"I Will Also Give You As A Light To The Gentiles"

Our title for today is from Isaiah 49:6 when God entered into an unconditional covenant with Abraham and his descendants. As a result there was and still is the expectation that His people Israel would be a blessing for all humanity. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that the Jewish people today are "no longer a ruled people, defeated and persecuted, but a proud people with a magnificent country that always aspires to serve as a light to the nations."

Israel began this new country in 1948 with a population of only seven hundred thousand but currently has a population of over eight million people with seven million of them Jewish. Israel also has the highest birth rate in the world and has one of the lowest infant mortality rates.

In the past twenty years, Israel had more new start-up companies and more patents granted than any other nation and has become a center for research and development. Even the international media is beginning to recognize that Israel's belief in God and their respect for human life are key ingredients in their willingness to share their accomplishments with the world.

Israel also knows through their study of the Torah that they are to "Do Good To Those Who Hate You." As a result, they have been assisting in the reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip. This follows the war of Operation Protective Edge in July 2014 in which seven thousand missiles and rockets were fired into Israel by Hamas in Gaza. Israel is now sending 800 truck loads of building materials into Gaza daily. These materials are being used to construct clinics, schools and even entire neighborhoods. Israel continues to believe that being kind to your enemy could lead to peace.

This report clearly illustrates how our God is blessing Israel and how they in turn are a blessing to the nations of the world even though Israel's enemies continue in attempting to destroy them. Now that we have heard the truth about Israel - past, present and future, we must realize this is totally contrary to world media reports we hear each day. I believe our charge from God is to be bold in speaking . . .

THE TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL AS GOD GIVES US OPPORTUNITY!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank

"The Apple Of His Eye"

Zechariah 2:8-9 "For thus says The Lord of hosts: 'He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surly I will shake My hand against them.'" These are very direct and strong words by our Lord God directed against those nations or terrorists groups who do not treat Israel or the Jewish people with proper respect. God will shake His hand against them. Genesis 12:3 shouts a similar message, "Those who curse Israel will be cursed." 

History illustrates numerous examples of God's word, as mentioned above, becoming true. Hitler's Germany excessively abused and mistreated God's people and was eventually destroyed; the British Empire at one time supported a homeland for the Jews but grossly limited the number of Jews who could return to their land and as a result lost its empire. The Roman Empire ruled over the Jewish people both in Israel and in Rome and eventually disintegrated.

Currently, the world of Islam whether in the form of ISIS, Hamas, Hezbullah, Fatah or Iran look each day to kill or maim God's original covenant people and to steal their land. How does our Lord God respond to all this? Zechariah 1:14, 16, 17 and Zechariah 14:3 "I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal . . . I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it . . . The Lord will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Zion then The Lord will go forth and fight against those nations." 

How about the United States which will elect a new president in 2016? I have tried to listen to and observe most of the presidential debates. However, I believe each candidate should be asked whether they will support and bless Israel. Their response would help determine how I would cast my vote but also and more important will affect the future of the United States. Every president since Jimmy Carter has tried to divide up the land that our Lord God gave to His covenant people. (Genesis 15:18) Could this be a factor in the financial and moral decay of the United States? I believe so! 

Let me encourage all of us to continue to "Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem" but also pray continually for God's perfect will to be done this election year.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank

To Do The Will Of Our Father In Heaven

The following statement was released recently by thirty Orthodox Rabbis, "After nearly two thousand years of mutual hostility and alienation, we Orthodox Rabbis who lead communities, institutions and seminaries in Israel, the United States and Europe recognize the historic opportunity now before us. We seek to do the will of our Father In Heaven by accepting the hand offered to us by our Christian brothers and sisters. Jews and Christians must work together as partners to address the moral challenges of our era. Both Jews and Christians have a common covenantal mission to perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty so that all humanity will call on His name. In imitating God, Jews and Christians must offer models of service, unconditional love and holiness. We are all created in God's Holy Image, and Jews and Christians will remain dedicated to the Covenant by playing an active role together in redeeming the world."

These words are encouraging statements by Rabbis from different areas of the world. They illustrate a desire for co-operation between Jews and Christians in working together toward God's similar mission for both groups. Genesis 12:3 says, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The Hebrew word for "bless" in this passage means to do or give something of value to someone else. God's mission for the Jewish people is to love their neighbors despite the fact many of them hate them in return but also to share all their innovations, inventions and ideas God has given them with the world. They have done all this effectively if not perfectly.

God's missions for Christians starts with Genesis 12:3 in which they are to bless the Jewish people meaning also as they bless Israel they are blessing Him. Christians are also to love their neighbor as themselves and take care of the poor among them. However, I feel their most important mission from God is to share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ with all people since God desires "That all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

I pray this encouraging message will spur all of us to even greater works in sharing the unconditional love of our God with all people including His original covenant people.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank             

Gaza Again?

This is the title of an article in the Bridges For Peace website this week. The article's first sentence states, "Gaza is ramping up for another war with Israel and openly says so." Our message today will revolve around this startling declaration and its possible prophetic implications.

Israel believes Hamas has as many tunnels now as it had at the start of the war in 2014. It is believed Hamas has spent $140,000,000. per year in preparation for the next war with Israel. Last week, seven Hamas members were killed in tunnels that collapsed from heavy rain in Israel. 

Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh said at the funeral, "We are preparing for a confrontation with the Zionist enemy. Heroes underground are digging into rock building tunnels and experimenting with rockets everyday for the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem." Israeli families who live near Gaza say the floors of their homes shake as tunnels are being built underneath. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu responded, "If we are attacked from tunnels in the Gaza Strip and Israel, we will take very strong action."  

Prophetically, what does all this mean? Israel is already threatened in the North by Syria and Lebanon plus the threat of ISIS in the Sinai. End times Biblical scholars seem to disagree as to whether Israel will be involved in three or four wars before the King Of Kings and Lord Of Lords returns to earth to rule and reign over all nations. {Revelation 20:4,6} Either way, with Israel threatened on almost all of its borders, what is referred to as the Psalm 83 War or the Inner Circle of Enemies War appears close at hand.

Revelation 6:9-11 say, "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'how long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' They were told to wait a little longer." Our prayers for Israel and the unsaved need to continue in earnest a little while longer.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank