lord killed as an atonement for our sins."

"Does this sound like anyone you've ever heard about?" Julia asked. "It sounds like Jesus," Miriam replied. And, after re-reading the passage, she asked, "Why don't the rabbis believe this?"

"Actually, that's the wrong question," Julia said. "The right question is, 'why don't you believe this?'" Miriam thought for another moment, then said, "I do."²

Just a few chapters later, Isaiah wrote, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isa 60:1-3).

As with Jesus's first coming, the focus returns to Israel for his second advent.

The Festival of Dedication

Jesus himself celebrated Hanukkah – also referred to as the 'Festival of Dedication' – and it was there that he came under fierce attack from the Jewish religious leaders. As they debated with him about his identity, they threatened to stone him for blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God (John 10:22-42). The encouraging thing about this account is that Jesus subsequently returned across the Jordan to where his cousin John had earlier been baptising, and many followed him there and came to believe in him.

Today we rejoice that more and more Israelis, along with Jews across the diaspora, are putting their trust in Yeshua who, at Christmas, came to dwell (or tabernacle) among us (John 1:14).

Have a happy Hanukkah and a blessed Christmas!

References

1 CMJ Ireland News, October 2016. [CMJ = Church's Ministry among the Jewish people.]

2 Jews for Jesus Newsletter, December 2016. Adapted excerpt from Avi Snyder's forthcoming book Jews Don't Need Jesus – and Other Misconceptions, due out in the spring of 2017.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'The Returning King: Is God Preparing Israel for the Messiah?' by Claire Lambert (Instant Apostle, 2015)

This is a delightful and well-written book, wonderfully descriptive and full of rich phrases which keep you turning the pages from the sheer pleasure of reading. It comes from the heart and tackles the topic of Jesus' return not as a deep theological analysis but as a personal narrative, which nevertheless shines a light on the role of Israel and the Jews in the future plan of God.

Journey to Jerusalem

The author states the main purpose of the book is "to open eyes to God's current and future intentions for Israel" (p13), but the way this is done is quite special and possibly unique. The book is in two sections and the first of these, Walls of Revelation, contains six chapters of "personal context which serves as a framework for all that follows" (p13). This is a testimony of how Clare came to a personal revelation of what she is about to share and how her perspective was radically altered regarding the Jewish people.

As the wife of a Baptist minister in a suburb of North-West London, Clare had contact with many Jewish families in the neighbourhood but admits that her particular brand of Western-based Christianity was devoid of the Jewish-rootedness that might have had an influence. Then one day she received an invitation to go on a study tour based at Yad Vashem and, encouraged by her husband who had enthusiastically returned from a previous tour, she set out on a journey of discovery and transformation.

This is a delightful and well-written book, wonderfully descriptive and full of rich phrases.

The key moment was at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Among the towering stones of that great city surrounded by Orthodox Jewish women clutching scriptures and muttering prayers, she experienced a divine encounter. Clare relates it "was as if I had pressed my palm against His cheek and He held me there with his gaze...[then came] just a whisper, a fleeting thing, but there was nothing more real to me in that moment...the glimpse of God's heart in these simple words: 'I love these people. I love this place'" (p20).

From that moment of revelation came a whole new perspective and a deep conviction that Jerusalem is being prepared for a homecoming. Its King will return one day.

Preparations for His Return

After sharing more details of her personal awakening and what this would now mean in terms of her ministry and calling, Clare spends the rest of the book encouraging us to anticipate Christ's return and to recognise God's preparation of the Jewish people to receive him as their King. Her use of Scripture is accurate and helpful. In all her writing she has a gentle approach, reminding us of basic biblical truths rather than being demanding or insistent.

In one chapter she starts to unpack what God is doing in the Islamic nations. "All the while that God is...opening eyes to the importance of Israel, He is newly awakening a group of people who have been imprisoned in darkness for too long: the Muslims" (p95). She recounts how all across the Middle East and North Africa Muslims are having dreams and visions of Jesus in what she calls "a wave of God's saving power" (p95). This cannot be coincidence! Her analysis of this significant move of God (a rescue mission) is clear and firm.

Clare's use of her own personal testimony is a special and possibly unique way into looking at God's purposes for Israel.

Clare also wants us to be aware that what she is writing about falls into the sphere of spiritual warfare and that there is a need for watchmen (and women). She talks also about the Jew-hatred that is spreading across Europe and exhorts us as Christians "to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, advocating on their behalf, standing against the propaganda and lies that muddy the waters and blind us to the anti-Semitism that underpins much of this distortion" (p116).

Inspiring and Heart-warming

Finally, she encourages the Church to restore its Hebraic roots and explore its Jewish heritage, especially the biblical feasts. As always there is a sensitive though forthright consideration of what needs to be done to make a real difference.

