BEWARE OF PASSOVER

I felt a great urgency Thursday to warn those planning to march into Israel to beware! Almost 3000 years ago, the situation was amazingly similar to the one today.  The threat to Israel and the astonishing results were so impacting, G-d records it 3 times in the scriptures!  Let’s take a look at a historical event that is repeating itself at this very moment!

                                   

We are in the Passover season – Jews everywhere have begun preparation for a week from today when G-d’s rescue and liberation of an entire nation is proclaimed throughout the world.

                                   
One of the most memorable Passovers ever celebrated was when King Hezekiah sent word out to all Israel and Judah inviting everyone to come celebrate the Lord’s Passover. The king’s message told the people to, “RETURN TO THE LORD, THE G-D OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND ISRAEL.” A very large crowd responded and gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate.  They removed all the altars to false gods that were in jerusalem and burned them in the Kidron Valley.  Although the time was off (it was the second month) and many people had not prepared scripturally for the Feast, Hezekiah prayed for them, and asked G-d to pardon all those who have set their hearts to seek the Lord.

                                    

The people celebrated for 7 days in Jerusalem with great rejoicing, singing and instruments of praise. They didn’t want to stop and continued for another 7 days. There was great JOY in Jerusalem! When it was over, the people were so blessed, they went home to their towns and smashed the false idols and destroyed their high places where they had worshipped false gods.

There was a revival in the land! King Hezekiah was a faithful leader, and G-d was blessing His people. At this time, another King decided it was “His Time” to take the land for his own kingdom. He was the king of Assyria (today Syria, Iraq).

                                       

Let’s take a minute to reflect on this scene. The land of Judah/Israel is full of joy and prospering under G-d’s blessing remembering the great deliverance their people had from the hand of Pharaoh and slavery. Today, Israelis have begun the same celebration Hezekiah enjoyed almost 3000 years ago, although today, people don’t just gather from within the nation. They travel over oceans and continents to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem!  

                                                     
It is a joyful prosperous time. However, this year, there are leaders rising up to threaten the nation and march into it to take it for their own. Their threats are similar to the king of Assyria’s:

               ON WHAT ARE YOU BOASTING YOUR CONFIDENCE?

               YOU SPEAK EMPTY WORDS ABOUT “STRATEGY”, “MILITARY
               STRENGTH”

             EGYPT CAN’T HELP YOU!

             ARE YOU DEPENDING ON YAWEH?

             LET’S MAKE A DEAL.

             AND ONE MORE THING – THE LORD (today- allah), HIMSELF,
             TOLD US TO MARCH AGAINST THIS COUNTRY AND DESTROY
              IT!

                                           

Amazing isn’t it? This could be today - arrogant boasts about destruction and G-d being against Israel. And these comments were made directly to those in leadership! After that, the Assyrian commander turned to the population (today it would be the media) and said:

            DO NOT LET HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU. HE CANNOT DELIVER YOU.

            DO NOT LET HIM PERSUADE YOU TO TRUST IN THE LORD.

            WHO HAS EVER BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE KING OF ASSYRIA?

            MAKE PEACE WITH US AND WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

These are very similar to the threats coming from the nations that surround Israel today…..even Egpyt! The treaty that both Israel and Egypt had honored for 30 years is no longer effective in securing borders and peace! Israel has nowhere to turn, but to their G-d!

                               

Now G-d spoke to King Hezekiah while all these threats were being made and let Hezekiah know that He considered this a personal attack on HIS NAME!  G-d promised Hezekiah, He would take care of it. Even then, the King of Assyria sent one more message to Hezekiah declaring:

             DO NOT LET THE GOD YOU DEPEND ON DECEIVE YOU WHEN
             HE SAYS, “JERUSALEM WILL NOT BE HANDED OVER TO THE KING OF
             ASSYRIA.”  SURELY, YOU’VE HEARD WHAT THE KING OF ASSYRIA
             HAS DONE TO ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES, DESTROYING THEM
             COMPLETELY.  AND WILL YOU BE DELIVERED?

