February/March edition of 'Israel & Christians Today'

Includes articles and opinion pieces from Ron Ross, Stan Goodenough, Enoch Lavender. Kameel Majdali, Mandy Worby and more.

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4. The Christians for Israel Asia ‘Standing with Israel’ Conference (training the trainers) was held in Jakarta on 4 - 5 December 2018. The conference was the result of months of preparation by Hizki Laluyan in the Netherlands and Wilson Ng in Kuala Lumpur. Together they worked in concert with Christians for Israel Indonesia leaders, Pastor Dr M. Ferry H. Kakiay, (Deputy Bishop of Gereja Bethel Indonesia with over 6000 churches), Pastor Brigjen Harsanto Adi, (a former General and current President of the Indonesian Pastors’ Association) and Dr Henoch Budiyanto from Gereja Bethel Indonesia. In this ‘Training the trainers’ conference, every delegate, equipped with Rev W. Glashouwer’s book, Why Israel?, study guide and workbook written in the Bahasa Indonesia language, received training to take back to their church leaders. The aim was that each delegate would, in turn, use these materials to spread the message about Israel to their church members. The success of this conference will in time, be gauged, not only from how many came to this conference, but also by how many leaders train their bible study leaders to convey the message about Israel to members of their congregations. On the first day of the conference, training was held at Gereja Bethel Indonesia (GBI), Fatmawati, Cilandak, South Jakarta. Pastor Lumahan (C4i Philippines) explained the reasons for standing with Israel. Kuen Yoon and Siew Fong, regional trainers in Asia, then took the participants through the key points in each chapter of the Why Israel? workbook. 35 pastors and church leaders attended this training. They felt empowered to stand in solidarity with Israel and to use the Why Israel? workbook for training. On the following day, 236 bible college professors and students, national leaders, pastors and church leaders gathered at Gajah Mada Plaza Tower, Jakarta for an introductory speech by Pastor Brigjen Harsanto Ali followed by presentations regarding Israel by Pastor Lumahan, Siew Fong and Kuen Yoon. A panel discussion followed allowing questions from the audience. This segment of the training was particularly well received. We received wonderful feedback from the participants who were grateful for the clarity of our explanations. Questions included the size of the promised land, why we should stand with Israel even though most Jews have rejected Christ as Messiah, and how, because of that rejection, the early followers of Jesus took the message of salvation to the Gentiles. A key clarification was that standing with Israel does not require embracing Judaism. That evening, Pastor Lumahan, Kuen Yoon and Siew Fong also spoke at a combined meeting from Pentecost Holiness Harvest Church and Obaja Bible School. 75 bible st udents, teachers and church leaders, mostly young adults, listened with rapt attention and asked questions, hungry for the message on Israel. Encouraged by the success of this conference, Christians for Israel Indonesia leaders have proposed a longer conference in 2019, at more venues and with topics taught at greater depth. There is much work to be done, considering that Indonesia’s Christian population is 24 million and the total population of the country was 264 million in 2017. Christians for Israel Happenings 04 The activities of Christians for Israel have expanded to almost 40 countries. The United Kingdom was one of the first countries where Christians for Israel was established. Some 20 years ago, conferences were being organised and the Israel & Christians Today UK newspaper was being published. The number of subscribers increased rapidly to 400, with an extra 1500 copies printed for distribution into churches. The first pioneers who set up the UK branch have left, and conferences have not been held for some years. However, this situation changed last year. James Patrick, an Oxford theologian, was approached by Christians for Israel and was impressed with our biblical vision on Israel and our mission. He recognised a close resemblance between his biblical understanding and the vision which Christians for Israel is spreading. James says: “I was born in Papua New Guinea. I came to the UK for university study in 2000, and became acquainted with the Jewish community. I am now actively involved in both Christian and Jewish communities. I have chosen to remain single to be more effective in the work which I feel God has called me to.” James completed bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in biblical studies in Cambridge and Oxford. He is connected to an extended network of theologians, pastors and church leaders. In a recent Israel & Christians Today (UK edition) James wrote: “I am keen to meet up with church leaders and teachers, whatever their political views about the Middle East, to discuss how the Bible can shape our beliefs and actions.” Last year, James was officially appointed as our National Representative. We are very happy and thankful that the Lord provided a new and inspired representative in the UK. He has already written a few excellent articles in the recently launched UK edition of our newspaper. Let us pray that the Lord will bless James Patrick and that he, the board and volunteers around him, will be effective and influential in their relationships with churches and Christians in the UK. C4I UK Welcomes a Fresh Vision By Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director, Christians for Israel International February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 James Patrick speaking at a European Coalition for Israel forum C4I Asia ‘Standing with Israel’ By Chan Siew Fong, Christians for Israel Asia Regional Trainer Rev Conrado Lumahan exhorting the Indonesian pastors and leaders to stand with Israel. Regional trainer Kuen Yoon teaching the Indonesian trainers how to use the workbook Why Israel?

23. Our Projects 11 February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 The project that Christians for Israel has been very actively supporting from the beginning is the Jaffa Institute which is led by Rabbi David Portowicz. Who is being helped? Firstly, children from disadvantaged families and orphans, and children of parents who are not coping with home life. And secondly, families. Here is an example of one such family. Moshe is a single father of nine children. The family lives in Kfar Saba in Israel. After the mother abandoned the family, child protection representatives came to tell Moshe that his children would be placed out of the home if he did not take care of them properly. Since the family was so large, it was likely that they would end up in different homes. Moshe quit his job to take care of his children and keep the family together. Moshe lives in social housing and receives a social assistance benefit. However, that is not sufficient to pay for all expenses. Besides the poverty they face, Moshe’s daughter has a genetic disorder that causes her intestines to grow at a different pace compared to the rest of her body. As a consequence, she often needs surgery. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17 Thanks to You The Jaffa Institute provides this family with a food package every two weeks. Moshe tells us that he put one package away once for an emergency. Weeks later his daughter came home from school. She wanted a fried egg, but there was no oil left and no money to buy new oil. All of a sudden Moshe remembered the package. He opened it and found a bottle of olive oil. He called it ‘the miracle of Hanukkah!’ (With Hanukkah, it is commemorated among other things how the Lord provided for a small jar of oil, which kept the Menorah of the temple burning for eight days.) Every month is a challenge, but Moshe is grateful for all the help his family receives. He hopes that the extra support will help his children to grow, focus on school and in the end become independent adults. Support the children in Israel through the Jaffa Institute by filling out the coupon on page 12. Moshe and His Family A fragile woman is trying to sit up on her bed, welcoming us with an expectant smile as we enter her semi-dark room in an old Soviet housing block. A row of preserving jars filled with vegetables for the winter is sitting under the table. A member of the Kremenchug Jewish community is helping us find needy Holocaust survivors and Jewish seniors. Sima (pictured left) was a one- year-old when the invasion of the Wehrmacht (German army) in June of 1941 brought World War II to her Ukrainian home town. Like all other Jewish men of military age, her father was drawn into the Red Army (the army of the Soviet Union) and sent to the front lines. He died in a German camp for prisoners of war. Her mother escaped with her, always fleeing East, until they ended up in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. No sooner had mother and daughter returned to their heavily destroyed home city in 1949 than Sima’s mother died of the hardships of her odyssey. Eight-year-old orphaned Sima grew up with her grandfather. When she graduated from school, she immediately started working as a seamstress in a textile factory. Her current pension of about 50 Euro pays for no more than the most basic food items, let alone direly needed medication. There is no such thing as health insurance. Loneliness Then we meet Boris in the synagogue of Kremenchug. Much like Sima, he escaped the Holocaust and survived the war by fleeing with his mother and two sisters – first to Stalingrad, then to Russian Saratov. “When we came back in 1943, 95% of the city was destroyed. People met us saying, ‘What do you want here?!’ – Then they sent us away to the village,” says Boris. He starts crying as he mentions his father, who returned from the fighting having suffered severe injuries and eventually died much too early. “I had such a good papa, and that is an understatement.” Boris retired a long time ago. His worst enemy is loneliness. And sometimes hunger, too. But this changed last October. Now Boris joins his fellow seniors in the canteen of the synagogue for a warm meal at lunchtime every day, provided by Christians for Israel. Changing Lives Life also changed for Sima. She now regularly receives the medication she needs. A volunteer from the synagogue goes shopping for her, with the help of Christians for Israel supporters. Nearly 500 Holocaust survivors and seniors in Ukraine now receive regular support through Christians for Israel However, in cities like Kremenchug or Bila Tserkva, where despite many years of Aliyah the Jewish communities still number several thousand. Many remain who are dependent on external support as they are not able to manage a move to Israel, either due to their old age, or for lack of relatives who might otherwise be there for them. There are many other cities in Ukraine where the team members of Christians for Israel travel thousands of kilometres in the long winter months to deliver urgently needed food and other aid to the needy of the Jewish communities. A few months ago, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Reich Pogrom Night of the Nazi regime, which for millions of Jewish people was the beginning of the end. What a divine gift if we can bring healing and hope to God’s chosen people, especially in a country where they are so much in need of it. Please consider joining this effort by donating for food parcels ($17) so that the Jewish people in Ukraine don’t go hungry this winter. You can donate by filling out the coupon on page 12. The Gift of Healing and Hope By Anemone Rüger, Christians for Israel Project Coordinator - Holocaust Survivors in Israel and Ukraine Photo above: Soup Kitchen in Kremtschug Photo below: Preserves in Sima’s home

1. Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel A New World Order Pg 2 I Won’t Be Silenced Pg 3 C4I UK Welcomes a Fresh Vision Pg 4 Our Journey Continues Pg 5 Israel’s Greatest Threat is Iran Pg 6 Theologians Replace Replacement Theology Pg 8 Israel’s Story in Maps Pg 9 Purim: A Celebration of Bravery Pg 10 Looking Back on Aliyah in 2018 Pg 12 Highlights... 4 5 12 3 6 10 Photo: Dave Thompson/PA Wire URN:5551732 (Press Association via AP Images) International Holocaust Memorial Day. A former Auschwitz prisoner arrives for a memorial ceremony at Birkenau to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day on the anniversary of when Auschwitz was liberated. AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA February 2019 www.c4israel.com.au info@c4israel.com.au

