Tisha B’Av – Destruction of the Temples

31 07 2017

Dry BonesTisha B'Av 2017

Israel Police and Border Police are being deployed in large numbers in the Old City of Jerusalem to protect worshipers at the Western Wall for the fast of Tisha B’Av, which began tonight (Monday).

The fast, which takes place annually on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, commemorates the destruction of the two Holy Temples by the Babylonian and Roman empires in 586 BCE and 70 CE, respectively. Religious Jews read the Book of Lamentations written by the Prophet Jeremiah who lived through the First Temple destruction. INN

You might consider reading Lamentations tonight.

There are five major calamities that overtook the Jewish people that are remembered on the 9th of Av:

1 The Twelve Spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, while the others spoke disparagingly about the land. The majority report caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the “Promised Land”. For this, they were punished by the God of Israel so that none of their generation would enter the land of Israel. (See Numbers 13-14)

2 The First Temple built by King Solomon, King over the Kingdom of Judah, destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, after a two-year siege the Israelites were sent into the Babylonian exile for 70 years.

3 The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in August 70 CE, scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land.

4 The Romans subsequently crushed the final revolt by the Jewish people called the Bar Kokhba’s revolt. The Romans destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians on August 4, 135 CE, the 9th of Av.

5 Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed under the entire site of the Temple in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, in 135 CE.

Other calamities associated with Tisha B’Av: dates given according to the Gregorian Calendar
• The First Crusade officially commenced on August 15, 1096, killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland.
• The Jews were expelled from England on July 18, 1290.
• The Jews were expelled from France on July 22, 1306 .
• The Jews were expelled from Spain on July 31, 1492.
• Germany entered World War I on August 1–2, 1914, which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust.
• On August 2, 1941, SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for “The Final Solution.” As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one-third of the world’s Jewish population six million men, women, and children, perished.
• On July 23, 1942, began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.
• Most religious communities use Tisha B’Av to mourn the 6,000,000 Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

On the 10th of Av the following events took place:
• AMIA bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 and injuring 300 on 18 July 1994.
• The Israeli disengagement from Gaza, initially scheduled to start on the the 9th Av was delayed a day to start instead on the 10th Av, 15 August 2005, expelling 8000 Jews who lived in Gush Katif. (The above list is from: July 30, 2017 by  

MURDEROUS PALESTINIAN MATH: Palestinian terrorist, Omar al-Abed murdered three Jews on Friday night 21 July 2017. This means he will almost certainly be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. According to the Palestinian Authority compensation law, this entitles him to $3,364 each month, four times what the average Palestinian earns. That’s $40,368 a year, or $1,211,040 for 30 years. Imagine there was a government-sponsored program in America that paid you a million bucks every time you murdered members of another ethnic group. In 2016, 11% of the PA’s budget – $500 million – came from the USA. (Tablet) Pray that Palestinian aid allocations from the USA and Europe will be drastically cut until this abominable practice is ended.

NETANYAHU SAYS KILLER OF THREE FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD BE EXECUTED: PM Netanyahu this week paid a visit to the Salomon family who lost three family members in a brutal terrorist attack on Friday 21 July 2017, in their home in Halamish and told them he believed the killer deserves to be executed. “It is time to implement the death penalty for terrorists,” Netanyahu said to the family. “It is already in the law-book, requiring a unanimous decision by the judges. My position as prime minister is that in this case, with such a loathsome killer, he needs to be executed. Simple. So that he doesn’t smile anymore.” Netanyahu was referring to the testimony of Tova Salomon who said the terrorist Omar al-Abed smiled before he started stabbing her and family members.(J.Post)

Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Psalm 129.5

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists          (Read more)

 

 





Metal Detectors and World War III

27 07 2017

knifejuly272017

Muslims are literally threatening to blow up the Middle East over metal detectors at the Temple Mount. It started when three terrorists smuggled a sub-machine gun and other weapons onto the Temple Mount. The next day they retrieved them and proceeded to murder two Israeli policemen. The terrorists were killed in the ensuing gun battle with other Israeli police. After all this Israel installed metal detectors to prevent future arms entering the Holy mountain site.

Muslims rioted, demanding the return to the “status quo” before metal detectors. What is missed here is that the metal detectors did not change the status quo. Smuggling arms onto the site was the change. Israel simply wanted to add a layer of security. You cannot enter a mall in Israel without going through a metal detector. This is also true, of course, at the airport, concerts and even the Western Wall plaza. Furthermore, this is especially true at the most revered site in Islam, Mecca.