                                                        

 Is this not the voice of Ahmadinejad?  

                                                  

Ismail Haniyeh  of Hamas?
                                              
Hasan Nasrallah of Hezbollah?

                                    
The threats have not changed!  So what happened to Israel when they were threatened so long ago?

At first, Hezekiah did things in the natural to combat the threat to his people. They blocked the flow of water so the Assyrians could not get it. They repaired broken areas of the wall and built towers.  Hezekiah had another wall built outside the existing wall and reinforced the supporting terraces. He also made more large weapons and shields. Today, that would be equivalent to supplying IDF with weapons and reinforcements, enforcing check points and protective walls throughout Israel.

                                           

Most importantly, Hezekiah encouraged his people in the Lord, emphasizing that the Assyrians were depending on the arm of flesh, but Judah had the arm of their G-d. Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah cried out to the Lord about the situation…..

                                          WHAT HAPPENED?

The Lord sent an angel who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp! The commander withdrew, went home, and was cut down by his sons in the temple of his god.

We can definitely draw a few conclusions from all this.

1.    JERUSALEM IS VERY SPECIAL TO G-D, SO IS HIS PASSOVER

2.    THE G-D OF ISRAEL IS WORTHY OF OUR BOAST

3.    IT IS WISDOM TO DEPEND ON HIM AND NOT PUT OUR CONFIDENCE IN MEN.

4.    THE G-D OF ISRAEL WILL PERSONALLY DEFEND HIS WORD, HIS NAME, HIS CITY, HIS PEOPLE AND HIS LAND.

                                 

BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS

How often have you recently heard, “Jews run the world,” or “Jews run the world’s economy”.  Now anyone with a brain would recognize that The Rockefellers, The Kennedys, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are not Jews, neither are The Onassis family, Prince Charles and the royal family or King Abdulla Bin Abdulaziz  al-Saud of Saudi Arabia.  None of these financially elite names are Jewish. Sure there are Jewish people who are wealthy, but there are also many powerful people who are not Jewish. So where did this myth come from and why is it being broadcast throughout the media today?

                                                           

To take this even one step further, why is it acceptable to demonize Israel and Jewish people?  Why do world leaders like Ayatollah Ali Khomani say “Every Muslim is required to arm themselves against Israel,” and no one seems to care?
Why is it when Palestinian terrorist are honored for killing innocent Jews in Israel it goes unnoticed by most of the press?  How can textbooks in the USA describe 9-11’s Jihadists as “people fighting for a cause” and it’s considered an acceptable academic fact?
                                  
Why do some textbooks in England deny the holocaust even after England was bombed by German warplanes and many families took Jewish orphans rescued out of Eastern Europe by brave British citizens?  Why has the western mainstream press failed to report the swastikas and vandalism done on 2 large American campuses two days ago?

                                               

There is a simple two-word answer to all this - “politically correct.”
We hear that phrase almost every day. What exactly does it mean? Is it a “new” idea? Is it correct? Is it dangerous? Is it more dangerous for some groups than for others? These are all worthwhile questions.

                                                        

Political correct thinking began as a concept as Marxism grew in Europe around 1914. It took on its name in 1923 as part of a German think tank called, The Institute for Social Research. It begins by creating “cultural lines” that cannot be crossed. These cultural lines have to do with denying moral values that come from biblical foundations.  I am sure you can think of a few examples right at the top of your head like “Israeli Apartheid,” “Islamophobia,” and “Jewish Aggression”.
Now a key to the “politically correct” ideology is real historical facts must be ignored. In other words, the whole population must feel socially forced to live a lie!
Many of my earlier posts present factual evidence proving these “catch words” cannot stand up against the truth. Yet there is no room in the politically correct world for dissension.

                                                                                    

In fact, part of “cultural Marxism-political correctness” is “DECONSTRUCTION.” Deconstruction allows for the exclusion of facts and the replacement of whatever supports the “politically correct” thought on that subject, in other words whatever meaning is desired.  For this to work effectively - living lies is ok - the society’s moral compass must be removed. It must be free of biblically based foundations.  This results in a targeted attack on Jews as well as Christians.
                                   