6. In this article, we continue our discussion of the ‘Twelve Theses of Faith on Israel’ published by Christians for Israel. Thesis 6: We believe that there is the mystery of the hardening in part of Israel for our sake, but that there is also the blindness of the Church for Israel, and a veil over the nations with regard to Israel. Elaboration: With the Apostle Paul we acknowledge that a ‘hardening in part’ and temporarily has come upon Israel. This will only be the case ‘until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in’ and one day all Israel shall be saved. With great anticipation and fervent prayers we are expecting that glorious future for the people of God. Clarification: The understanding of this matter is no less than the understanding of a mystery (Greek: mustērion ), that the Apostle reveals to the members of the church in Rome, in order that they may not become conceited and come to wrong opinions and conclusions by their own reasoning – words that we, living in the 21st century, should fully take to heart! When Jesus was rejected as the promised Messiah, the message of salvation came to the Gentiles, to the nations. It was the Apostle’s desire to provoke his fellow Israelites to jealousy by this ‘success’ of his mission. In other words, Paul wanted to engage all Israel in this mission to the Gentiles (Romans 2:19 and 3:2 with Romans 11:11-12). While Christians sometimes have understood it as their calling to provoke to jealousy all those of Israel who have not yet received the revelation about Jesus (Romans 11:11), when has the Church over the centuries ever tried to provoke Israel to jealousy by showing unconditional love? With few exceptions by individual Christians, Christianity at large did hardly anything, but added to their affliction.’ Reflection by Rev Cornelis Kant In Romans 11 :25-27, Paul says: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” Paul speaks about a temporary hardening of a part of the Jewish people until.... He calls it a ‘mystery’. The early Church, on the contrary, did not understand that the rejection of Jesus as their Messiah by the larger part of the Jewish people was a divine mystery. They just saw it as stubbornness and unwillingness to believe. Many Christians in the first century felt confirmed in this view about the Jews when Jerusalem and the Holy Temple were destroyed by the Romans. They saw this as a divine sign of rejection and curse of the Jewish people. Judaism had become obsolete, and the Christian Church was now the true Israel. Despite the wrong way in which many people form their way of thinking and their theology, all God’s covenants with and promises to the Jewish people remain and will be completely fulfilled. The prophet Isaiah writes: “On this mountain, He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations (...) He will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:7-8). In beautiful metaphorical words, he speaks about a sheet that covers us as nations, and also about the removal of the disgrace inflicted on the Jewish people by its opponents. Just as Paul writes: “For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” (Romans 11:32). Anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic thinking and feeling within the Christian churches ov er the ages led to misinterpretation and abuse of Bible verses. In Galatians 6:12, Paul wishes God’s peace and mercy upon all Christians and upon ‘the Israel of God’, echoing Psalms 125 and 128 where the poet wishes ‘peace be on Israel’. What a beautiful expression of God’s continuous love and communion with Israel, His people. 06 XII Theses | Current Affairs February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 th 6 Thesis: The Mystery By Kees de Vreugd, Theologian, Christians for Israel International, and Editor of Israel and the Church Twelve Theses of Faith on Israel 1. We believe that Israel was created and chosen by God to bless the nations. 2. We believe that the Church and the nations should bless Israel. 3. We believe that the Church has not replaced Israel. By faith in Jesus Christ we also have become ‘children of Abraham’, the father of all who believe. 4. We believe that all the Covenants since Abraham have been made with Israel. 5. We believe that the Lord will be faithful to all the Covenants He made with Israel, as well as to all the promises He gave to the Church. 6. We believe that there is the mystery of the hardening in part of Israel for our sake, but that there is also the blindness of the Church for Israel, and a veil over the nations with regard to Israel. 7. We believe that the Church should repent for all deeds of anti-Semitism committed in her name, and should show her true repentance in acts of love and solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. 8. We believe that the restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land of Israel is the beginning of ultimate redemption. We believe that the nations carry a responsibility to help the Jews return. 9. We believe that the City of Jerusalem is the place where the Lord again will make His Holy Name dwell. 10. We believe that one day, Messiah will come to establish His worldwide Kingdom, Then the bodily resurrection of the righteous dead will take place and they will reign with Christ in His Kingdom on earth. We therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 11. We believe that the Son of man will sit in judgment over the nations when the Kingdom comes and will ask them how they have treated Israel and the Jewish people. 12. We believe that ultimately and finally the renewal of all things will take place. Creation will be delivered from its bondage to decay and be bro ught into the glorious freedom of the children of God. And God will be all and in all. Israel’s security situation remains the number one topic on the political agenda in the Jewish state. There have been huge changes in the last eight years following the beginning of what has been dubbed ‘The Arab Spring’, the (Islamist) uprising against regimes across the Middle East. Israel managed to stay out of the Syrian fray to a certain extent and has improved its ties with a range of Arab countries while at the same time has been battling the growing Iranian entrenchment in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. In 2018 it became clear that the Israeli military has shifted its focus from counter- terror operations to sophisticated and intelligent warfare aimed at trimming Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. Israeli leaders, including PM Netanyahu and the top brass of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), started to discuss openly what the IDF and the Israeli air force (IAF) were doing against the growing Iranian threat to the Jewish state. At the same time, there have been reports of multiple airstrikes against Iran-related targets in Syria. The goal of this relentless campaign was to stop the Iranian military build-up in Syria and Lebanon. On 10 May 2018, the first confrontation took place between the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps in Syria and the IAF, which changed the way Iran acted in the war-torn country. After Qassem Soleimani, the shrewd commander of the Quds Force, ordered the launch of 30 missiles at northern Israel, the IAF reacted by launching a devastating bombardment which destroyed 80 targets linked to the Quds Force and the Syrian army. In one f ell swoop, the IAF delivered a devastating blow to the Iranian axis in Syria, and continued after that by targeting every delivery of sophisticated weapons to the Iranian axis, Hezbollah in particular. Israel’s Greatest Threat is Iran By Yochanan Visser, Correspondent in Israel Continued on pg 7 Photo: Miriam Alster, Flash90

5. The Christians for Israel Asia ‘Standing with Israel’ Conference (training the trainers) was held in Jakarta on 4 - 5 December 2018. The conference was the result of months of preparation by Hizki Laluyan in the Netherlands and Wilson Ng in Kuala Lumpur. Together they worked in concert with Christians for Israel Indonesia leaders, Pastor Dr M. Ferry H. Kakiay, (Deputy Bishop of Gereja Bethel Indonesia with over 6000 churches), Pastor Brigjen Harsanto Adi, (a former General and current President of the Indonesian Pastors’ Association) and Dr Henoch Budiyanto from Gereja Bethel Indonesia. In this ‘Training the trainers’ conference, every delegate, equipped with Rev W. Glashouwer’s book, Why Israel?, study guide and workbook written in the Bahasa Indonesia language, received training to take back to their church leaders. The aim was that each delegate would, in turn, use these materials to spread the message about Israel to their church members. The success of this conference will in time, be gauged, not only from how many came to this conference, but also by how many leaders train their bible study leaders to convey the message about Israel to members of their congregations. On the first day of the conference, training was held at Gereja Bethel Indonesia (GBI), Fatmawati, Cilandak, South Jakarta. Pastor Lumahan (C4i Philippines) explained the reasons for standing with Israel. Kuen Yoon and Siew Fong, regional trainers in Asia, then took the participants through the key points in each chapter of the Why Israel? workbook. 35 pastors and church leaders attended this training. They felt empowered to stand in solidarity with Israel and to use the Why Israel? workbook for training. On the following day, 236 bible college professors and students, national leaders, pastors and church leaders gathered at Gajah Mada Plaza Tower, Jakarta for an introductory speech by Pastor Brigjen Harsanto Ali followed by presentations regarding Israel by Pastor Lumahan, Siew Fong and Kuen Yoon. A panel discussion followed allowing questions from the audience. This segment of the training was particularly well received. We received wonderful feedback from the participants who were grateful for the clarity of our explanations. Questions included the size of the promised land, why we should stand with Israel even though most Jews have rejected Christ as Messiah, and how, because of that rejection, the early followers of Jesus took the message of salvation to the Gentiles. A key clarification was that standing with Israel does not require embracing Judaism. That evening, Pastor Lumahan, Kuen Yoon and Siew Fong also spoke at a combined meeting from Pentecost Holiness Harvest Church and Obaja Bible School. 75 bible st udents, teachers and church leaders, mostly young adults, listened with rapt attention and asked questions, hungry for the message on Israel. Encouraged by the success of this conference, Christians for Israel Indonesia leaders have proposed a longer conference in 2019, at more venues and with topics taught at greater depth. There is much work to be done, considering that Indonesia’s Christian population is 24 million and the total population of the country was 264 million in 2017. Christians for Israel Happenings 04 The activities of Christians for Israel have expanded to almost 40 countries. The United Kingdom was one of the first countries where Christians for Israel was established. Some 20 years ago, conferences were being organised and the Israel & Christians Today UK newspaper was being published. The number of subscribers increased rapidly to 400, with an extra 1500 copies printed for distribution into churches. The first pioneers who set up the UK branch have left, and conferences have not been held for some years. However, this situation changed last year. James Patrick, an Oxford theologian, was approached by Christians for Israel and was impressed with our biblical vision on Israel and our mission. He recognised a close resemblance between his biblical understanding and the vision which Christians for Israel is spreading. James says: “I was born in Papua New Guinea. I came to the UK for university study in 2000, and became acquainted with the Jewish community. I am now actively involved in both Christian and Jewish communities. I have chosen to remain single to be more effective in the work which I feel God has called me to.” James completed bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in biblical studies in Cambridge and Oxford. He is connected to an extended network of theologians, pastors and church leaders. In a recent Israel & Christians Today (UK edition) James wrote: “I am keen to meet up with church leaders and teachers, whatever their political views about the Middle East, to discuss how the Bible can shape our beliefs and actions.” Last year, James was officially appointed as our National Representative. We are very happy and thankful that the Lord provided a new and inspired representative in the UK. He has already written a few excellent articles in the recently launched UK edition of our newspaper. Let us pray that the Lord will bless James Patrick and that he, the board and volunteers around him, will be effective and influential in their relationships with churches and Christians in the UK. C4I UK Welcomes a Fresh Vision By Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director, Christians for Israel International February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 James Patrick speaking at a European Coalition for Israel forum C4I Asia ‘Standing with Israel’ By Chan Siew Fong, Christians for Israel Asia Regional Trainer Rev Conrado Lumahan exhorting the Indonesian pastors and leaders to stand with Israel. Regional trainer Kuen Yoon teaching the Indonesian trainers how to use the workbook Why Israel? In this article, Rev Henk Poot continues his journey through Judea and Samaria - the Biblical Heartland. Mount Gerizim We continue our journey, still in the upper north of Israel’s heartland. As I wrote last time: there is so much to see here. Every step of the way is a step on biblical ground. I previously mentioned the two mountains that arise here: Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Both face the biblical Shechem (also spelt Sichem ) that extends into the valley between both mountains. Behind it runs the wide and long valley that slowly descends in the direction of the river Jordan. Here the people of Israel entered the Promised Land with their new leader Joshua. Mount Gerizim is the more widely known of the two mountains. A single road meanders upwards from the foot of the mountain to the top. On top is the village Har Bracha (the mountain of the blessing), that harbours a yeshiva where soldiers combine their military service with studying the Bible and Jewish tradition. Picking Grapes This is where the famous rabbi Melamed lives. I have been there quite often, even in the wintertime when an icy wind was blowing over the plateau and we interviewed each other in the dining room, at lunchtime, about our faith in God and the Messiah. Of course, we did that in the warm summer too, when the grapes were being picked in the vineyards. As a matter of fact, this work is done by a Christian family and all sorts of volunteers, who fulfil their part of Isaiah’s prophecy: “Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord; you will be named ministers of our God.” (Isaiah 61:5-6a). This is only the picking though; the winemaking process is being done without ‘foreign’ intervention - that wouldn’t be kosher. Samaritans Mount Gerizim is also known for the Samaritan village that is located there, one of the two remaining villages in present- day Israel. At Pesach, they celebrate the biblical feast of the Exodus from Egypt, and they still bring their sacrifices to where their temple once stood. Mount Gerizim has always been very important to the Samaritans, more important even than Jerusalem (John 4:20). Maybe that has to do with the fact that they only consider the Books of Moses as their Bible. Hear Israel That automatically takes us to the Book of Deuteronomy. Chapter 11 tells how God orders Israel, when entering the country, to stop between the two mountains. On Mount Ebal the Israelites were to build a stone altar, coated with white chalk and with the words of the Law written on it. The altar is still on one of the sides of Mount Ebal. After that, some tribes were to position themselves opposite Mount Gerizim, and the others opposite Mount Ebal. Levites, accompanied by the Ark of the Covenant, would bless the people from Mount Gerizim and pronounce a curse over all who turn their backs on God’s Word (Deuteronomy 27:11). That is what happened here. This is also where Joshua read the words of the Law: “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them” (Joshua 8:35). The message was clear: before Israel enters the country to inhabit it, it had to listen to what God says. That stamps Israel as a nation too. It is the people of Shema Yisrael, ‘Hear O Israel’, and guided by God’s words it will be able to be what it is (a holy people) and fulfil its calling to make God’s name known amongst the nations. Having descended from Mount Gerizim, the mountain of the blessings, we begin our journey southwards. Following the trail of the patriarchs, we shall travel an ancient road, eventually leading us to Beersheba. Our Journey Continues By Rev Henk Poot, Christians for Israel Netherlands The Biblical Heartland 05 February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 Short News More Marinas The Israeli Ministry of Transport wants to build nine new marinas along the Mediterranean coast. The number of landing stages would be extended from a little under three thousand to ten thousand. The plan has provoked passionate reactions among environmental activists and the public. | Photo: Flash90 Death Penalty The Israeli government is in the process of adopting a law to allow terrorists to be punished with the death penalty. This was already legally possible but only in the case of a unanimous judgement by three judges. Under the new law, only a two to one majority will be necessary to invoke a death sentence. In Israel many favour the death penalty for terrorists. Aid to Palestinian Children Anyone who is born deaf in the Gaza strip or the Palestinian Authority- controlled parts of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) has a problem. There is no help available in the form of cochlear implant technology. This is something the Israeli doctors at the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem really care about. They help children from these areas. “It is a difficult process, but thanks to the close liaison between the Palestinian Authority and the Peres Centre for Peace we succeed”, says Dr Michal Kaufman, head of the cochlear implant department. | Photo: Flash90 Medical Cannabis Next Big Cure-All Medical cannabis research was born in Israel. Israeli scientists remain at the forefront of discovering how compounds found in the herb can help untold numbers of people suffering from conditions including cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, insomnia, autism, PTSD, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s and Tourette syn drome, among others. This could be one of the biggest healthcare breakthroughs of the decade. View overlooking Mount Gerizim, with on the right the red rooftops of Har Bracha | Photo: Deror Avi/CC Wikimedia Commons Volunteers helping out in a vineyard picking grapes | Photo: Flash90 Samaritans in a religious meeting at Mount Gerizim | Photo: Flash90