SAUDIS MAKE MECCA PILGRIMS WEAR ELECTRONIC BRACELETS: In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, there are 5,000 closed-circuit television cameras overseen by a British company, G4S. As a security measure, an electronic bracelet is attached to each of the millions of pilgrims throughout their entire stay in the kingdom, allowing the authorities to monitor them. (Ynet) There are metal detectors also at the Vatican, at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Westminster and hundreds of other vulnerable sites across the globe. Only Israel is singled out as not being able to protect itself against terrorist murders with preventative security devices. Palestinian leaders in every walk of life continue to condone, teach, honor and promote violence against the Jewish State and then bitterly protest when Israel takes up self-defense measures. Barry Segal JNN News

Meanwhile, one response to the metal detectors in Jerusalem was a terrorist attack in central Israel. A 19-year-old Muslim man murdered three Jews at their Friday night family Shabbat meal. He did it to “defend Al Aksa” (a Muslim name for the Temple Mount). He survived and now qualifies for a $3,000 monthly “martyrs” payment from the Palestinian Authority. That PA fund pays out 300 million dollars annually to terrorists in Israeli prisons and their families. Support the Taylor Force Act in Congress.

The monthly salary of approximately $3,000 that the Palestinian Authority will pay to terrorist Omar al-Abed could be a powerful spur to a pending US legislative bill that would slash aid to the PA over its “martyr payments” policy, a leading Middle East expert told The Algemeiner on Tuesday.
“This is definitely going to put wind in the sails of the Taylor Force Act,” said Jonathan Schanzer, an expert on Palestinian politics at the Washington, DC-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank.
Named in memory of former US Army officer Taylor Force, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Tel Aviv in March 2016, the act, if passed, will place severe restrictions on American aid money to the PA until it ends both incitement to terrorism and the “martyr payments” policy. prophecynewswatch

Here is another example of the perverse idea of justice in radical Islam:

Pakistani council orders “revenge rape” of 16-year-old girl ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani police have arrested 25 members of an informal village council accused of ordering the rape of a 16-year-old girl as revenge for her brother’s alleged sexual assault of another girl.

Yehovah shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O Yehovah, according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psalm 7:8-11

Our only righteousness is from the blood of the Lamb of God, our Savior, Jesus. Pray for repentance, mercy and salvation for the wicked and pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists             (Read more)

(Why use God’s literal covenant Name: Yehovah? Here is a link to the best simple explanation I know, from my friend, Keith Johnson.)





‘Annihilate Jews, liberate Al-Aqsa from their filth’

24 07 2017

 

My shocking title quote is consistent with the Friday preachers and imams at Al Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. However, this imam is an American preacher at a mosque in northern California. His name is Ammar Shahin  aka Shaykh Ammar Shaheen. The link on the picture connects him to faculty/staff of Islamic University of Minnesota. This is from his sermon from last week at his Islamic Center in Davis, California:

 

In it he cited a hadith, according to which the Muslims would fight the Jews on Judgment Day, and prayed to Allah to “liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews” and to “annihilate them down to the very last one,” not sparing any of them. “Oh Allah, make this happen by our hands. Let us play a part in this,” he prayed in the sermon, which was posted on the Davis Masjid YouTube channel. INS Israel National News  (Follow this link for a sub-titled 2 minute video of his comments.)

His sermon is in the context of a new level of terrorism in Israel that started with three terrorists smuggling weapons onto the Temple Mount (including a sub  machine gun) which were used to murder two Israeli policemen who were standing guard at a Muslim entrance to the Mount. Those murdered were actually Druse men, not Jews. Other police chased the three terrorists back onto the Temple Mount where they were all three killed in a firefight. As a result, Israel closed all access for two days to search for any additional weapons. The last time access was closed was in 1969. It was re-opened in 48 hours. New metal detectors were installed which Muslims used as a pretext to start daily riots in which several Palestinians and Israelis died.

This past Friday a terrorist climbed a wall into an Israeli village in the West Bank and murdered three family members celebrating the birth of a new grandchild over Shabbat dinner. The terrorist’s father said he had to do it because of the metal detectors. His mother said she was proud of him.

Here are some pertinent links to this story:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/Fatah-says-campaign-for-jerusalem-has-begun/

http://www.timesofisrael.com/In-jerusalem-some-muslims-warn-religious-war-is-imminent-other-say-its-begun/

http://www.debka.com/article/26153/This-is-a-war-for-sovereign-control-of-Temple-Mt

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— both are detestable to Yehovah. Proverbs 17:15 NLT

Pray. Pray. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists               (Read more)

 





Pence: Embassy Move Not If, but When

19 07 2017

Pence 7-17-17

“I promise you that the day will come when President Donald Trump moves the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said. “It is not a question of if; it is only when.” Vice President Mike Pence 7-17-17

Five to seven thousand Christians met in Washington this week at the Christians United for Israel Summit, led by Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio, Texas. Our Vice President was the keynote speaker. Doreen and I have been members for several years and have attended three previous summits. This year we missed it because of our trip to Israel. But the impact of a Christian Zionist group of over three million members is considerable.

Lines are being drawn all over the political and religious landscape. Even Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate opposition leader has declared that anti-Zionism is the new anti-Semitism.

As the Senator said in the above short video, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. Here is the Israel Pledge as offered by CUFI:

We believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right. 

We maintain that there is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks. 