 At some point, most informed people start to say – “Hey this stuff is false, it’s a lie.” This leaves the ruling authorities no choice but to  force everyone to support the lie.
This is how the holocaust came about. We wonder how could an educated, Christian society kill masses of innocent people? The society had slowly become a victim of politically correct thinking. Statements such as, “the Jews are the cause of our economic problems,” “Just agree with your teachers, get good grades,” and “don’t draw attention to your opinion, just stay quiet.” And thus millions of people were destroyed.
                                                                                              
This all reminds me of Israel’s first king, a man named Saul. In 1 Samuel, chapter 15, Samuel had given King Saul instructions from the Lord. King Saul halfway followed them and then did what he thought was best based on pressure from those around him. In verse 24, King Saul admits, “I was afraid of the people, so I gave into them.” At that point King Saul lost his kingship that had been given to him by G-d, because he had rejected the word G-d gave him.  King Saul had lost his moral compass. He had convinced himself of something that was not true.
                                   
The opposite spirit of the “politically correct” King Saul is that of Joshua.  When Joshua returned with the spies from the promised land, he did not succumb to the majority’s warped opinions. He stayed in agreement with G-d and said, “we are well able to take the land.” Forty years later, he listened to the Lord tell him to be strong and courageous, to be careful to obey G-d, keep His words in his heart and he will be successful.
                                                                                   
Nothing has really changed in thousands of years!  Today, we are being asked, “what are we going to believe?” “Are we going to stand for the truth or submit to public pressure?” “ARE WE GOING TO BELIEVE G-D?” There really isn’t a choice. The result of following the politically correct leads to death.  The result of a Joshua heart is taking the land, and receiving our inheritance. It’s a “no brainer!” So we challenge the status quo. We seek the truth, even if it takes a bit more effort. We refuse to be brainwashed and to lose our identity and our moral values.

Daniel also gives us an excellent example of a person who did not succumb to politically correct thought. He didn’t eat what others ate. He didn’t bow when others bowed. He didn’t water down his dream interpretations in fear of being punished. He was a man who knew his G-d and did great exploits. He ended his life having honored truth and honored G-d and influenced many.  We can do the same!”

                                                        
                                                     
So the next time you hear about “Israeli aggression” count how many bombs have been launched into Israel from Gaza. When you read Israel is an “apartheid state” compare the freedoms and benefits Israeli Arabs have to those Arabs living in Syria or Saudi Arabia. When you hear Jews run the world economy google “Rockefeller” or "King Abdullah" and find out who has the wealth! 

CHECK VIDEO LINK FOR U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STAND ON ISRAEL

Sometimes things are just very fuzzy when it comes to leaders, politics and where everyone stands. The United States currently has a president who repeatedly says he supports Israel, but then his actions speak the opposite. A 30 minute video has been put together with footage of the president talking and documentation of what has been done by his adminsitration concerning Israel. Please take the time to go to the side barand click the top video link. It may answer many of your questions.

EXPOSE IT!

                                                  

I was doing my Sunday night sound bites of world news on the internet when I was shocked to find  Israel’s  ARUTZ  reporting close to 200 rockets had been fired on Israel from the land they gave the “Palestinians” for PEACE, the Gaza Strip!  Whooa, that doesn’t sound like “Peace” to me! And the strange thing was, I did not see it reported in any western news sources. Hmmmmmm.

Now many of you reading this live in the United States. If 200 missiles were flying in from Mexico or Canada or Cuba don’t you think it would be a pretty big deal? Don’t you think we would do something to fight back? Would the American leadership just say, “Sorry, you’ll just have to live with it? Sorry for the inconvenience!”