19. In this article, we continue our discussion of the ‘Twelve Theses of Faith on Israel’ published by Christians for Israel. Thesis 6: We believe that there is the mystery of the hardening in part of Israel for our sake, but that there is also the blindness of the Church for Israel, and a veil over the nations with regard to Israel. Elaboration: With the Apostle Paul we acknowledge that a ‘hardening in part’ and temporarily has come upon Israel. This will only be the case ‘until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in’ and one day all Israel shall be saved. With great anticipation and fervent prayers we are expecting that glorious future for the people of God. Clarification: The understanding of this matter is no less than the understanding of a mystery (Greek: mustērion ), that the Apostle reveals to the members of the church in Rome, in order that they may not become conceited and come to wrong opinions and conclusions by their own reasoning – words that we, living in the 21st century, should fully take to heart! When Jesus was rejected as the promised Messiah, the message of salvation came to the Gentiles, to the nations. It was the Apostle’s desire to provoke his fellow Israelites to jealousy by this ‘success’ of his mission. In other words, Paul wanted to engage all Israel in this mission to the Gentiles (Romans 2:19 and 3:2 with Romans 11:11-12). While Christians sometimes have understood it as their calling to provoke to jealousy all those of Israel who have not yet received the revelation about Jesus (Romans 11:11), when has the Church over the centuries ever tried to provoke Israel to jealousy by showing unconditional love? With few exceptions by individual Christians, Christianity at large did hardly anything, but added to their affliction.’ Reflection by Rev Cornelis Kant In Romans 11 :25-27, Paul says: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” Paul speaks about a temporary hardening of a part of the Jewish people until.... He calls it a ‘mystery’. The early Church, on the contrary, did not understand that the rejection of Jesus as their Messiah by the larger part of the Jewish people was a divine mystery. They just saw it as stubbornness and unwillingness to believe. Many Christians in the first century felt confirmed in this view about the Jews when Jerusalem and the Holy Temple were destroyed by the Romans. They saw this as a divine sign of rejection and curse of the Jewish people. Judaism had become obsolete, and the Christian Church was now the true Israel. Despite the wrong way in which many people form their way of thinking and their theology, all God’s covenants with and promises to the Jewish people remain and will be completely fulfilled. The prophet Isaiah writes: “On this mountain, He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations (...) He will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:7-8). In beautiful metaphorical words, he speaks about a sheet that covers us as nations, and also about the removal of the disgrace inflicted on the Jewish people by its opponents. Just as Paul writes: “For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” (Romans 11:32). Anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic thinking and feeling within the Christian churches ov er the ages led to misinterpretation and abuse of Bible verses. In Galatians 6:12, Paul wishes God’s peace and mercy upon all Christians and upon ‘the Israel of God’, echoing Psalms 125 and 128 where the poet wishes ‘peace be on Israel’. What a beautiful expression of God’s continuous love and communion with Israel, His people. 06 XII Theses | Current Affairs February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 th 6 Thesis: The Mystery By Kees de Vreugd, Theologian, Christians for Israel International, and Editor of Israel and the Church Twelve Theses of Faith on Israel 1. We believe that Israel was created and chosen by God to bless the nations. 2. We believe that the Church and the nations should bless Israel. 3. We believe that the Church has not replaced Israel. By faith in Jesus Christ we also have become ‘children of Abraham’, the father of all who believe. 4. We believe that all the Covenants since Abraham have been made with Israel. 5. We believe that the Lord will be faithful to all the Covenants He made with Israel, as well as to all the promises He gave to the Church. 6. We believe that there is the mystery of the hardening in part of Israel for our sake, but that there is also the blindness of the Church for Israel, and a veil over the nations with regard to Israel. 7. We believe that the Church should repent for all deeds of anti-Semitism committed in her name, and should show her true repentance in acts of love and solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. 8. We believe that the restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land of Israel is the beginning of ultimate redemption. We believe that the nations carry a responsibility to help the Jews return. 9. We believe that the City of Jerusalem is the place where the Lord again will make His Holy Name dwell. 10. We believe that one day, Messiah will come to establish His worldwide Kingdom, Then the bodily resurrection of the righteous dead will take place and they will reign with Christ in His Kingdom on earth. We therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 11. We believe that the Son of man will sit in judgment over the nations when the Kingdom comes and will ask them how they have treated Israel and the Jewish people. 12. We believe that ultimately and finally the renewal of all things will take place. Creation will be delivered from its bondage to decay and be bro ught into the glorious freedom of the children of God. And God will be all and in all. Israel’s security situation remains the number one topic on the political agenda in the Jewish state. There have been huge changes in the last eight years following the beginning of what has been dubbed ‘The Arab Spring’, the (Islamist) uprising against regimes across the Middle East. Israel managed to stay out of the Syrian fray to a certain extent and has improved its ties with a range of Arab countries while at the same time has been battling the growing Iranian entrenchment in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. In 2018 it became clear that the Israeli military has shifted its focus from counter- terror operations to sophisticated and intelligent warfare aimed at trimming Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. Israeli leaders, including PM Netanyahu and the top brass of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), started to discuss openly what the IDF and the Israeli air force (IAF) were doing against the growing Iranian threat to the Jewish state. At the same time, there have been reports of multiple airstrikes against Iran-related targets in Syria. The goal of this relentless campaign was to stop the Iranian military build-up in Syria and Lebanon. On 10 May 2018, the first confrontation took place between the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps in Syria and the IAF, which changed the way Iran acted in the war-torn country. After Qassem Soleimani, the shrewd commander of the Quds Force, ordered the launch of 30 missiles at northern Israel, the IAF reacted by launching a devastating bombardment which destroyed 80 targets linked to the Quds Force and the Syrian army. In one f ell swoop, the IAF delivered a devastating blow to the Iranian axis in Syria, and continued after that by targeting every delivery of sophisticated weapons to the Iranian axis, Hezbollah in particular. Israel’s Greatest Threat is Iran By Yochanan Visser, Correspondent in Israel Continued on pg 7 Photo: Miriam Alster, Flash90 07 Current Affairs | Political February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 Short News Temple Tax Weight Found An Israeli archaeologist is showing a small inscribed stone weight found in November 2018 while sifting rubble that was dug up near the Western Wall (Kotel) at the bottom of the Temple Mount. The inscription reads ‘beka’ in archaic Biblical Hebrew. This is what the census tax (or Temple Tax) is called in Exodus 38:26 and that in later years was paid when visiting the Temple (Matthew 17: 24-27). Because no half-shekel coins were in circulation during the first Temple period, pilgrims weighed out the correct amount of silver with these stone weights. Again, further proof of the Jewish history in Jerusalem. | Photo: Flash90 Ethiopian Immigrant Eighteen-year-old Sintayeh Shafrao from Ethiopia participated in the 2018 annual Israeli Bible contest and won! He had to promise to return to Ethiopia afterwards, however, because Israel has currently stopped the immigration of Ethiopians with Jewish roots. But after some encounters with ministers and policy-makers, the Ethiopian teenager was allowed to stay after all. In November 2018, his family was allowed to immigrate into Israel as well. This was possible because Christians for Israel initiated their application via official authorities. Shafrao also appealed to the Israeli government to allow immigration into Israel for the eight thousand Jews who are still waiting in Ethiopia. | Photo: Flash90 Football and Shabbat When an Israeli TV-show asked its viewers what they thought of important football matches on Shabbat, they were in for a surprise. Although a small minority of the football fans observe Shabbat, 70% of the respondents thought that no matches should be played on Shabbat. This was not only to enable religious fans to join the matches but also to avoid compelling religious playe rs to play on Shabbat. The latest IAF action in Syria took place in the night of 13 January 2019, when Israeli warplanes bombed weapon storage facilities in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport. In a departure from standard procedure, Prime Minister Netanyahu openly admitted that Israel had bombed weapon storages. At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday 13 January 2019, Netanyahu made the following statement: “Just in the last 36 hours, the air force attacked Iranian warehouses with Iranian weapons at the international airport in Damascus. The accumulation of recent attacks proves that we are determined more than ever to take action against Iran in Syria, just as we promised.” Outgoing IDF Chief of Staf Gadi Eisenkot, furthermore, revealed that as a result of the IAF campaign against Iran in Syria Soleimani decided to pull out his troops from the border region with Israel. At about the same time, the Quds commander shifted his focus from Syria to Lebanon and Gaza. Iranian civil planes started to deliver weapons bound for Hezbollah directly via Beirut International Airport. The Quds Force had reportedly been assisting Hezbollah with the conversion of crude rockets into GPS guided missiles on Lebanese soil. After Netanyahu exposed Iran’s activities in Lebanon and revealed the existence of a network of terror tunnels underneath the border with Israel, it became clear that this part of the Iranian plan to start a multiple-front war against the Jewish state had failed as well. Then there was Gaza, where Hamas reconciled with the Islamist regime in Tehran at the end of 2017. This reconciliation, and the forming of a new militia in Gaza by the Quds Force, based on the Hezbollah model, caused the so-called Kite Jihad which destroyed thousands of acres of forests and agricultural fields in southern Israel during the summer of 2018. At the beginning of November 2018, Iran ordered her Gazan proxy, Islamic Jihad, to escalate the conflict along the southern front. More than 460 missiles were lobbed at Israel in less than two days, triggering a devastating response by the IAF which destroyed 150 military targets in Gaza. All these events are related to the on- going and relentless attempt by Iran to close in on Israel and to prepare the Iranian proxies for a multi-front war which aims to liquidate the Zionist project in the land of Israel. So far, Israel has the upper hand. Yochanan Visser is an independent Middle East reporter and analyst who has worked for several news sites in the U.S., Israel and The Netherlands. Continued from pg 6 On 15 January 2019 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, President Mahmoud Abbas assumed Palestine’s presidency of the Group of 77 and China - the largest bloc at the UN, which represents 134 countries. In his speech, Abbas restated the PLO’s position that Israel is the cause of all problems in the Middle East: “The establishment of peace and security in the Middle East will significantly enhance the opportunities for realisation of sustainable and stable development for all countries of the region,” he said. “Regrettably, however, Israel’s continue d colonisation and occupation of the State of Palestine undermines our development and capacity for cooperation and coordination and obstructs cohesive future development for all peoples of the region.” At the same time he used the opportunity to restate Palestine’s ambitious claims which it considers are based on international law: “Palestine is committed to a peaceful solution that brings an end to the occupation and the realization of the independence of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side in peace and securit y with the State of Israel on the basis of the 1967 borders, and the just resolution of all final status issues, including for the plights of our refugees and prisoners in accordance with the relevant international resolutions.” Meanwhile, the PLO has also announced plans to push ahead with its bid for ‘Palestine’ to be admitted as a UN member state. The PLO/Palestine applied for UN membership in 2011 but that application has never been determined. Under the UN Charter, a state that is not yet a UN member can be admitted to the UN if it can establish (a) that it is a state; (b) that it is ‘peace l oving’; and (c) that it is able and willing to comply with the UN Charter. The Palestinians know that the US will veto their application for UN membership, but they want to have at least 9 votes in favour to show that only the US veto is preventing them from becoming a full member state. Of the 15 Security Council members (5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members) 5 current members will almost certainly vote in favour of the admission: China, Indonesia, Kuwait, South Africa, the Russian Federation. 10 of the 15 Security Council members have already recognised the State o f Palestine: China, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, South Africa, and the Russian Federation. It is highly doubtful whether ‘Palestine’ constitutes a state under international law, though opinions on this matter in the legal community are divided. And over 130 nations have now recognised ‘Palestine’ as a state. So, politically-speaking, the Palestinians have a lot in their favour. Under international law a state only exists if (in addition to having a defined population and territory) it h as a government that can effectively govern independently of all other states, and can enter into diplomatic relations. Given the many problems between the PA, Fatah and Hamas, and the PA’s dependence on Israel in so many ways, it is absurd to say the Palestinians have an effective, independent government. Similarly Palestine does not have the capacity to enter into relations with other states and can hardly be called a ‘peace-loving’ state. So the fact that so many states recognise Palestine as a state shows most political leaders are more concerned about politics than the rule of law. The results could be catastrophic for the Jewish people, and for Christians in the Palestinian territories. As Abbas’s recent speech in the UN indicates, if Palestine is admitted as a UN member state, it will have even more political power to demand full compliance with its claims. These include full Islamic control of the ‘Holy Basin’ (i.e. the Old City of Jerusalem and adjacent territory - which contain important Jewish, Christian and Islamic sites), and the removal of all Israelis (a synonym for Jews) from the so-called ‘Occupied Palestinian T erritories’ – including the Old City of Jerusalem. ‘Palestine’ is Becoming a Member of the International Community Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas By Andrew Tucker, International Editor, Christians for Israel International