We pledge to stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel and to speak out on their behalf whenever and wherever necessary until the attacks stop and they are finally living in peace and security with their neighbors.

Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. Romans 11:11-12 NLT

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and stand with Israel!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists





What We Are Up Against

13 07 2017

What are we facing from the global terrorist threat? It is more than an ideology. We are face to face with demonic evil. Israel has been dealing with it for decades. Here is an example from just last week (July 6,2017). Official Palestinian Authority TV praised a man responsible for murdering 22 school children and four adult hostages in a 1974 terrorist attack in Israel. They make monuments and name streets after these so-called “martyrs” and “freedom fighters”. This video is not from 1974, it is from last week!

Isaiah saw this evil in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity. It is not unique to the Palestinians or the Jews of Isaiah’s day. It is the un-redeemed nature of sinful man under the influence of Satan, the devil, who comes only  to “steal, kill and destroy” (in the words of Jesus in John 10:10). Yet, even as Isaiah describes the evil murderous heart of sin, he begins with God’s ability to save us.

Listen! Yehovah’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption. No one cares about being fair and honest. The people’s lawsuits are based on lies. They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin. They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders’ webs. Whoever falls into their webs will die, and there’s danger even in getting near them. Their webs can’t be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace. Isaiah 59:1-9 NLT

Please read the rest of Isaiah 59. We had a great Bible study in our Tuesday night group using this chapter. It is time to wake up and know what we are up against. Our confidence in this battle is that Yehovah is on the job. We have read the end of the Book, and we win, if we stand with Yehovah God and Yeshua His Son.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists

(Why use God’s literal covenant Name: Yehovah? Here is a link to the best simple explanation I know, from my friend, Keith Johnson.)

 





Talking Trees

11 07 2017

Trees400 cover

One highlight of our recent trip to Jerusalem was a 30 minute conversation with my favorite Israeli cartoonist, Yaachov Kirschen and his wife, Sali. She is also known as the LSW, long-suffering wife. It was a delightful conversation where we discussed how much we have in common in our Zionism. He as an Israeli returned to the Land and me as a voice of Christian Zionists.

A main topic of our talk was his book: Trees: The Green Testament.

“TREES, the Green Testament” draws a cartoon explanation of the basic world view of Judeo Christian civilization and celebrates our shared fundamental belief system. It is the Bible, Zionism, and world history, from the viewpoint of the TREES of the land of Israel! From the Garden of Eden to the End Time promise of mankind beating his swords into plowshares. From the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai to the planting of thousands of trees in the modern, reborn State of Israel.”

The best part of our 50th Anniversary trip was being submerged in the city and its people, celebrating Jerusalem’s 50th Anniversary of its Liberation during the Six Day War. In the end it is not about politics, it is about the faithful God of Israel restoring the Jewish people to their land, their language, their city and their God. His faithful promises of restoration are being precisely fulfilled to the tiniest detail. More to come of what we heard from the Holy Spirit on this great experience. We are forever thankful to our daughters and their families and many friends for the love and sacrifice that enabled our priceless three weeks in Jerusalem!

“Yes, God ’s Message: ‘You’re going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, “A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here.” But the time is coming when you’re going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, “Thank God -of-the-Angel-Armies. He’s so good! His love never quits,” as they bring thank offerings into God ’s Temple. I’ll restore everything that was lost in this land. I’ll make everything as good as new.’ I, God , say so.”
Jeremiah 33:10‭-‬11 MSG

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists





Romancing Jerusalem

4 07 2017

Les & Doreen June 2017

Light rail Jerusalem

There are those who warn about a romanticized view of Jerusalem, yet, it is possible to face the real threats of our day and still have a palpable love for this eternal capital.

Doreen and I have been here for almost three weeks celebrating our 50th anniversary, along with Jerusalem’s 50th. We love this city of God. We were wed one day after the Six Day War in 1967. We have been exceptionally blessed and are the first to admit it is far more than we deserve. Yet, we have tried to live with a measure of humility while setting an example of relational love. This is most obvious in a loving marriage, but it also available in all of our relationships.

The Kingdom of God is relational. This world keeps trying to make it religious and political. But Jesus warned quite sternly:

Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:15 NKJV

As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” Mark 8:15 NLT

The religious spirit is SELF-righteousness. The political spirit is SELF-interest. We certainly must beware of both.

Doreen and I have been living a dream of a marriage. Sometimes we are tempted to feel guilty for this blessing. Yet, we have learned one thing that may be an encouragement to those who have not been blessed with 50 years. We live each day and each year as if it was our last. We have always had a sense of the imminence of the Second Coming of Messiah Yeshua. But also, we have always been thankful for every single blessing in the present tense. From that we have reaped wonderful memories.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:20:21

Treasure your memories. This is our exhortation to those who feel you were slighted when God was blessing others. You have great memories of your own. Treasure them. Your memories may not be 50 years, but whatever the length, they are real. Remember them. Be thankful for them. If you have had a wonderful spouse, even for a short time, be thankful.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists