Spread the Fire - May 2008 - (Page 26)

I found the attitude of the Israelis hopeful and even joyful. Young male and female Israeli soldiers are everywhere, brandishing their M-16’s and courteously yet diligently manning their posts while they deal with the ever- present threat of suicide bombers and terrorist strikes. They are proud to serve their country, fully aware of the risks. While we were there in March, a terrorist came out of East Jerusalem and machine-gunned Yeshiva students from a Jerusalem seminary while they were enjoying lunch. Seven were killed; thirty-five were wounded. It shocked the nation again but only further hardened their resolve. But in contrast to the continual threat of violence, fruit trees are blooming everywhere, wheat is growing, and farmers are plowing and cultivating their fields and tower cranes dot the skylines of the cities. It is especially so in Jerusalem where high-rise apartments and new shopping malls are springing up in all the new neighborhoods. And then there is the Wailing Wall, which is a 24/ 7 prayer meeting with Orthodox Rabbis and young Yeshiva students and other devout Jews praying fervently for the Messiah. For the most part, all is quiet on the temple mount. Tourists are allowed to visit reverently but are no longer allowed to enter the mosques. Orthodox Jews refuse to go up on it; nor would they be welcome. There is a tense peace there, as the Muslim police patrol their sacred sites. While the Palestinian areas including Jericho, Hebron and Gaza are off limits to tourists, we did visit Nazareth and Bethlehem, two important cities for Christians, which now have a Muslim majority. Christian Arabs, who are caught in the middle of the conflict, are choosing to emigrate. Just outside Bethlehem, the Israelis have erected a 50 foot high wall and checkpoint, a testimony to how serious the conflict really is. Once we arrived inside, the vendors there are delighted to see tourists, displaying a vast assortment of postcards, flutes, stuffed camels and drinking water. You can see the desperation in their eyes, as they are feeling the squeeze of isolation and containment. Thankfully there are Christian people like Karen Dunham of Living Bread International, who are working in the refugee camps in Bethlehem, Jericho and Hebron who are bringing help in the form of milk, food and relief to these precious people who are losing all hope and now are becoming more open than ever to the gospel of love and the Bibles which she brings them. The Holy Spirit and the message of soaking in His Presence are breaking through. I sensed a new level of tolerance among Israelis to the influence of evangelical Christians who love Israel. They are realizing that we are perhaps the only friends that Israel has in the entire world. There remains the tension which exists between Israelis and Messianic Jewish believers who are increasing in the nation, and they are not quiet about their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel. Many of them really love the River of God’s presence and love to ‘soak in the Spirit’ for boldness and grace. There are many of congregations of them throughout Israel. We met them in Tiberius, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Beersheba, and Arad. They speak Russian, Spanish, Hebrew and English. They are asking questions like, “Why does Rabbinical Judaism accept a heretical group that is promoting a false messiah, like Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994)), but which ostracizes Jews who believe in Yeshua?” Or “Why is it OK for a Jew to be a Communist, an atheist, a New Ager or even a Hindu? These can still retain their ‘Jewishness’ but cannot if they believe in Jesus?” The strong prejudice that exists against Christianity is rooted in the Holocaust and in centuries of persecution and anti-Semitism, often carried out in the name of Christ. A visit to the Holocaust Museum is a shocking reminder of the brutal systematic killing of six million of their people, whose only crime was ‘being Jewish.’ It happened just over 60 years ago, in a so- called Christian nation. RISING RELIGIOUS FERVOR Religious fervor in Israel is increasing. More and more Jews are taking their religion seriously, and Jerusalem’s population is now about seventy percent Orthodox Jews. There is serious talk of rebuilding the temple one day soon. Much of the S TF - 2 6

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Spread the Fire - May 2008

Spread the Fire - May 2008 Contents In the River From Mystery to Clarity: Understanding the Language of Heaven Don't Settle for a Substitute Marooned in Bolivia The Sign of Israel's Blooming International Itinerary Resource Center Catalogue Visitor Information Upcoming Events

Spread the Fire - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.