In the past 3 days, 1 million Israeli citizens have had to run to bomb shelters and reinforced homes.  Missiles were reaching the cities of Ashkelon (113,000 pop.), Ashdod (206,000 pop.) and Beersheba (194,000). The TIMES OF LONDON reported, rockets being fired at “Israel Border Towns.”  THE FINANCIAL TIMES  reported, “Escalation in Gaza Border Violence.” Ashkelon is 13 miles from the Gaza Strip. Ashdod is 23 miles away and Beersheba is 26 miles away – not exactly the “border”.
 

What kind of rockets are we talking about anyway? Gaza rockets are not “homemade” malatovs. Hamas possesses rockets made in China. C-704 missiles were part of the weapons stash aboard the “Human Aid” ship “Victoria”.  (Victoria was stopped March 15, 2011. Her cargo included 50 tons of weapons in 3 containers; 60mm and 120 mm mortar shells, C-704 anti-ship missiles and assault rifle ammo.)

                                            
Some other “Palestinian” updated missiles include warheads with 19 kilograms of explosives surrounded by metal fragments which are placed there to increase casualties. Some missiles have a range of 40 kilometers which is way past Gaza’s borders.
                                       
There are 2 things that help reduce the damage and impact of these weapons. Hamas only has simple ground launchers to shoot their missiles into Israel, so as they aim at major population centers, their accuracy is less than 100%. The other deterrent is the Iron Dome System which has successfully stopped a majority – though not all – of the rockets launched at Israel.

So Israel is not being hit with a few homemade bombs lobbed across the fence, and yet no one outside of Israel deems it worthy of news.  Instead, I read in the news this morning that, “Israel Airstrikes Kill 3 Palestinian Civilians and 2 Militants.”  Well who sounds like the “aggressor”? The second sentence of the article reads: A high school student, a father and daughter were among the dead.”  The details touch on an emotional response, and imply the Israelis are targeting civilians. Israeli aircraft targeted rocket-launching sites and weapons storage facilities.  Often the terrorists will place civilians in target areas knowing that international outrage increases when children and women are hurt or killed. It is also their policy to operate in crowded areas again putting civilians at risk.
                                                

As for Israel, although no one has been killed, an 80 year old woman was severely wounded by exploding glass, and four others have been reported wounded . A home in Ashdod was badly damaged by a direct rocket hit as were several cars (see picture above) . A school was hit directly, however school had not started yet so no one was there.
                                           
So how do we explain the “Disproportionate Response”?
     1.    The media reverses the order of events. Because the provocation is only mentioned after the Israeli attack, the reader is more impacted by the Israel’s response than by the initial provocation.  Since the media deems all violence morally equal,  even if 200 missiles were released into Israel, if someone is killed in retaliation, the crime is just as bad. In other words terrorism and self-defense are measured as the same thing.

2.    The media leaves out content and key facts. Case in point – they don’t even report the missiles until after they report the response. Another example of this would be the FREE GAZA MOVEMENT.  The key facts were presented in a way to transform the conflict into the “world” and Israel instead of just the “Palestinians”. The media reported the flotilla brought tons of aid into Gaza. It failed to mention the amount was less aid than Israel delivers to Gaza every 2 days!

Proverbs 20, verse 10 says:
            Differing weights and differing measures --
            the Lord detests them both. And again Proverbs 20, verse 23 says:
             The Lord detests differing weights,
             and dishonest scales do not please him.

                                                                       
I believe, based on the above information, that most media sources in the world today struggle with just weights or as we say today, “double standards” when it concerns Israel.
Let’s be aware and do our best to inform people with the facts, especially when they are overlooked or in most news sources.

YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO THE KINGDOM FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

                                                                      

   Around 2500 years ago, Jewish people were facing a situation similar to today. Like Habakkuk, it is wise in difficult times to recall G-d’s awesome power in the lives of His people! Most are familiar with the story of Hadassah, also known as Esther. This is a situation that in the natural is impossible to understand. How can an exiled orphan girl and her exiled unemployed uncle save their people against a strong and mighty empire? What could possibly stop the official edict of the king from executing every Jew in his empire? Where did such hatred come from? Who can stop it? Is there any chance at all for a happy ending to such a tragic and horrible situation?