This may not be a theological book full of doctrine but it is biblical, embracing many prophetic scriptures, and how she came to believe them – and why we should too! Her testimony is inspiring and heart-warming. After her life-changing trip to Israel she acknowledges a remarkable shift in her heart, impacting her emotions as well as her thinking. It is this she wishes to share, and through the pages of this book she has indeed done this extremely well. Highly recommended.

The Returning King (160 pages) is available to purchase from CFI for £9. Also available from Amazon.

Why pilgrimage to the Holy Land is of such paramount importance.

I was thinking about the Feast of Tabernacles when I booked my train ticket to London and was rather tickled by the Virgin Trains slogan 'Be bound for glory', obviously based on the traditional gospel hit This Train. If it means Virgin boss Richard Branson is spreading the good news, who's complaining?

Why Visit Jerusalem?

I was making a pilgrimage to see my mother, but I was also mindful of Sukkot, one of three festivals for which the ancient Israelites were required to visit Jerusalem (Lev 23) and which, in the millennial reign of Messiah, every nation will be required to make (Zech 14:16). I was particularly thinking about pilgrimage at the time because of reports of a downturn in Israel tour bookings from the UK due to the pound's drop in value against the dollar.

Many Christians I have known over the years have taken the view: "God can meet me here, where I am. Why should I go over there where God is apparently pouring out his Spirit in a special way?" Yet there is a great emphasis in the Bible on places that are made special by God's extraordinary presence. Jerusalem is obviously the best earthly example. Even atheist TV documentary maker Simon Reeve, on arriving in the city, said it took his breath away.1 It did that for this journalist too and I can well understand the exiled psalmist's feelings as he considered Jerusalem his "highest joy" (Ps 137:6).

By the way, UNESCO's denial of Jewish ties to what another psalm referred to as "the joy of the whole earth" (Ps 48:2) would be laughable were it not so tragic. But my 'train of thought' is getting off track...

Even the Wise Men of the nativity story travelled some 1,000 miles to worship the Christ-child. The pioneers of the modern-day Pentecostal movement travelled halfway round the world back in 1906 to catch something of what God was doing at Azusa Street, Los Angeles. And I regularly took a 210-mile round trip for evening services in Sunderland when fresh stirrings of the Holy Spirit broke out there in 1994.

Seeking to Meet with God

There is no doubt that tours of the Holy Land bring the Bible to life and, though of course I understand that economic, security and other considerations will adversely affect bookings, there is clearly a need for a sharper focus on the important nature of such pilgrimage, which should be seen as a further expression of our Christian journey, of reaching deeper into God's wells of salvation and unearthing the treasures of His precious land.

In celebrating God's bountiful harvest and, in building temporary shelters, we are reminded how He provided for his people in the desert. We are also reminded of how we are only temporary sojourners here on earth and that our real destiny is "the city that is to come" (Heb 13:14). And we remember how Yeshua came to 'tabernacle' with us (John 1:14).

As with all discipleship, there is sacrifice – in terms of cost and effort – in pilgrimage. And we should surely take heed of Solomon's wisdom, that "whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap" (Ecc 11:4). In other words, don't wait until all the conditions are in perfect alignment. If pilgrimage is a passport to meet with God in a deeper way, it will surely be well worth it. Be bound for glory!

References

1 Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve, Episode 3. First broadcast on 16 May 2016, BBC2.

A UNESCO resolution was passed yesterday denying the Jewish claim to Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

The resolution, which passed with 24 votes in favour versus 6 against (with 26 abstentions), re-classifies Temple Mount in exclusively Muslim terms and fails to acknowledge its significance to Jews.

Whilst it acknowledges Jerusalem as significant to three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the section on Temple Mount omits any reference to Judaism or Christianity and uses only Arabic place-names,¹ effectively re-writing several thousand years of history.

The resolution on 'Occupied Palestine' is in its second draft form (the first draft was voted on in April, with a similar result). Having now passed through the UNESCO committee stage, it will go to the Executive Board for approval next week. Unsurprisingly, it was tabled by several Arab states, including Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan, no doubt acting on behalf of Hamas. Interestingly, several heavyweight nations with supposedly positive relations with Israel also voted for the resolution, including Russia and China.

International Condemnation

The resolution's blatant defiance of the historical and archaeological record and its clear anti-Israel (many have already said anti-Semitic) bias has caused quite a stir, both in Israel and internationally. This morning Israel froze all co-operation with UNESCO until further notice, with Education Minister Naftali Bennett arguing that the vote will only encourage further terror attacks on Jews.²

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also criticised the resolution, describing UNESCO as an "absurd theater" and saying "To say that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China and that Egypt has no connection to the Pyramids".³ Israeli President Reuven Rivlin responded to the result: "No forum or body in the world can say that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel and to Jerusalem. A body that does so is simply humiliating itself."⁴

The Western Wall of Jerusalem remains one of the most hotly contested spaces in the world.Further afield, Bulgarian Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has signalled her clear disapproval of the motion, saying that it threatens to undermine the organisation's activities,⁵ which are supposedly to work for global peace and security. Criticism has also come at UNESCO from lawmakers at all points on the political spectrum, as well as pro-Israel lobbying groups worldwide.

Anti-Semitic Agendas

In broader context, the resolution represents the next stage in the Arab bid to delegitimise Israel and erase her claim on the Land, from the top down, through a concerted effort within the UN. The text of the resolution repeatedly refers to Israel as 'the occupying Power' and nearly exhausts the thesaurus with its cries for Israel to relinquish her presence and authority in the West Bank: it 'deplores', 'condemns', 'decries', 'disapproves of' and 'deeply regrets' Israel's authority over the contested areas, condemning "continuous Israeli aggressions" and "provocative abuses", with no mention whatsoever of Palestinian terror activity.⁶

Linguistically, it builds on the vote in 2010 to refer to various holy Jewish sites in both Muslim and Hebrew terms (with the Muslim term coming first, of course), e.g. 'al-Haram al-Ibrahimi/Tomb of the Patriarchs' and 'Bilal bin Rabah Mosque/Rachel's Tomb' ,⁷ this time removing Hebrew terminology altogether.

The resolution on 'Occuped Palestine' is more than just a failure to acknowledge the Jewish claim on Temple Mount – it is a deliberate erasure of it, a bald-faced attempt to rewrite history in favour of contemporary Islamic agendas. It is the latest in a string of distorted, anti-Semitic judgments to emerge from the UN, adding to the international effort to demonise Israel's presence in the West Bank and her claim on Jerusalem.⁸

The resolution is the UN's latest bald-faced attempt to rewrite history against Israel and in favour of Islam.

Dangerous Games

But, thankfully, it is not all bad news. Aside from Russia, no European state voted for the resolution this time around, thanks to recent Israeli diplomatic efforts to improve relations with other Western countries. Israel's ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, has commented that the vote shows a loss of key Palestinian support ground in Europe (particularly significant is France's shift from leading the anti-Israel vote to abstention), compared to the vote on the resolution's first draft, in April of this year.⁹ It's not much, but it's a start – we are not yet at the stage of global war on Israel, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38.

God clearly states in Scripture that "I will bless those who bless [Israel], and whoever curses [Israel] I will curse". This promise has never been rescinded – it is as true today for modern individuals and nations as it was for ancient empires.

As Hatikvah's excellent documentary 'Abraham's Vision'¹⁰ helpfully unpacks, the Hebrew words for 'curse' differ in this verse. God promises to 'ârar' [bitterly curse] those who 'qâlal' [make light of, despise, treat with contempt] Israel. This includes the least form of mockery or denial.

Those who voted for the resolution are treading on dangerous ground, for "it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). Thankfully, Britain voted against it!¹¹ But we should not be rubbing our hands with glee at the prospect of the Arab nations eventually getting their just desserts – we should be praying that God brings them into a full knowledge of the truth, about him and his people – and we should be standing up for this truth ourselves.

Thanks to Israeli diplomatic efforts, no European state voted for the resolution.

The Way to True Peace

UNESCO's mission is to build peace "in the minds of men and women". As its behaviour stands in such stark contrast to this goal, we must learn that we cannot rely on international institutions of 'peace' and 'justice' to promote the truth worldwide. Only those whose minds are being renewed by The Truth himself - Jesus Messiah, who makes "one new man" out of Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:15), dissolving centuries of enmity - can show the world the pathway to true peace. And we don't have to be international diplomats or UN officials to do that – it starts where we are, with those immediately around us, today.

References

1 The Western Wall is mentioned only twice in the whole document, both times in quotation marks and after the Arabic name Al-Buraq, suggesting lesser legitimacy. The phrase 'Temple Mount' is missing from the entire document, replaced 15 times with the Islamic name Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif.

2 Hoffman, G. Bennett suspends Israeli cooperation with UNESCO after Temple Mount vote. Jerusalem Post, 14 October 2016.

3 Ravid, B and Khouri, J. UNESCO backs motion nullifying Jewish ties to Temple Mount. Haaretz, 13 October 2016.

4 Ibid.

5 Sharon, I and Arhen, R. UNESCO chief pans her member states on anti-Israel Jerusalem resolution. Times of Israel, 14 October 2016.