17. Digital advocacy involves using social media to connect with online communities and influence public opinion. Social media’s reach spans to almost every corner of the earth. While this creates enormous opportunities to reach audiences and build communities, it also creates an ability to abuse, incite hatred, and spread misinformation. Social media is increasingly used to spread anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments which inevitably impacts on how people perceive and interact with the Jewish people and our nation-state. There were 4 million antisemitic tweets posted on Twitter in 2017 from at least 3 million different user accounts with a noticeable increase in such tweets during times of tension in the Middle East. To add to this, the ECAJ 2018 Antisemitism Report showed a 59% increase in antisemitic incidents within Australia, which included the use of online platforms. With 64% of Australians citing “online” as their news source and 54% citing “social media” as their news source, this makes online platforms such as Twitter a minefield for disinformation, propaganda and “fake news.” Furthermore, Facebook is the most used social media app for news consumption in the Middle East with visual and video apps, such as Instagram and YouTube, gaining vast interest as well. The rapid use of social media for data and discourse can be seen in Australia too. There are 15 million Australians active on Facebook, 50% of which logs into Facebook at least once a day. This means inciting violence is as easy as creating a hashtag and anti-Israel agendas can be fuelled by simply sharing a post. Digital advocacy thus has the power to shape opinions on the Jewish community and Israel rapidly in many ways. In order to ensure that a pro-Jewish pro-Israel voice is heard, the ECAJ has launched a project which involves organising our community, our friends and our allies to engage in regular and impactful digital advocacy on the issues we most care about. Through this project, the ECAJ aims to empower our community to stand up to the hatred and lies online warping the public’s opinion. It is time to counter the media bias against Israel by creating our own platforms for factual and accurate information. Harnessing the power of social media in a proactive and positive way will create the change we wish to see in online advocacy. If you would like to join the ECAJ in our efforts to have our voice heard online, please contact the editor. ___________________________________ Lynzi Bennun is the Digital Strategy Manager of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ). You can contact Lynzi at lbennun@ecaj.org.au | www.ecaj.org.au 11 February 2019 Culture by Lynzi Bennun ECAJ Digital Advocacy Project ISREALITY TOUR 6-20 July 2019 EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST TODAY! PLACES ARE LIMITED 14 DAYS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! For more details and to request your Itinerary WWW.ISREALITY.ORG *Subject to change. Based on a minimum of 10 participants. Conditions apply YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE HOLY LAND Young Adults Adventure Tour! $5300 * Per Person 1300 550 830 info@olivetreetravel.com.au PRICE INCLUDES: • Return economy airfares + departure taxes: Australia / Asia / T el Aviv • Tipping and Gratuities • Camel Riding • Accommodation with meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner as indicated) • Transportation - bus and driver for touring and group transfers to and from airport • Guide - English speaking licensed, Messianic Tour Guide. • Entrance fees - Historical sites, Museums, Parks etc TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth Village, Golan Heights, Mount of Beatitudes, Sammakh, Galilee, Yardenit, Yad Vashem, Western Wall, Walk the Jerusalem Ramparts, Jaffa Gate, Masada, Beersheba, Anzac Museum, Sound and Light Show at David’s Citadel.

13. 7 February 2019 Vision Christian Tour - September 2019 15 NIGHTS IN ISRAEL & JORDAN YOU WILL NEVER FORGET! Optional 6 NIGHT EXTENSION IN TURKEY to visit Gallipoli & the ‘7 Churches of Revelation!’ HURRY!!! SEATS LIMITED. Avoid disappointment by expressing your interest today! “ Thank you so much for such a rewarding, unforgettable and transformational experience in the Holy Land! The Scriptures have come alive for us. ” – Kevin with your experienced tour leaders—Ian and Mandy Worby, (pictured in Ephesus, Turkey) Snorkel in the Red Sea Ein Gedi Waterfall David’s Citadel, Jerusalem Ride a Camel in Petra, Jordan Garden Tomb, Jerusalem 11-28 SEP 2019 from $8690 * FOR MORE DETAILS PHONE ........... 1300 550 830 Call Olive Tree Travel , our expert travel agents EMAIL ............. info@olivetreetravel.com.au WEB .................. visiontours.org.au   *Twin share. Includes return economy airfares+airport taxes, 4 star plus hotels, buffet breakfast and dinner each day and some lunches, site entry fees, luxury coaches and much more. Conditions apply. Flying award winning Emirates for the first time! See the pages of your Bible come alive on this unique deluxe tour, as you praise Jesus in the places He... • calmed the storm • walked on water • fed 5000 • wept for the lost • healed, preached, prayed, died and rose again. SEE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF OUR PAST TOURS: facebook.com/visionchristiantours  

8. Opinion Piece 2 February 2019 by Stan Goodenough Elections 2019 – Australia’s Valley of Decision God says: “I am zealous for Zion with great zeal ... I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth...” – Zechariah 8:2-3 And He says: “...I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land...” – Joel 3:2 ___________________________________ JERUSALEM – Numerous nations will elect new governments in 2019, but it is how the “winds of political fortune” will blow in Australia, where voting must take place by May 18, that we in Israel will be watching with particular concern. The majority of Israel’s 6.8 million Jews are descended from immigrants from 120 or so countries. Influencing how they view those former host nations is the antisemitism that deeply marked the Jewish experience there. Less so in young, modern Australia, which since World War 1 has had mostly positive dealings with the Jews and with Israel, and which accepted more Holocaust survivors per capita than any other nation but the Jewish state. Until recently, at least, Aussie Jews believed themselves the safest community in the Diaspora. But in many places where antisemitism became politically untenable after World War 2, Jew-hatred is rising again. It is rising in Australia, where 2018 saw an unprecedented 60 percent increase in reported incidents compared to the year before. Down Under, armed guards now patrol Jews’ schools and synagogues on the Sabbath. What has stood out about Australia is that, governmentally, it has mostly behaved positively towards Israel when elsewhere what has been called the “new antisemitism” (which is anti- Israelism) has spread like wildfire. Far more than any other country, Israel is demonised by the international community even as those nations champion the terror-fueled crusade duplicitously packaged as ‘the Palestinian cause’. Embodying moral inversion, antisemitic journalists and the politicians whose views they promote work vigorously to delegitimise a nation whose millennia- long history in this land is exhaustively documented—biblically, historically and archeologically. At the same time, they enthusiastically endorse the newly- invented ‘Palestine’ which has not one historical document or archeological artifact to substantiate even a single day of past national existence. Let us be clear about this. No Palestinian nation or state has ever been where Shechem, Shiloh, Bethel, Bethlehem and Hebron have stood for thousands of years. No part of Jerusalem has ever belonged to ‘the Palestinians’. Yet 136 of the UN’s 193 member-states have unilaterally recognised ‘Palestine’ and are ganging up to wrest half of Jerusalem from the Jews for the capital of this fraudulent thing. Hoping against hope, Israelis observe governments come and go, looking for the election of those who will dispute the deception and lead their nations to relate in a historically just and ethical way towards the Jewish state. For a brief minute, last October, Scott Morrison looked like being a larrikin; like he was poised to display that archetypal Australian trait and disregard the global trend that tends to bow before the threats of the Muslim world. His government was willing, he said, to consider recognising a time- honoured truth: that Jerusalem— which for unbroken millennia before 1948 was an undivided city claimed as capital by none but the Jews—is precisely that: their capital. And that therefore, what Australia does with all of its other embassies in the world, it should do with its embassy in Israel: put it there. The next minute—politically speaking— Morrison was retreating before a storm of media-channeled scorn, national fear, and a fury that fanned the flames of Indonesian opportunistic outrage as that Muslim neighbour warned Australia it would pay a painful price if it steered its policy that way. Sadly, “Scomo” bowed. In the end, instead of demonstrating a statesmanship which would have marked the start of his tenure as extraordinary and historic, and sharp- focused its future—the prime minister played politics. Trying to please everyone, he pleased no-one when he opted to recognise just half of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and insisted that an embassy move would only occur in the context of a peace agreement between Israel and the Arabs. Not wanting to appear churlish, I suppose, some Australian Zionists commended Morrison’s move. In many Jewish and Christian circles, however, disappointment ran deep. Most disheartened— and with reason—is Israel. When it came to this city whose unified existence is a heart-and-soul issue to the Jewish people, their one-hundred- year mateship with Australia that was loudly trumpeted during the just commemorated centennials of WW1 battle victories suddenly seemed more sound than substance. Australia, as seen from the Walls of Jerusalem, appears to be slipping away. According to the proclaimed policy positions of the major contenders for leadership in Canberra, there are two starkly contrasting ways in which the future of the Australia-Israel relationship could play out: Based on its history under some previous prime ministers, and on the Christian faith of Scott Morrison, a conservative Liberal Party government could still, it is hoped, brake the forces that seek to suck Australia into standing with most of the nations against Israel. The Labor Party has defiantly announced Jew-hatred is... rising in Australia... 2018 saw [a] 60% increase in reported incidents

18. 12 February 2019 Perspectives on Israel and the Foundations of Christian Faith POST FORUM 5 DAY STUDY TOUR 9-13 March 2019 For Registration + Itinerary Details: c4israel.com.au/2019-study-tour.pdf Join C4I Australia’s National Leader Ian & Mandy Worby along with this years tour leader: Christian for Israel International’s Theologian & Executive Director, Rev. Cornelis Kant. This Study Tour will be a nice mix of spiritual, cultural, touristic and archaeological elements. FROM * $1,100 per person, twin share, registration and accomodation + most meals. Excludes flights and pre/post tour accomodation. Conditions apply. 1300 550 830 info@olivetreetravel.com.au *Contact our travel agents for the best airfare options to suit your needs! LAND ONLY The early official church history was seriously remiss for expunging the Jewish/Hebrew foundations of the Christian faith because of anti- Semitic bigotry. This has resulted in great loss for both the Jewish people and the Christian church. Context and culture are incredibly important for understanding the Bible correctly. Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ was painted in 1498 and over half a millennia later it was in terrible condition. Some paint was flaking, it was damaged from pollution and humidity, it was in such disrepair that in 1977, Pinin Barcilon was tasked with restoring the masterpiece. She had 500 years worth of dust, grime, deterioration, mold, candle soot and several appalling attempts at restoration from the 1700’s. Heavy coats of varnish, glue and poor efforts by painters filling in the gaps with their own interpretations, needed to be removed. Every square inch of the painting was photographed, and months of preparation work undertaken before it was even touched. Once the work commenced, a good day may have revealed a section the size of a postage stamp, it took 22 years to restore the ‘Last Supper’, finishing in 1999. The essence of the scene was unchanged but the gloomy shadows were gone, Andrew was no longer sullen, Jesus’s face glowed, Matthew had blond hair not black, Peter’s beard and nose were properly clear, Thomas had his left hand restored and the vibrant colours of the master were finally revealed after being hidden for centuries. The before and after photos online show the difference the restorers made. It was the same picture but with far greater clarity and vibrancy. I use this example to make my point about the Hebrew foundations of Christianity. The Bible is Jewish, the words contained in it come from Jewish thought, mind and cultural contexts. The language of the Bible (OT) is Hebrew, the prophets were Jews, the Apostles were Jews and our Messiah, Jesus, was and remains a Jew. If you want to understand the words of Jewish prophets, kings, priests, Apostles and the Messiah Himself, then you need to understand Jewish/Hebrew culture and custom, and the environment in which those words and events took place. The picture you already have won’t necessarily change, but the details, clarity, significance and the message will absolutely take on greater meaning and depth. Some things will absolutely be very different but hey, the goal is to know truth. ‘Israel & Christian’s Today’ is going to feature articles that focus on the Hebrew foundations of our Christian faith and our hope is that they’ll enrich your life and reignite your passion for Scripture. To be continued... ___________________________________ Mandy Worby is an experienced Israel Tour leader and also the popular radio host of ‘ Night Vision’ featured on Australia’s national Vision Christian Radio network Monday to Friday 7-12pm . Restoring Our Jewish/Hebrew Roots by Mandy Worby Leonardo da Vinci’s late 1490s mural painting of The Last Supper, Milan Italy. Photos: Before and after restoration project by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, 1999. Wikipedia Some things will absolutely be very different but hey, the goal is to know truth.

9. 3 February 2019 Stan Goodenough Opinion Piece Continued... it will do the opposite: throw open the floodgates, unilaterally recognise ‘Palestine,’ fully oppose Israel’s claim to any of Jerusalem, and so align Australia with the rest of the antisemitic world. In a statement on December 15, Labor Federal MP Penny Wong declared that recognising even part of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “puts Australia out of step with the international community and shows Mr. Morrison is not prepared to put the nation first and do what is right for Australia.” A Labor Government, insisted the woman who would be foreign minister, “will not support any policy that undermines the prospect of a two-state solution which recognises Israel’s right to exist within secure and recognised boundaries and the creation of a Palestinian state.” “If the polls and the experts are to be believed,” wrote a concerned national prayer movement leader on January 21, “it would be an absolute miracle on a hundred different levels for a Scott Morrison led Liberal/National Coalition to be elected into office.” And yet, it is not too late to fix this... It is not naïve to trust that God can do the impossible. It is blasphemous to say that He can’t. Christians who know and believe ¬ their Bible should have been instantly alerted at the abrupt appearance of the Jerusalem and ‘Israel-Palestine’ questions on the parties’ election platforms. For the spiritually sensitized, the furor unleashed around these issues would have heightened awareness of their implications for the future of Australia. The ostensible poll results banner- headlined daily in the Australian press should neither persuade nor intimidate us. Where the hand of God is, the trends of man mean nothing. Nor should we be bullied into silence by unbridled outrage and scorn. Similar tactics have been tried in Israel, and in the United States: where the ‘progressives’—journalists, celebrities, authorities—combine their power to try prevent the election of a leader who will do the right thing under God. Their collective might is insignificant in His sight. Admittedly, as a non-Australian, my view is not distracted by the other campaign issues. But watching from Jerusalem, Bible in hand—I have a God’s eye view of Australia. He will always view the Gentile nations from here. Their blessing under His hand is tied to their blessing Israel. Endanger Israel’s people, steal Israel’s land, support Israel’s enemies, and Australia—like so many others—will go down. So it is not too late for Christian and other right-thinking MPs to get behind Morrison and encourage him to call out the Enemy and run a pro-Israel election campaign. This is where Australian Christians should focus their prayer work, phone calling, lobbying. I believe this. Many Aussies shy away from the thought of their country following too closely behind the US. The ANZAC legacy is to lead the charge, not bring up the rear. But when it comes to Israel and Jerusalem, President Donald Trump set a precedent that other nations can match; a precedent the Israeli government and people really want others to follow. The Bible talks about 10 men from each nation taking hold of a Jew and committing to go with him. Imagine that: Imagine just 10 nations putting their embassies in Jerusalem. Imagine if Australia was to be one of them. God doesn’t need us to be lukewarm for Zion. He doesn’t want us to play politics with Zion. He wants us to be zealous for Zion, just as He is. ___________________________________ Stan Goodenough is an Evangelical Christian (Gentile), a journalist and an Israeli-accredited tour guide. During the 30 years that Jerusalem has been his home, he has witnessed the unparalleled wonder of Israel’s ongoing restoration, and the growing global hostility and threat against her. www.jerusalemwatchman.org The Labor Party has defiantly announced it will... unilaterally recognise ‘Palestine,’ [&] fully oppose Israel’s claim to any of Jerusalem... Australian voters filling in their ballot papers on federal election day . Nils Versemann / Shutterstock.com WHICH IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHERE CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND JEWS ARE FREE TO BE? Stand up for Israel. The only true democracy in the Middle East. Join Friends of Israel WA and help us defend Israel’s right to live in peace and security, free from terror and non-stop media bias. To join Friends of Israel WA or to just learn the truth, visit www.foiwa.org.au or write to PO Box 333, Dianella WA 6059. B a s ic V esion CTZ Logo M in im u m V esion CTZ Logo Mens Watch SKU: 2092GFT Ladies Watch SKU: 173GFT A GIFT YOUR LOVED ONES WILL TREASURE FOR A LIFETIME! RRP $125 ea $100 * our gift to you for your gift of: “...for such a time as this.” Order Online: www.c4israel.com.au/store *Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or general donation. FREE POSTAGE

2. Editorial February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 02 Prayer Points By Pieter Bénard Christians for Israel Prayer Coordinator JUDEA AND SAMARIA Ÿ Pray for the protection of the Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. There is a constant stream of threats and incidents. Pray for safety, especially on the roads near intersections and roundabouts. Ÿ The battle for the existence of Israel is being fought in parliaments and at conferences all over the world. We have the opportunity to call to God from our inner rooms: “Save, save Your People Lord.” Ÿ Pray for the retention of Biblical territory in Judea and Samaria. Give thanks for the Jewish residents who courageously continue to live there, even though many other Israelis do not understand them. Pray for peace with the Palestinians. ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS Ÿ Give thanks for politicians and political parties in your country who stand up for Israel. Sometimes one powerful voice is enough to steer a debate, whose outcome had seemed clear, in Israel’s favour. Pray for those who have the courage to make their voice heard. Ÿ While the political differences between America and Europe (about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions) continue to grow, Iran continues with its nuclear development and threatening of Israel. Pray that God will intervene and that Israel will live in safety. Ÿ The UN has denounced Israel countless times, while countries with serious human rights violations such as Syria, North Korea and Saudi Arabia are scarcely challenged. Pray for the UN, that the representatives may turn away from their misguided ways. CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL Ÿ Pray for the representatives of Christians for Israel who are ‘ambassadors’ for Israel around the world. Pray for them with 2Thessalonians 2:16-17 , “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” Ÿ Give thanks for the amazing work that Koen Carlier and his Christians for Israel team are able to do in Ukraine, being a blessing to the Jewish people in a practical way. The food parcels are sometimes the difference between life and death. For daily Prayer Points, go to our website: www.c4israel.com.au Major changes are all around us. Many of them concern Israel – hardly surprising, given that the history of the Jewish people forms the crimson thread through God’s plan of creation, salvation and redemption of the world. Let’s briefly examine four trends. The first is in the geopolitical sphere. The USA and Britain are retreating as dominant players on the world stage. Brexit is causing a political crisis of immense proportions in Britain. The USA under Trump is withdrawing not only from Europe but also the Middle East, opening the way for Russia, Turkey and Iran to dominate that part of the world. China and Russia are on the rise. The second, related trend is the battle within Europe and the Western world in general for the survival of the ‘European project’: the unification of Europe after WW2 that was intended to lead to prosperity and an end to the wars that had cost the lives of millions. A very significant development here is a new agreement signed by France and Germany on 22 January 2019 in the city of Aachen. This treaty consolidates France and Germany as the power-brokers in the EU and empowers Germany on the world stage. According to one commentator, the Aachen Treaty “will not only drive Europe ahead, but it will also drive Europe closer together. It will replace the currently divided union and create a more united, stronger empire. President Macron’s office stated that the increased cooperation favours the ‘security and prosperity of our peoples in the framework of a more sovereign, united and democratic Europe.’ The treaty sets the course for Europe to draw closer together on the military, cultural, social and political level. In other words, Germany and France seek to establish a European empire”. Aachen was the seat of Charlamagne, who was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo X in 800AD. It was here that Charlemagne (of French/German descent) established an empire that would last 1000 years and cause the deaths of over 40 million Europeans in the Middle Ages. Charlemagne’s empire inspired Hitler, who brought back his crown to Germany in 1938. Are Mr Macron and Ms Merkel re- establishing the Holy Roman Empire dominated by France and Germany? A third major shift is the convergence of security, trade, and finance. Watch the role played by the central banks in all of this. I was fascinated to read the most recent report by Christian Takushi, a Macro Economist & Geopolitical Strategist, who wrote just a few weeks ago that “convergence in the military- security-food-energy complex is intensifying. This implies the growing likelihood of defence realignments, trade routes' and supply chain disruptions, but also wars and natural disasters among a wider array of large scale occurrences.” Takushi believes we will soon witness a “paradigm shift in the geopolitical- political landscape. At the core: investors will have to face a massive convergence of geopolitical risks just at a time when central banks won’t be able to provide the extensive shield they have so much endeavoured to provide over two decades.” Those risks include “growing geopolitical competition between existing and rising powers, military security along the Maritime Routes (without it there is no Energy & Food Security for many economies), the inexorable deterioration of the Middle East and the likelihood of 2- 3 large-scale wars in the Middle East-Asia. ... For the first time in decades, the interests of central banks are not extensively aligned with those of large shareholders ...Facing the growing convergence of all the above one central bank after the other is looking outside the consensus. Understandably so - academic and market consensus have failed in recent years to foresee major shifts.” Fourth, we see the rise of radical Islam, and especially the role of Iran. As our correspondent Yochanan Visser reports (pages 6-7), Iran remains today the single greatest external threat to Israel’s existence. The prophecies in Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation help us understand these developments. Chapters 2 and 7 of the book of Daniel show that the fourth (Roman) empire will be divided into ten toes, which will be “partly strong and partly brittle” (Daniel 2:42), before it is crushed by the kingdom that the Lord will establish – which is linked to the restoration of Jerusalem as the place from which Messiah will reign “in the midst of Jacob” (Luke 1:32-33). The book of Revelation speaks about the beast with ten horns and seven heads (Revelation 13). Let us keep our eyes open to see and understand what is happening in the world around us; our hearts pure and undefiled so that we are not led astray; and our ears open to hear what the Lord is saying to the churches (Revelation 3:22). | Photo: Juliana Kozoski, Unsplash Jewish Festivals Rosh Chodesh Adar I - Beginning of new Hebrew month of Adar 5 February 2019 Purim Katan - Minor Purim celebration during Adar I on leap years 19 February 2019 Ta’anit Esther - Fast of Esther 20 March 2019 Purim - Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar 21 March 2019 Christians for Israel Mission Statement Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God's purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action. News Team | Contact Details INTERNATIONAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew Tucker | atucker@c4israel.org MANAGING EDITOR Cathy Coldicutt Ph: +64 21 277 9198 | newspaper@c4israel.org INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL TEAM Andrew Tucker, Cathy Coldicutt, Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Marloes van Westing, Rita Quartel, Marijke Terlouw and Marie-Louise Weissenböck INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Marloes van Westing | international@c4israel.org Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. By Andrew Tucker, International Editor, Christians for Israel International A New World Order Let us keep our eyes open to see and understand what is happenin g in the world around us...