                            

These are some of the same questions Jews around the world are asking themselves right now, and especially these next few days as they remember Purim and G-d’s amazing deliverance. The land of Persia is smaller today (known today as Iran). It is no longer an empire; however, the “Supreme Leader” Ali Khomeni and the “President” Ahmadinejad have the exact same hatred and desires as that of “the wicked Haman”. Neither of these individuals makes any effort to hide their desires. In fact, in today’s news, their intentions can be broadcast to the entire world. What is it that causes such venom? Such anger? Hatred? Malice?

Again, we must look to the G-d of Israel, the author of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. What does He say about Himself? What does he say about His people, the Jewish people?

Again, in Malachi 3, verse 6, The Lord says: For I am Yahveh, I do not change. We can conclude from this statement that Yahveh does not change His words, His covenant promises or His character. He is not “in a bad mood” some days and changes His mind on “the good days”. He is from everlasting to everlasting, the same! So, in Genesis, 17, verses 8, 15-21, G-d says:

 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an
 everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will
 be their G-d.

 G-d also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the Mother of Nations; Kings of peoples will come from her.”
 Abraham fell facedown: he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man 100 years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to G-d, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
 Then G-d said, “YES, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And, as for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will surely bless him. I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. BUT, my covenant, I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”

        Wow! Did G-d change His mind about these words? If not, is it possible the world rages against Isaac’s offspring in an attempt to prove G-d is a liar? He is not G-d? If what His word says comes to pass, which has happened over and over and over, then it becomes difficult to deny that the G-d of Israel is G-d. Thus, for centuries, in historical moments such as the one we are in and the one Esther was in, the “enemies of G-d” rise up to try to prove He is not who He says He is.

      

In Esther’s time, wicked Haman, second to the King, first despised Mordecai because he would not show him reverence and bow before him. Maybe Haman was not aware of the evil that had entered his heart. His anger became rage, and he eventually decided all those connected to Mordecai, his people -the Jews- should die! Sound like anyone we know today?

                                          

The President of Iran repeatedly condemns the nation of Israel and openly calls for its destruction. Ahmadinejad calls Israel a “fake regime” that “must be wiped off the map” He calls those who love Israel and the Jewish people “the most detested people in all humanity” and calls the Holocaust a “myth.” Sound a little like Haman? Sadly, more and more, he seems to be garnering support from the world community. No one seems too concerned about the extermination of Israel and the Jewish people except the Jews and some Christians.

                                   

This is when we lift our eyes to the hills where are help from the G-d of Israel comes from! He has a plan, because ultimately, it is against Him that the nations rage. In Esther’s day, no one could have come up with the plan on their own. Esther played her part by seeking G-d and denying herself food and drink for 3 days so she could hear G-d’s plan. Mordecai did his part by letting others know to do the same and pray for Esther. Then G-d did his part by releasing a plan, sparing Esther’s life, keeping the king awake after the first dinner, and opening his journal to Mordecai’s heroic act of thwarting the assassination attempt on the King. Without G-d’s part, nothing would have mattered. G-d supernaturally reversed the enemy’s course of destruction heading towards the Jews. CAN HE DO THAT TODAY?

                             

G-d, Yahveh, does NOT CHANGE. If He says something in His word, He will do it. Every attempt to discredit His honor, His truth, His word or His integrity will fail. Psalm 2, verse 2-6 says:

The Kings of the earth take their stand
 and the rulers gather together against the Lord
 and against his Anointed One.
 “Let us break their chains,” they say , “and
 throw off their fetters.”
 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
 The Lord scoffs at them.
 Then He rebukes them in His anger
 and terrifies them in His wrath, saying,
 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill,”

       

          This is not a time to be fearful or worried. This is a time to act like Esther, to seek G-d’s timing, His plan, to trust G-d with all our hearts. It is time as Daniel says, to do great exploits for our G-d, to see His truth and His word prevail over every evil plan. And who knows that you too, like Queen Esther, have been called to the kingdom for such a time as this!