6 The full text of the resolution can be read here.

7 See Wikipedia's page on UNESCO.

8 Since 2013, Israel has been condemned in 45 resolutions from the UN Human Rights Council (nearly half of all the country-specific resolutions it has ever passed). See here.

9 Ahren, R. Outrageous as it may be, UNESCO's Jerusalem vote has a silver lining. Times of Israel, 14 October 2016.

10 Previously published as 'Blessing, Curse or Coincidence? Vol 1', see here.

11 Other countries voting against were Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the United States.

Time to taste the sweet honey of following Yeshua.

I was looking forward, with some trepidation, to blowing the shofar in front of hundreds of schoolchildren last week. But in the end my wife, who teaches Christianity and the Jewish feasts to primary pupils all across our town, decided she was perfectly capable of thus sounding the trumpet.

And as Jews welcome their New Year festival of Rosh Hashanah in this way, and enjoy the tradition of apples dipped in honey, I feel there is something of an apocalyptic, end time significance about this particular anniversary.

Significant Anniversaries Ahead

It ushers in the year 5777, which has a resonance of its own with three sevens – the latter being the 'perfect' number in biblical terms. And in the Gregorian calendar which most of us follow, we will soon be welcoming 2017, a date of huge relevance to Israel on three counts.

First, it will mark the jubilee, or golden anniversary (50 years), since the Six Day War of 1967 when the Old City of Jerusalem – the holiest property in all Judaism – was restored to Jewish hands for the first time in more than 2,000 years. Some scholars have suggested that this awesome event represented the fulfilment of "the times of the Gentiles" referred to by Yeshua (Jesus) when he said: "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

The new year will also mark 70 years since the historic United Nations vote to recognise Israel when, although Arab states opposed the resolution, the required two-thirds majority was achieved which set the scene for the re-birth of Israel the following year.

The year 5777 will mark and contain several significant anniversaries.

Jesus' Return Close

Bear in mind what Jesus said about the lesson learned from the fig tree, which is symbolic of Israel. He said that when it buds and blossoms at a time when the world is in great upheaval with wars, famines and earthquakes, we would know that his coming is near. Then he said: "This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (Matt 24:34).

In other words, the generation (possibly lasting 70 years, man's allotted lifespan according to Psalm 90:10) witnessing these extraordinary events would live to see "all these things" happening. Could that include his actual return? We cannot be certain, but it's a distinct possibility. And as one born the year after the state of Israel, I find that both hugely exciting as well as rather scary.

The Zionist Hope

But neither of these hugely historic anniversaries would have been possible without Britain's Balfour Declaration of 1917, which effectively cleared the path for Israel's restoration. The centenary of this crucial milestone in the Jews' long journey home is in danger of being lost in the mists of political correctness, but it needs to be celebrated with gusto. It may not be as topical as our current Brexit endeavours, but it is also something for which Britain can be justly proud.

It amounted to a British government promise, from Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur James Balfour, to do all in its power to facilitate the creation of a homeland in Palestine (as the region was then known) for the Jewish people. And it came about largely through the efforts of 19th Century evangelical Christians, allied to the rise of Zionism under Theodor Herzl. When all is said and done, it was the preachers and politicians who knew their Bible – and the God of the Bible – who undoubtedly most influenced the government of the day. They clearly saw that it was our duty as a Christian nation to love and support the Jews, and to facilitate their return to their ancient homeland.

The preachers and politicians of the 19th Century knew their Bible – and with God, influenced the government of the day.

They also knew – and this was crucial to their support – that it wasn't just about land, but about the Lord; that though the Bible clearly speaks of a restoration of Israel from every corner of the globe, such restoration would precede their national return to the God of Israel, the Father of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, which would in turn usher in our Lord's Second Coming. Ezekiel prophesied: "I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land...And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezek 36:24-27).

It was this truth, above all, that drove our British forefathers to pray, proclaim and work towards fulfilment of the Zionist dream.

God is Seeking a Bride

God is seeking a Bride with whom he wishes to rendezvous back in their ancient land where he first 'courted' her. There she learnt to walk in his ways and the prophets tried, often in vain, to encourage faithfulness to the one true God.

When the Balfour promise was made back in November 1917, the Holy Land still belonged to the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the region for 400 years. But within weeks it was in British hands, which handed on a plate the opportunity for us to make good our pledge.

However, because we reneged on many of our promises and dealt treacherously with the Jews as we made repeated concessions in a bid to appease Arab demands, it took another three decades – and the death of millions at the hands of the Nazis – before the founding fathers were finally in a position to re-create the state of Israel.

The Zionist dream is not just about Jews returning to the Land. It heralds their prophesied return to the Lord and – ultimately – his return to the Earth.

Please forgive us, Israel, and in the meantime rejoice that even without our help in more recent times – though certainly with God's help – you have come this far.

May God's love surround you at this special time and cause you to know the fear of the Lord and his decrees, which are "sweeter than honey" (Ps 19:10).

In this beautiful psalm of King David, we see how much he loves the law, the statutes, the precepts and the commands of the Lord. "They are more precious than gold...and sweeter than honey." And all of this is perfectly fulfilled in Yeshua, who told the crowds on the Mount of Beautitudes at Capernaum: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them" (Matt 5:17).

In Part 5 of our series on the message of the Prophets, Richard Griffiths looks at the prophet Nahum.

The Bible, someone once said, is a tale of two cities - Babylon and Jerusalem. Even before either was founded, and again after Babylon fell, there was confrontation between the people of God (represented by Jerusalem) and the enemies of God (Babylon).

Assyria and its capital city Nineveh were the historical predecessors of the Babylonian empire, but the 'Babylon principle' was as evident in Nineveh as it ever was in Babylon and its successors, the empires of Greece and Rome and their structures to the present day.

Nahum's prophecy is "an oracle concerning Nineveh" written probably during the mid-7th Century BC, but it contains principles relevant to every place and age.

Ninevah's Pride and Arrogance

Ninevah was not only a pagan city, but one unsurpassed for its pride, arrogance and determination to rule the world. Already, during the course of its relentless advance, Assyria had overrun the 10 northern tribes of Israel and their capital Samaria. Some 50 years before Nahum's prophecy, its armies had laid siege to Jerusalem itself.

Predecessor of Babylon, Ninevah was unsurpassed for its pride, arrogance and determination to rule the world.

During those years, Assyria had learned something of the ways of the living God (Isa 37:4); indeed, a hundred years earlier they had turned to God in repentance, responding to Jonah's message.

Their repentance had not lasted, however, and God's next warning came with awesome power. The leaders of the besieging Assyrian army had dared to ridicule the living God (Isa 37:4) by making him out to be no better than the gods of the nations (Isa 36:18-20). Isaiah predicted the downfall of the army and its king. In a single night the Angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp (Isa 37:36).

Later, back in Nineveh, King Sennacherib of Assyria (who had dared to mock the true and living God at the walls of his temple) was brutally murdered while he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch (Isa 37:38).

When God Draws Near, We Have a Choice

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a God who, from time to time, draws near. There are times when he is to be found and people should seek him; times when he is near and people should call upon him (Isa 55:6). At such times he comes in love and in judgment; to forgive or to destroy. At such times his prophets - Jonah, Isaiah, Nahum and others - may declare his judgment. Yet, whenever people turn to him in repentance, they find that he is a God who in wrath remembers mercy (Hab 3:2).

He has always been like that, from the day that he sorrowfully sought Adam and Eve in the cool of the day so soon after they had taken the forbidden fruit. Time and again his chosen people learnt this truth about their God when, even as they felt the first stirrings of his wrath, they turned to him - only to be enveloped in his love.

At the time of Jonah, the Assyrians tasted the consequences of repentance; at the time of Isaiah they experienced the inevitable results of defiance. They knew that the living God was not to be mocked (Gal 6:7), yet they still refused to honour him. Once again God spoke against Nineveh, and this time it was final.

At the time of Jonah, the Assyrians tasted the consequences of repentance; at the time of Isaiah they experienced the inevitable results of defiance.

Nahum: The Man

We know nothing of Nahum except what we can glean from the prophecy that bears his name, which means 'comforter'.

That a message of such stern judgment should come from a 'comforter' reminds us that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the message is both the comforter of believers and the one who convicts the unbelieving world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:7-11).

The object of his message, Nineveh, had a proud history. Even centuries after its ruin, its place may still be identified. By contrast, Nahum came from Elkosh. No-one can now identify the location of Elkosh, and no record remains of Nahum and his family - a nobody from nowhere, with a message concerning the downfall of the world's greatest superpower! Surely the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of man (1 Cor 1:25).

Nahum may have been a nobody, but his soul was aflame with the majesty of God. After the shortest of introductions his vision of God blazed from him (Nah 1:2-6). Here was a man whose mouth had been touched by coals from the altar (Isa 6:6-7).

The world, even though it will not acknowledge them, needs prophets; the need being particularly acute at times when God is 'drawing near' in judgment and mercy. We ourselves live in such times, yet sadly there are few leaders in whose hearts such prophetic fire burns. Could it be that we are so busy carving out our reputations and hurrying about God's business that we have no time left for the holy place?