22. Theology 10 This is the sixth instalment of a longer article written by German theologian and journalist Johannes Gerlofff on Psalm 2. God’s answer to the rebellion of the nations is the appointment of his Anointed One in Zion. Rashi paraphrases the words of God in the mouth of the psalmist: ‘Why are you raging? I have appointed him to be prince and king in Zion, the mountain of my holiness.’ And Radak refers back to the original historical context of Psalm 2 narrating: ‘After David had conquered the fortress of Zion, the Philistines gathered to fight against him.’ Then the Jewish exegete explains the thoughts of God: ‘How can they consider eradicating the kingship of the house of David? Though I made him king and anointed him!’ This scene is reminiscent of Psalms 110:1, a psalm ‘of David’ the ‘prophetic saying of the Lord says to my Lord’ is transmitted: ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies at the footstool of your feet.’ The text here describes ‘not just any human being, but the one who ‘is my saint,’ anointed by me i with the Holy Spirit’. In this way ‘both [the son and Zion] were authenticated by God’s ii promise’ (2 Samuel 7:13). But, ‘history makes no mention of a king iii of Israel being anointed on Zion.’ Indeed, this statement is difficult to understand if you only have King David or Jesus Christ in mind. Therefore, the repatriation of the people of Israel to Zion and the establishment of a king on Zion in the future must also be considered here. God will do this, even if ‘the Gentiles are raging.’ The return of the people of Israel is preparing the installation of the anointed king on Mount Zion. With the affirmation ‘I have set My king on Zion’ (Psalms 2:6), any competition to Jerusalem is eliminated. It is not in Geneva, New York, Brussels, Moscow, Berlin, London, Paris, Beijing or Washington that the fate of humanity is decided, but in Jerusalem. At the same time, any other claim to power over this city is declared in valid. Neither the League of Nations nor the United Nations, neither the Pope nor the Islamic world has any power to decide what happens to Jerusalem, but only He ‘who sits in heaven.’ This is one of the fundamental statements of Scripture. The psalmist here does not use the traditional name, ‘Yerushalayim,’ J erusalem, to ref er to the central city on the mountain ridge between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan Valley. He speaks of ‘Tsion/Zion’, a term used much more frequently in the Book of iv Psalms than the name ‘Jerusalem.’ ‘Tsion’ is a ‘designation’ or ‘marking,’ the ‘grade’ that a student receives at school. ‘Tsion LeShevah’ is an ‘award,’ a ‘honourable citation.’ ‘Tsion-Derech’ is a ‘signpost,’ or ‘landmark.’ Luther says, ‘The v name Zion designates a control room.’ And Hirsch explains ‘Zion’ as a ‘landmark vi and monument to humanity.’ ‘Zion’ demands attention and thus gives alignment, provides orientation. Those who are influenced by the biblical word live ‘Zion-oriented.’ That is, they do not orientate themselves according to the great and powerful of this world, nor according to the Zeitgeist nor political correctness. Rather, they look at Zion and know: ‘Torah, i.e. instruction, will proceed from Zion’ (Isaiah 2:3). To live ‘Zion-oriented’ is not just about looking at Z ion, but fundamentally being guided by Zion. Zion is defined as ‘the mountain of my holiness’ or ‘my holy mountain.’ It is God’s holiness that is decisive for the character of this mountain. Zion is the place where the Almighty Creator and Mover of the universe is grounded, moored to this earth. Paul testifies that the ‘glory’ belongs to the people of Israel (Romans 9:4). The living God has bound His glorious presence, which is called ‘Shekhinah ’ in rabbinic teaching, to this nation. And in our time, after millennia of separation, she returns to Zion together with the Jewish people. Endnotes: i Johann Georg Walch (ed.), Dr. Martin Luthers Sämtliche Schriften. Vierter Band. Auslegung des Alten Testaments (Fortsetzung). Auslegung über die Psalmen (Groß Oesingen: Verlag der Lutherischen Buchhandlung Heinrich Harms, 2. Auflage, 1880-1910), 268. ii Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72. An Introduction & Commentary, TOTC (Leicester/England and Downers Grove, Illinois/USA: Inter-Varsity, 1973), 51. iii Cf. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Psalms 1-35, Commentary on the Old Testament vol.5/1. Translated by Francis Bolton (Peabody, Massachusetts/USA: Hendrickson Publishers, February 1989), 94. iv Amos Hakham, Book of Psalms, books 3-5, Psalms 73- 150 (Jerusalem, Hotzaat Mosad haRav Kook, 6th edition, 1990/Hebrew), 7. v Walch (ed.), Dr. Martin Luthers Sämtliche Schriften, 270. vi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Psalmen (Basel: Verlag Morascha, 2. Neubearbeitete Auflage 2005), 9, referring to Jeremiah 31:20; 2 Kings 23:17; Ezekiel 39:15; compare Isaiah 2:3; Jeremiah 30:17. Johannes Gerloff (1963) is a German theologian, journalist and Bible teacher who has lived in Jerusalem for over 20 years. The full text of this article, including extensive footnotes, can be found at www.c4israel.org/teaching-articles/ Dreadfully Direct Psalm 2, Part 4c © Johannes Gerloff, Theologian, Journalist, Lecturer and Author February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 The name Purim, Lots, is taken from the book of Esther 3:7. Ordered by, and in the presence of Haman, the lot (pur) was cast to determine the best day to extinguish the Jewish People. Purim celebrates the failure of Haman’s plot (the final solution to the Jewish question). That single failure has never lost its horrible and shocking reality. The Steps of Purim Purim is celebrated in steps, representing different aspects of the feast. The first step is set during the morning service on the Sabbath before the feast. The usual Torah reading is followed by a special reading from Deuteronomy 25:16-19. There, Israel is called not to forget to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven after entering the promised land. What is the connection with Esther? The last king of Amalek ( 1 Samuel 22) was Agag. The Agagite Haman was his descendant. The plot of Haman was a continuation of the cowardly assault by Amalek on Israel’s rear, right after the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 17). The reading of Deuteronomy 25 reminds Israel that it is the most important struggle in all of TaNaKh: “The Lord will have a war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). It is not just a fight against (now extinct) Amalek, but a combat against any form of anti-Semitism – until today. When in the evening the celebration starts, the second preparation is also finished. Convinced of the seriousness of Ha man’s threat ( E sther 4:14), Esther put out a call via her uncle to all Jews in Susa, the capital of the empire, to fast with her for three days. Then she risked her own life to save her people: “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). To commemorate this, 13 Adar (in 2019 on 20 March) is a fast day. According to tradition, upon entering the throne hall, she said: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me” (Psalm 22). Celebrate with Masks The fast ends at sunset, when the 14th of Adar begins. Synagogues fill up with people. Many visitors are dressed up, often masked. That masquerade is not to forget that people often act differently than who they really are. Haman, too, kept up the appearance of a loyal servant to King Ahasuerus, while in fact, he was not just after blotting out the Jews, but in particular after royal power (hence his arrogant suggestion, Esther 6:6-9). Mordecai, by refusing to kneel before Haman (Esther 3:3) appears to be a rebel, but at the same time prevents a conspiracy against Ahasuerus (Esther 2:19-23). In the second part of the book, the masks fall. Everything is turned around (Esther 9:1). The day on which Haman had wanted to destroy all Jews becomes a day of punishment for Jew-haters. When the masks have fallen, Haman appears to be a Jew-hater, Esther a Jewess, Mordecai her uncle, and the Jews loyal subjects to King Ahasuerus. Haman’s accusation (Esther 3:9) of a nation that does not observe the king’s laws, is shown to be a lie. Both in the evening and the following morning, the entire book of Esther is read. As ‘the memory of Amalek’ is to be blotted out, the name of Haman, when r ead, is made inaudible by trampling the feet and the noise of rattles and tooters. It causes young and old to read the text attentively. The morning service is followed by a festive meal. During the preparations, neighbours and friends bring each other gifts and deliver food packets to people with limited income so that they can celebrate the feast ( Esther 9:1 9, 22). From all neighbours, you can expect plates with sweeties and Haman’s ears, the special Purim cookies. It is the only feast in Judaism where one is allowed to drink without limits, to the extent that one does not know anymore whom to bless or to curse, Haman or Mordecai. Pesach celebrates the Divine intervention in history. In the Purim story, the Jewish people act themselves. No name of God appears in the book of Esther, though hidden references were discovered in the text. Against the divine intervention of the exodus, Purim seems just a secular happening. This least religious of Israel’s feasts is one of the most beloved, not just in secular, but especially in strictly religious circles. According to rabbis, Purim is the only feast that will be celebrated in the coming new world (olam haba) : the victory over anti-Semitism and Jew-haters. | Photo: flickr Dr G.H. Cohen Stuart is a theologian and in Israel a certificated tour-guide. He lives with his wife, partly in Jerusalem and partly in the Netherlands. Purim: A Celebration of Bravery By Dr G.H. Cohen Stuart, Theologian and Certificated Israel Tour-Guide

10. 4 February 2019 Culture by Enoch Lavender Australian Jews Returning to Israel Setting Up An Office To Help Aussie Jews Head Home The ingathering of the Jewish people to their land is one of the greatest End Time signs being played out before our very eyes. Has the time come for a greater return of the Jewish community from Australia to the promised land? The Current Exile One of the clearest evidences of the Bible’s supernatural origin is its many prophecies describing the return of the Jews from exile – prophecies which are being fulfilled in the world- wide regathering which is happening in our day. All the way back to Moses (Deut 28:64-67), the Bible predicted an exile of the Jewish people from their land—followed by a return from the four corners of the globe (Is 43:5). But why is God bringing His people home? Ezekiel describes two key purposes of this return in the context of the End Times. Firstly it is for the glory and honour of God’s name. Ezekiel describes the exile of Israel as bringing shame to God’s name among the nations. Seeing ahead to our day, Ezekiel prophetically predicts that God will bring them home—not due to their righteousness—but for His Name’s sake (Ezek 36:22-24). A second purpose Ezekiel foresaw is for Israel and the nations to know He is God. Ezek 39:26 declares; “when I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, 28 then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity ... but also brought them back to their land”. Our heartfelt prayer and desire is for Israel to truly know the Lord. Ezekiel predicts this will happen in conjunction with the return to the land (see also Ezek 36:24-25, 37:9-13, Is 11:12) and that it will be a sign to the Gentiles of God’s faithfulness. Ultimately, Israel’s return to the Land sets the stage for the End Time events predicted throughout the Bible—and most importantly of all for Israel to be in place to welcome back her Messiah. Christians Assisting Aliyah With a clear End Time vision in mind, many Christian organisations have been actively working to help the Jewish return. One example is Ebenezer Operation Exodus which has helped over 170,000 Jews mainly in Russia, and another example is the aliyah work of Christians for Israel in Ukraine which is supported by this very newspaper. When Will It Be Australia’s Turn? While Aussie Christians have been praying for and assisting the return of Jews in places like Russia and Ukraine, a question that has been burning on my heart is “when will it be Australia’s turn”? Over the years, my prayers have joined the prayers of many other Aussies asking God to stir the hearts of our Jewish community regarding aliyah. In 2016/17 we saw the first fruits of an answer to this prayer. For the very first time in 20 years of ministry, Australian Jews began contacting Ebenezer for assistance—with 7 people making aliyah here locally within 12 months. Now in 2019, we are looking to take it to another level. My wife Sarah and I have just signed the lease to an office in the heart of Jewish Melbourne. The office space will be multi-functional, but is particularly setup with the goal of supporting aliyah via Ebenezer. The price of the office was a bit high for us, but only days after we got the keys, extra finances begun to come in to cover the shortfall! We have also already interviewed one Jewish couple who are seriously considering returning—and we believe there will be many more coming through our doors in the coming days. Do They Need Our Help? Does the Australian Jewish community need our support in terms of aliyah? While it is true that many members of the community are well off and while there are generous Israeli government programs setup to assist aliyah—there are people who fall between the cracks. For example, one young man contacted Ebenezer who wants to volunteer in the IDF— but because he had previously lived in Israel, he was not eligible for the usual assistance. Others need practical assistance with last minute cleaning of their homes or getting to the airport (having just sold their cars!). Ultimately, Ebenezer’s goal is to also encourage the local Jewish community with a sense of divine destiny and the fulfilment of prophecy—helping them to see that their move back home is not just another act of migration, but is the fulfilment of what their Bible predicted so long ago. Storm Clouds of Anti Semitism When praying about setting up the office, my wife Sarah got the words ‘It is time’. A sudden surge of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia certainly witnesses to this fact. 2018 featured the single largest increase on record of anti-Semitic incidents – a whopping 60% increase from the previous year. For example, Neo-Nazi groups have plastered flyers across the country with pictures from the holocaust and the words ‘legalise the execution of Jews, join your local nazis’. 2019 is off to an even more shocking start here in Melbourne. At the beginning of the year, neo-Nazi stickers were placed at the entrance to an Aged Care centre for holocaust survivors. A few days later—on the 100th anniversary of the German Workers Party—a far right rally was held in neighbouring St Kilda featuring Nazi salutes and an SS helmet on display. Will You Be Involved? We believe that this is truly the time when God is beginning to call His people home even from Australia. Isaiah declares that the Gentiles would be involved in aliyah carrying Israel’s sons and daughters “on their shoulders” (Is 49:22). Would you consider being involved and supporting this work? We certainly need prayer. Pray for us that we will have favour with Jewish community leaders and that we may have divine connections with individuals in the community whose hearts are being stirred for aliyah (Zec 10:8, Is 11:11-12). For more information or to find out more about practical support for the work of aliyah in Australia, please visit www.eoeaspac.org ( NOTE: C4I’s Aliyah program is also done in partnership with Ebenezer’s Exodus ministry). ___________________________________ Enoch Lavender is the pastoral leader of Shalom Israel, organising regular teaching seminars on Israel and Bible Prophecy in Melbourne and beyond. He is based at Living Way Christian Network Inc . See www.shalomisrael.com.au For the very first time in 20 years of ministry, Australian Jews began contacting Ebenezer...