Better a nobody walking in awe of God's majesty than any amount of human achievement and reputation. Nineveh had plenty of both, but Nahum feared God more than he feared Nineveh.

Better a nobody walking in awe of God's majesty than any amount of human achievement and reputation.

Nahum: The Message

Under Josiah, the people of Judah were once again returning to God and seeking him (2 Chron 34:3), and in fulfilment of his promises God returned to them (cf. Mal 3:7; Nah 1:15). In so doing he would overthrow their enemies. There was a confrontation between Nineveh and Jerusalem, but the outcome was determined by their response to God. It was Nahum's task to bring to both nations the revelation of God's burning holiness.

Nahum, however, perceived more than God's majesty. He saw, in vivid detail, the course and the consequence of God's judgment on Nineveh. Chapter two of his prophecy describes the Assyrians' hopeless attempts to save their city against the onslaught of the invading Medes.

With true insight Nahum sees that these adversaries are not the real enemy. Nineveh has defied God, and the Medes are merely the rod of his wrath. It is God who is against them (Nah 2:13). It is always the prophet's task to see beyond the superficialities of world events to the hand of God that orders them.

When God turns against a nation they are helpless. In the third chapter, Nahum introduces a note of panic. The aggressor has become the victim (Nah 3:1). The rhythm of the poetry changes to one of breathless fear through which again resounds the terrible declaration: "'I am against you', declares the Lord Almighty" (Nah 3:5).

A generation before, Assyria had taunted Jerusalem about its reliance on Egypt (Isa 36:6). Assyria was greater even than Egypt - why should not Jerusalem shelter under her protection (Isa 36:16,17)? Are you really better than Egypt? asks Nahum (Nah 3:8-9). It fell, and so will you, he says (3:10-11).

It is always the prophet's task to see beyond the superficialities of world events to the hand of God that orders them.

A People of Blazing Passion

Nahum stands in the great tradition of the Hebrew prophets: his prophetic word was born in the holy place. There was fire in his message - not the fire of oratory, nor even of poetry, but of the divine presence.

God is looking for men and women who are hungry for God; willing, like Nahum, to enter the holy place, and who out of that meeting with God, will have a blazing passion for him.

Standing in the holy place, he perceived the hand of God behind the events of history. He saw God's hand in the reforms of King Josiah and knew that the Lord was once again with his people. He saw the hand of God stretched out over Nineveh and knew that God had seen enough of the blood and the lies, the plunder and the victims (Nah 3:1). He did not hesitate to declare that God was against that wicked city.

Today, many of God's people are experiencing God's blessing in new ways, and are entering into a depth and reality of relationship with him such as they have never found before. What is to be the fruit of this?

As Christians respond to God's graciously drawing near today, I believe that he is wanting to raise up people who will be prophetic in our day, just as the leaders of revivals were in theirs. In meetings throughout Britain and in many other parts of the world, ordinary Christians are falling to the ground under the power of God's Spirit moving in their lives. One of my colleagues said at such a meeting, "It is not how you go down that matters, it is how you get up." Exactly so.

God is looking for men and women who are hungry for God; willing, like Nahum, to enter the holy place, and who out of that meeting with God, will have a blazing passion for him.

Today we talk of 'blessing,' but God is looking for more than that. He is looking for men and women who may be nobodies in the world's eyes, but who are hungry for God; willing, like Nahum, to enter into the holy place, and who, out of that meeting with God, will have a blazing passion for him, his purity and majesty. Given such people the church will once more be a prophetic voice calling the nations to repentance.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 11 No 1, January 1995.

Prophecy given by David Noakes at the Intercessors for Israel Conference, Jerusalem, January 2003. It was specifically addressed to the nation of Israel and was accepted by the ministers and leaders to whom it was given in 2003. We are publishing it having tested it ourselves. However, we also encourage you to weigh it thoroughly yourself too. 

Strengthen my people in the knowledge of their God and of his Word. Bring to them the whole Counsel of God that they may not be taken by surprise or deceived in the days to come.

Do not fear Islam for this principality shall not prevail. It has thrown down the gauntlet of challenge to the God of Israel and I have accepted the challenge.

This power will be put to shame and destroyed for I have taken the battlefield. Stand with me and fight for I am with you to overcome. Islam will fall, but not at once for the cup of iniquity is not yet full to the brim. There will be a lengthy struggle and it will involve many nations.

Do not fear the conflict or the hardships. There will be shaking and upheaval and turmoil but I have warned you in advance in my Word that this will be so. In the battle set your eyes on Me and remember that this is not your lasting home. Your destination and your inheritance is in the Kingdom cut out of the Rock without human hands and in the Eternal City that has unshakeable foundations whose Builder and Maker is God.