14. 8 February 2019 Historical Perspectives Honouring the Unique Australian- Aboriginal and Israeli Connection When preparing for the Australian Light Horse Association’s commemoration of the centenary of the charge at Beersheba, I felt it important to acknowledge the role of Aboriginal Troopers in WW1. Although relatively small in number, they “punched well above their weight” making a significant contribution in the campaign, particularly in the crucial battle for Semakh . To get a significant number of Indigenous folk to represent their forebears at this event in Semach in 2017, we needed to raise around $120,000. That was not surprising, but what was surprising was that at least half that money ended up coming from the Jewish community. What was their interest in supporting this venture? What was their connection? Well amongst other things, it seems like they do not forget those who have stood with them in their suffering. Pastor Ray Minnecon first drew my attention to that great Aboriginal statesman and devout Christian, William Cooper. Several weeks after mobs roamed the streets breaking the shop windows and looting Jewish merchants in Nazi Germany on the infamous “Kristallnacht”, Cooper led a delegation of the Australian Aboriginal League to the German Consulate in Melbourne, to deliver a petition which condemned the “cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany” . There were quite a number of protests in Australia and other free countries, but the protest of the Australian Aboriginal League led by William Cooper was especially poignant when one remembers that, at that time, Aboriginal people in Australia suffered severe forms of discrimination and deprivation, and were not even counted in the national census. Yet they took time out from considering what to do about their own people’s suffering and the injustices they endured in order to demonstrate their solidarity with a persecuted community on the other side of the world—with whom they had no direct connection. This act of pure Christian selflessness put to shame the many others who remained silent. In more recent years, Cooper’s legacy has been appreciated by the Jewish community. In 2002, a plaque was unveiled at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne in honour of “the Aboriginal people for their actions protesting against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi Government of Germany in 1938.” The story of the protest is featured in the Jewish Holocaust Centre’s permanent museum. The wonderful diorama at the Australian War Memorial commemorating the brilliant battle at the railway station at Semakh, gives special recognition to the Aboriginal Troopers of the 11th Light Horse Regiment. The ceremonies we conducted in 2017 on behalf of the Australian Light Horse Assn. were most impacting. Last year, to mark the centenary of the battle of Semakh, Vision Christian Tour’s group led by C4I Australia’s National Leader Ian Worby and also Jill Curry’s group, held a significant ceremony at the station that was attended by the Australian Ambassador Chris Caanan. These occasions hold profoundly more significance than we might realise. A unique opportunity for your involvement in a very important project: Christians for Israel Australia have announced they will support fundraising for a full size statue of a Light Horseman to be placed at Semakh to represent and honour the Aboriginal Troopers of WW1, on a dollar for dollar basis. Our target for the whole project is $30,000 of which C4I will contribute $15,000 . All donors who contribute over $500 will have their names engraved on a plaque of thanks. Following our significant ceremony in 2017 I received the following email from Ziv Ophir, CEO of Kinneret College , on whose grounds the station and memorial are located, containing this almost prophetic statement, and I quote; “Under a eucalyptus on the river Jordan hope for the future was kindled and the Australian horsemen keep on galloping...” So, in a spiritual sense you can join in with the “ongoing galloping” of the spiritual ANZACS, by contributing to this significant project. The memorial site, on the Galilee next to the Jordan River with its museum and gardens are becoming quite a tourist attraction. This project has great significance on many levels, and is another great “bridge building” initiative between the Australian Christian and Jewish communities. This year is the centenary of the homecoming year for the WW1 ANZACs, and so it would be a fitting year to have an unveiling in September 2019. ___________________________________ Barry Rodgers OAM, leader of the ALHA centenary tour in October 2017. C4I will match every donation received up to a maximum of $15,000. See page 12 or give online: c4israel.com.au/semakh-statue by Barry Rodgers, OAM William Cooper (c. 1861 - 1941), Australian Aboriginal leader. Wikipedia C4I Australia’s National Leader Ian Worby presents Indigenous Representative Kerry Johnson with one of 100 commemorative medallions struck for the September 2018 Semakh memorial service. Raymond Finn, one of the indigenous participants of the 2017 Centenial reenactment ride in histroic uniform. Photo: Stan Goodenough Reenactment of soldiers on parade, Semakh Railway Station, Galilee, 2017. Photo: Stan Goodenough. ...the Australian horsemen keep on galloping...