Comfort yourselves with the knowledge of this truth and let your encouragement come from Me alone. Do not fear the wars that must yet come but rather fear the peace that will finally result. It will not be My peace but a counterfeit peace inspired by the spirit of Babylon.

Prepare my people for these days with the knowledge of my revealed truth. Teach them the whole Counsel of God and pray that they and many others will not be deceived in the time before the 'lamb of peace' is revealed in its true colours as the 'dragon of destruction'.

The strategy of the adversary is to wear down by continual attrition to the point where in the weariness of conflict that desire for rest will make your people willing to accept a false peace which will prove in its working to be the deadliest weapon of all. Your nation will desire this peace and the world will desire to impose it upon you but do not be deceived. Prepare my people to watch and pray and keep alert: strong in the knowledge of the whole revelation of my Word until I come, for only then will your nation receive true security.

About the author: David Noakes was a solicitor in London until he joined Clifford Hill’s ministry in 1984. He has been part of the Prophetic Word Ministries/Prophecy Today team since that time, although he has also exercised an independent ministry speaking at conferences both in Britain and overseas. He has visited Israel many times and until recently was chairman of Hatikvah Film Trust, working with Hugh Kitson making films about Israel. He is a well-known Bible teacher with an established ministry and remains an official advisor to Issachar Ministries (Prophecy Today UK's parent charity).

Kelvin Crombie asks why there is constant turmoil in and around the nation state of Israel.

If a visitor from outer space visited Planet Earth and glanced through the history books of the last century, I am sure one matter in particular would confuse him (or her or it) – the agitation revolving around the land of Israel. He could quite understandably ask: 'Why all the fuss over such a small bit of real estate?' Indeed, any neutral observer of events in the Middle East over the past 100 years from Planet Earth could ask the very same question.

Ever since the concept of an official restoration of the Jewish people to the land of Israel became tangible, with the vote by the British War Cabinet on 31 October 1917 (thereafter known as the Balfour Declaration), there has been no more contested matter in the world than the legitimacy of the people of Israel to have a political entity in the land of Israel.

But why all the fuss about the Jewish people inhabiting such a small bit of real estate in the Eastern Mediterranean?

Ever since the concept of a Jewish homeland became tangible, there has been no more contested matter in the world than its legitimacy.

The Land Title Deed Bestowed by a Covenant Oath

The fuss is more than just about real estate - strategically important real estate as it might be. The fuss revolves around the very existence of a covenant keeping God. The very fact of God's existence is indelibly linked to the presence of the nation of Israel in the land of Israel. The issue is about God.

In Genesis 12:1-3 God gives various promises to Abram (Abraham) on the condition that he leaves his homeland and goes to the land of Canaan. These promises include becoming a great nation and being a blessing to all the families of the earth. Abram duly obeys the call. Sometime later while in Canaan, however, Abram seeks confirmation from God about these promises, surmising that he should now be birthing a mighty nation which would be a blessing to the entire world. Nothing though was happening as he had no son to whom he could legitimately bestow these promises of God.

There then transpires an amazing dialogue between Abram and God, as found in Genesis 15, where Abram asks for confirmation, initially concerning the need for an heir. God then duly provides a confirmation to this request, and then stating to Abram: "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it."

The fuss is more than about real estate – strategically important real estate though it might be. The fuss revolves around the existence of a covenant-keeping God.

Abram in response asks God: "How shall I know that I will inherit the land?" Now that is hutzpah. After God had just confirmed one of his promises, Abram was now asking for confirmation about another of those promises, the promise of the land. It would be totally understandable if God asked Abram if he was a bit dim minded - BUT he did not.

If the incident occurred today, God may have said to Abram: 'OK, let's go down to the lawyer's office and we will draw up an official contract with the promise of the land, then I will sign it, and in addition I will get a witness to sign it, and it will be officially sealed.'

But lawyers' offices did not exist in those days. Instead God did the equivalent from ancient times – he cut covenant. This is not the place to go into depth about the principles and mechanics of covenant,¹ but we see in the transaction recorded in Genesis 15 many of the attributes of cutting covenant as revealed within the entirety of Scripture, and from the suzerainty treaties of the ancient world. God granted a legal transfer of the land of Canaan (Israel) to Abram, a title deed later conferred to his son Isaac, to Isaac's son Jacob and then on to Jacob's sons, and their descendants the children of Israel.

One important matter in the cutting of covenants in antiquity was the swearing of an oath, which effectively placed the legal 'seal upon the deal.' Genesis 15 does not say in actual words that there was a swearing of an oath, but in antiquity often times the 'walking between the pieces' (Gen 15:10,17) did just this. In addition, there are numerous occasions where Scripture informs us of God stating: "the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (e.g. Ex 6:8; Num 11:12) while the writer of the book of Hebrews confirms what happened when God swore an oath (Heb 6:13-18).

God's Character at Stake

There are some wonderful references in Scriptures about the inviolability of an oath sworn to seal the cutting of a covenant. The character of the party who swears the oath is at stake if he breaks or violates his own oath. Thus in this case, the character of God is at stake if He were to break His own oath.

God granted a legal transfer of the land of Canaan to Abram and his descendants (through Isaac and Jacob), sealed by an inviolable oath.

An argument could then be mounted that Israel as a nation subsequently disobeyed God, and thus have come under the curses for covenant disobedience. This argument is true – but these curses are actually associated with a different covenant - the covenant cut with the nation through Moses, in the Sinai desert. The covenant cut with Abraham is a different covenant altogether.

According to the principles of covenant, once a covenant is sealed with an oath – IT CANNOT BE CHANGED. Scriptural examples of how in ancient society one could not alter a covenant, or agreement, once it had been sealed (with an oath) include the case of Joshua with the Gibeonites (Josh 9); Darius and Daniel (Dan 6:15), and the Jewish people during the time of Esther (Est 3:12; 8: 8; 9: 1).² God's character, therefore, is at stake if Israel is permanently separated from her land.

God Reminded of His Covenant Responsibilities

In the Sinai God wanted to finish with Israel and begin anew with Moses. But Moses would not agree, and reminded God of his covenant responsibility to unfaithful Israel (Num 14:11ff). Then when Israel languished in Babylon, Daniel reminded God of his covenant responsibility to restore them to their land (Dan 9:1-19).

Collective Israel (Judah, with representatives of the northern tribes) was restored, and about 30 AD God cut a new covenant with Israel, with Jesus of Nazareth being the representative Israelite (Jer 31:31-34ff; Matt 26; 28; Mark 14:24 ; Luke 22:20). But Israel again succumbed to covenant infidelity and was exiled by the Romans in the 1st century AD, this time to the ends of the earth.

Then, from the 1600s onwards, when countless Christians throughout Europe began reading the Scriptures, many recognized the need for the people of Israel to be re-established in the land of Israel. These intercessors reminded God of his covenant responsibility. Is it any wonder therefore that from the 1600s onwards we begin to see moves within the church, within geo-politics and within the Jewish people which ultimately brought about a restoration of the people of Israel to the land of Israel in the modern period?³

Throughout history, intercessors have reminded God of his covenant responsibility towards Israel and he has restored them to their land.

The culmination of much of this aforementioned activity occurred from 1915 with the beginning of the Gallipoli campaign, and especially in 1917 when the combined British, Australian and New Zealand forces captured Beersheba, Jaffa and Jerusalem, with the remainder of the land of Israel being captured from the Turks in 1918. This victory over the Islamic Ottoman Empire provided an opportunity for the Jewish people to return to the land covenanted to them, initially through the issuing of the Balfour Declaration by the British Government.⁴

An Opportunity to Acknowledge God's Faithfulness

In 2017 an opportunity will be availed to us to remember and commemorate these important historical events, and in the process to give glory to God for "remembering His covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Ex 2:24). This time will involve commemorative events in Beersheba, Jerusalem and Semack on the Sea of Galilee, as well as in London, to remember the issuing of the Balfour Declaration.

Balfour portrait and declaration.Every person who professes to be in covenant with Jesus the Messiah should be encouraged to participate in these events, as they are indicators to us that if God can be faithful to a covenant promise sealed with an oath some 4000 years ago – then He will surely remain faithful to His covenant promises to us through Jesus.

2017 marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and provides a tangible opportunity for us to make a fuss as well – professing that he who cuts covenant is faithful to his word and oath.

The fuss made by the 'kingdoms of the world' over the ownership of the land of Israel will continue, as many entities continue to covet the land and many further attempts will be made to separate the people of Israel from the land of Israel. But 2017 will provide us with a tangible opportunity to also make a fuss - and to profess that He who cuts covenant is faithful to His word and to His oath.

References

1 Two books have written by the author on the mechanics of covenant, The Oath of the Covenant and In Covenant with Jesus. Both are available through CFI and CMJ.

2 Jesus also alluded to the seriousness of swearing an oath (Matt 5:33-37).

3 Much of this activity is described in For the Love of Zion, and Anzacs, Empires and Israel's Restoration 1798-1948.

4 This campaign is presented in a DVD, Gallipoli – The Road to Jerusalem, Heritage Resources Pty Ltd 2015. Copies available through CMJ and CFI.

© Kelvin Crombie 2015 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and www.heritageresources.com.au). Reproduced with kind permission.