3. Editorial February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 02 Prayer Points By Pieter Bénard Christians for Israel Prayer Coordinator JUDEA AND SAMARIA Ÿ Pray for the protection of the Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. There is a constant stream of threats and incidents. Pray for safety, especially on the roads near intersections and roundabouts. Ÿ The battle for the existence of Israel is being fought in parliaments and at conferences all over the world. We have the opportunity to call to God from our inner rooms: “Save, save Your People Lord.” Ÿ Pray for the retention of Biblical territory in Judea and Samaria. Give thanks for the Jewish residents who courageously continue to live there, even though many other Israelis do not understand them. Pray for peace with the Palestinians. ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS Ÿ Give thanks for politicians and political parties in your country who stand up for Israel. Sometimes one powerful voice is enough to steer a debate, whose outcome had seemed clear, in Israel’s favour. Pray for those who have the courage to make their voice heard. Ÿ While the political differences between America and Europe (about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions) continue to grow, Iran continues with its nuclear development and threatening of Israel. Pray that God will intervene and that Israel will live in safety. Ÿ The UN has denounced Israel countless times, while countries with serious human rights violations such as Syria, North Korea and Saudi Arabia are scarcely challenged. Pray for the UN, that the representatives may turn away from their misguided ways. CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL Ÿ Pray for the representatives of Christians for Israel who are ‘ambassadors’ for Israel around the world. Pray for them with 2Thessalonians 2:16-17 , “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” Ÿ Give thanks for the amazing work that Koen Carlier and his Christians for Israel team are able to do in Ukraine, being a blessing to the Jewish people in a practical way. The food parcels are sometimes the difference between life and death. For daily Prayer Points, go to our website: www.c4israel.com.au Major changes are all around us. Many of them concern Israel – hardly surprising, given that the history of the Jewish people forms the crimson thread through God’s plan of creation, salvation and redemption of the world. Let’s briefly examine four trends. The first is in the geopolitical sphere. The USA and Britain are retreating as dominant players on the world stage. Brexit is causing a political crisis of immense proportions in Britain. The USA under Trump is withdrawing not only from Europe but also the Middle East, opening the way for Russia, Turkey and Iran to dominate that part of the world. China and Russia are on the rise. The second, related trend is the battle within Europe and the Western world in general for the survival of the ‘European project’: the unification of Europe after WW2 that was intended to lead to prosperity and an end to the wars that had cost the lives of millions. A very significant development here is a new agreement signed by France and Germany on 22 January 2019 in the city of Aachen. This treaty consolidates France and Germany as the power-brokers in the EU and empowers Germany on the world stage. According to one commentator, the Aachen Treaty “will not only drive Europe ahead, but it will also drive Europe closer together. It will replace the currently divided union and create a more united, stronger empire. President Macron’s office stated that the increased cooperation favours the ‘security and prosperity of our peoples in the framework of a more sovereign, united and democratic Europe.’ The treaty sets the course for Europe to draw closer together on the military, cultural, social and political level. In other words, Germany and France seek to establish a European empire”. Aachen was the seat of Charlamagne, who was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo X in 800AD. It was here that Charlemagne (of French/German descent) established an empire that would last 1000 years and cause the deaths of over 40 million Europeans in the Middle Ages. Charlemagne’s empire inspired Hitler, who brought back his crown to Germany in 1938. Are Mr Macron and Ms Merkel re- establishing the Holy Roman Empire dominated by France and Germany? A third major shift is the convergence of security, trade, and finance. Watch the role played by the central banks in all of this. I was fascinated to read the most recent report by Christian Takushi, a Macro Economist & Geopolitical Strategist, who wrote just a few weeks ago that “convergence in the military- security-food-energy complex is intensifying. This implies the growing likelihood of defence realignments, trade routes' and supply chain disruptions, but also wars and natural disasters among a wider array of large scale occurrences.” Takushi believes we will soon witness a “paradigm shift in the geopolitical- political landscape. At the core: investors will have to face a massive convergence of geopolitical risks just at a time when central banks won’t be able to provide the extensive shield they have so much endeavoured to provide over two decades.” Those risks include “growing geopolitical competition between existing and rising powers, military security along the Maritime Routes (without it there is no Energy & Food Security for many economies), the inexorable deterioration of the Middle East and the likelihood of 2- 3 large-scale wars in the Middle East-Asia. ... For the first time in decades, the interests of central banks are not extensively aligned with those of large shareholders ...Facing the growing convergence of all the above one central bank after the other is looking outside the consensus. Understandably so - academic and market consensus have failed in recent years to foresee major shifts.” Fourth, we see the rise of radical Islam, and especially the role of Iran. As our correspondent Yochanan Visser reports (pages 6-7), Iran remains today the single greatest external threat to Israel’s existence. The prophecies in Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation help us understand these developments. Chapters 2 and 7 of the book of Daniel show that the fourth (Roman) empire will be divided into ten toes, which will be “partly strong and partly brittle” (Daniel 2:42), before it is crushed by the kingdom that the Lord will establish – which is linked to the restoration of Jerusalem as the place from which Messiah will reign “in the midst of Jacob” (Luke 1:32-33). The book of Revelation speaks about the beast with ten horns and seven heads (Revelation 13). Let us keep our eyes open to see and understand what is happening in the world around us; our hearts pure and undefiled so that we are not led astray; and our ears open to hear what the Lord is saying to the churches (Revelation 3:22). | Photo: Juliana Kozoski, Unsplash Jewish Festivals Rosh Chodesh Adar I - Beginning of new Hebrew month of Adar 5 February 2019 Purim Katan - Minor Purim celebration during Adar I on leap years 19 February 2019 Ta’anit Esther - Fast of Esther 20 March 2019 Purim - Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar 21 March 2019 Christians for Israel Mission Statement Our mission is to bring Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God's purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action. News Team | Contact Details INTERNATIONAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew Tucker | atucker@c4israel.org MANAGING EDITOR Cathy Coldicutt Ph: +64 21 277 9198 | newspaper@c4israel.org INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL TEAM Andrew Tucker, Cathy Coldicutt, Ian Worby, Bryce Turner, Marloes van Westing, Rita Quartel, Marijke Terlouw and Marie-Louise Weissenböck INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Marloes van Westing | international@c4israel.org Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. By Andrew Tucker, International Editor, Christians for Israel International A New World Order Let us keep our eyes open to see and understand what is happening in the world around us... International Holocaust Memorial Day | Politics 03 February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 I don’t know who you are. I can’t imagine we’ve met. But you chose to spray-paint the word Achtung on my photo, which featured on a sign outside Beth Jacob Synagogue, promoting UJA (United Jewish Appeal) Federation of Greater Toronto’s Holocaust education. Perhaps, in this shocking act, you simply craved headlines. Or maybe you meant to offend and frighten Toronto’s Jewish community. Whatever your ‘reason,’ you obviously knew that Achtung – German for attention – is a word that struck fear into the hearts of millions of Jews who heard it screamed by their killers. Well, you’ve got my attention. And now I’ll use it to tell more people, through this newspaper, the dangers of indifference to anti-Semitism. I will turn your dark act into a sliver of light. The sign you defaced bears my image because I bore witness to the genocide of the Jewish people in Europe. Out of an extended family of more than 60 loving members, all but three of us were murdered in the Holocaust. Ironically, I would survive Auschwitz- Birkenau only because of a terrible beating by an SS guard. My injuries sent me to the camp hospital where a Polish political prisoner working as a surgeon gave me a smock and made me clean the operating room. Had he not done so, I would have ended up in the gas chamber along with the other prisoners unable to return to work. After liberation, I moved to Canada, where I met my wife, had children, and rebuilt my life in the greatest country in the world. I had survived, but not without images of inhumanity beyond the darkest imagination. As much as I may wish to forget, I can never betray a promise I made to my father, before he was murdered, that I would bear witness to all that I saw. This is why I share my story through programmes run by UJA of Greater Toronto’s Neuberger Holocaust Centre, as featured on the sign you vandalised, as well as Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre. It’s why I lead groups of young Canadians on life-changing educational trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau with March of the Living Canada. And it’s why I volunteer wi th the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which advocates for stronger hate crime laws and human rights laws to protect all vulnerable groups. My promise to my father is also why I wrote my memoirs, a nightmarish process of recalling my experience in detail. At age 89, my time is limited. But, when I am no longer here, my voice will still be heard. Even today, events remind me that the Holocaust took place because countless individuals gradually normalised grotesque acts of evil. During the trial of SS guard Oscar Groening, one of two such trials at which I testified, he described an incident of the SS finding a crying baby that someone had desperately hidden in a bundle of clothes. Groening didn’t refer to the guards’ decision to smash the baby’s head against a train car as murder or even cruelty. He simply noted that the crying stopped, as though such barbarism were a part of the job. His choice of words showed how an entire society could turn dehumanisation into a matter of routine. What we often forget is that the Holocaust started in a German society that, by many standards, was ‘normal.’ Germany was a place of high culture and higher education. A few years before the Holocaust, it was considered among the most progressive and advanced countries in Europe. From this, we should learn that anti- Semitism and hate in all forms thrive when dangerous words are met with complacency and indifference. To think ourselves immune is to remove that which inoculates us: awareness, self- scrutiny, and vigilance. I am an eye-witness to the power of words, which is why, when you use Achtung as a weapon, I will not be frightened or silent. I will continue using my testimony – my words – to help heal this world. Given the shocking violence that took place on Toronto’s Danforth in July 2017, our great city is especially in need of healing. By Max Eisen, Holocaust Survivor based in Toronto I Won’t Be Silenced! A photo of Holocaust survivor Max Eisen was defaced with the word ‘Achtung.’ To the vandal who targeted me: I won’t be silent about anti-Semitism. Last October, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Australian government intended to consider moving the Australian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It was a bold statement, for which he was heavily criticised. He announced a review process in which all interested parties would be consulted. When the time finally came to make a decision, however, the Australian government fell into the age-old trap of trying to craft a compromise policy that would please all people. The result, unfortunately, is a compromise statement about Jerusalem issued on 15 December 2018 that pleased almost no- one and offended almost everyone. In formulating its new policy concerning the Israel-Palestine dispute, however, the Australian government gets into very murky water. It is on the status of Jerusalem that the government, in my view, goes astray. The PM rightly emphasised that a Palestinian state must come into existence as a result of negotiations, and observed that there is a ‘rancid stalemate’ between Israel and the PLO. He emphatically stated that he wanted to “question the conventional wisdom” about how the goal of two states could be achieved. But unfortunately, he ended up simply repeating the same old mistake of limiting the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to ‘West’ Jerusalem and repeating the universal mantra that Jerusalem must be divided into ‘West’ and ‘East’ Jerusalem. The Australian government decided that “Australia now recognises West Jerusalem, being the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel”, and that “furthermore, recognising our commitment to a two- state solution,” the government is also “resolved to acknowledge the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem”. As a result, Australia will establish a defence and trade office in Jerusalem, and only move the embassy in support of and after final status determination”. This reflects a failure to recognise the facts of history, and a very well-meaning but nevertheless distorted perception of international law. Moreover, acknowledging Palestinian aspirations for statehood with its capital ‘in East Jerusalem’, and moving of the embassy only as and when a State of Palestine has been established pursuant to negotiations, will not assist the negotiations, nor will they make the longed-for Palestinian state more likely. This is because they ignore the real causes of the stalemate: the structural promotion of terror by the Palestinian Authority, the continued refusal of the PLO to recognise Israel as a Jewish State, the ambitions of most Palestinian groups to destroy the Jewish State and replace it with an Islamic State, and the failure of the Palestinians – notwithstanding billions of dollars of foreign aid – to create the conditions necessary for statehood. Australia: Jerusalem an Immovable Rock By Andrew Tucker, International Editor, Christians for Israel International Short News Concern About anti-Semitism Every three years leaders of Jewish communities in Europe are asked what the particularly important issues are for their community. A 2018 survey by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee showed that concern about anti-Semitism is growing, support for Israel is increasing and that the vast majority intends to stay where they are. More Jews to Israel In the past year, approximately 5% more Jews have left for Israel than the year before. In total, 29,600 Jews came to Israel, mostly from Russia. | Photo: flickr Prevent Smuggling During a farewell visit to the Gaza Strip, outgoing Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eizenkot, said: “We thwarted the smuggling of 15-20,000 rockets to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.” He added: “I hope for a long ceasefire until the end of 2019 - until then we can complete the barrier. To this day I do not believe that anything else can be done in Gaza.” A New Bio-Toilet Creates Household Energy The new HomeBiogas invention is a bio-toilet that feeds directly into a backyard bio-digester to create household energy. Millions of people around the world lack sewage lines and even basic toilets, but the HomeBiogas Bio-Toilet does not need regular connections. Instead, users flush the toilet with a manual pump using just 1.2 litres of grey water. The waste is flushed directly into the HomeBiogas solar bio-digester, where it is broken down by bacteria and transformed into bio-gas for household needs, along with other waste such as food scraps and animal manure. While compost toilets can require manual emptying and can attract pests, the HomeBiogas system is completely sealed, and there’s no need to have any direct contact or hand- remove waste.

12. 6 February 2019 Commentary Analysis by Dr Kameel Majdali JERUSALEM: A Magnet for Christian Visits (Part Six) In Part 01 of our series we learned that Christians have been visiting the holy city of Jerusalem since the beginning of the church. Today, incoming Christian tourist numbers into Israel, with the goal of visiting Jerusalem, is 60% or more. In Part 02, we learned how ‘tourism’ affects numbers of Christian visitors. In Part 03 , we saw how since the 1967 War the ‘tourist factor’ and tradition of pilgrimage have caused the number of visitors to Jerusalem to increase dramatically. In Part 04 , we sought to define if the Christian visitor is a ‘tourist’ and/or ‘pilgrim.’ In Part 05 , we continued to explore the identity of Christian visitors as tourist and/or pilgrim. Here in Part 06 we will explore the nature of today’s Christian visits to Jerusalem. Onward Christian Pilgrim First, it is this author’s conviction, after 6 years of study and a 95,000 thesis, that a Christian who visits a holy city like Jerusalem is a ‘pilgrim,’ whether they consciously and proactively seek to be, or not. Why? Pilgrimage is simply a ‘long journey to a sacred destination.’ The Bible teaches that all believers are on a long journey to the city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). So our rationale is simple: if the earthly life of a person of faith is one long journey to the sacred destination, then visiting the holy city would be part of the larger pilgrimage. This generous and inclusive label stands strong, even if the Christian visitor has all the hallmarks of a normal tourist. So they can float on the Dead Sea, hike at Ein Gedi, visit the popular non-biblical sites like Masada, plant a tree, go shopping, and other ‘secular’ activities and still be a pilgrim. Like the Christian faith itself, being a pilgrim is not so much a matter of ‘what you do’ but more like ‘what you believe.’ The faith in the heart, rather than the activity of the hand, is what makes you a pilgrim. One of the evidences of ‘faith in the heart’ is the Christian pilgrims willingness to travel to the Middle East, even though it has pockets of strife and instability (for example, Syria, Libya and Yemen). Those who are mere tourists do not travel to a ‘war zone’ to have a holiday but the person of faith will. They believe God has led them to make the journey and will protect them along the way. Do the labels ‘tourist’ and ‘pilgrim’ matter? Some can argue ‘No.’ This author says ‘Yes.’ Here is the reason: when you call someone a pilgrim, you recognise them as a person of faith. Second, a journey of faith will lead to the things of God. Furthermore, a reward awaits the person who ‘believes’ and ‘seeks.’ Hebrews 11:6 says it so well: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. ” (emphasis mine). So if a person understands that their trip is not just for tourism, but is truly journey of faith, they will be more mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared. A great reward awaits them. This can apply even to the person who is blissfully unaware of these things. This author’s mother, raised in church while young but grew up to be a successful, unchurched, career woman, came for a visit to Jerusalem. Most of her time was spent visiting people and shopping. During the entire period she had only one day of touring Biblical sites and she spent much of it in the local diamond showroom! Yet, years later she commented how ‘close she felt to God’ while in Jerusalem and eventually became a believer. The Nature of Christian Visits Since the June ‘Six Day War of June 1967,’ there have been changes in the nature and number of Christian visitors. Prior to this date, since the 1948 war, Jerusalem was a divided city. Israel held the western sector and Jordan the eastern, including the Old City and the Mount of Olives. This means Jordan was the custodian of most of the Biblical sites. The partition of the city did affect tourist numbers. A person could only cross from one side to another via the Mandelbaum Gate, but there were restrictions. Local Jerusalemites, East and West, Jew or Muslim, could not cross to the other side of the city, full stop. Christian citizens of Israel were allowed a 3 day visit to the Old City once a year. Foreign pilgrims were allowed passage through the Mandelbaum Gate. Needless to say, the division of the city did not help foster increasing tourism. While local Christians from Middle East countries would have visited Jordanian- held Jerusalem, numbers of visitors from Europe and the rest of the world were limited. To understand the nature of Christian visits today, let’s compare and contrast them with what happened in the past. Early Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem was a truly voluntary action motivated by love for the person of Christ and/ or desire to see the site of Biblical events. No religious merit was accorded for the visit. Byzantine and medieval practices like shrine visitation, liturgy, indulgences, and veneration of relics were minimal or non-existent. Visiting the city, holy people who lived in the city, and pious study, were some of the intentions of these early visitors (e.g. Melito of Sardis, Origen, the Pilgrim of Bordeaux, Egeria). The pilgrim could have sojourned in Jerusalem for weeks, months, even years. Modern Christian Jerusalem visits are increasing in tandem with mass tourism. Both have influenced each other. Tourism has given the pilgrim fast efficient travel, comfortable lodging, and a sightseeing element in r espect of non-Christian or non-holy sites. Pilgrimage has made holy sites part of the program in many, perhaps most, tour itineraries. TO BE CONTINUED ___________________________________ Rev. Kameel Majdali, PhD (Melb) is Director of Teach All Nations (TAN), a Bible ministry in Melbourne, Australia ( tan.org.au ). He is an international Bible teacher, preacher, radio broadcaster, and published author.Kameel has led 37 Bible land tours thus far. His PhD thesis was on this very topic. Kameel has 2 programs on Vision Christian Radio called ‘Faith and the Future’ and ‘on the Rock’ ( vision.org.au ). Christians enjoying time floating in the Dead Sea as part of a Israel tour . Photo: Vision Christian Tours - www.visiontours.org.au a Christian who visits a holy city like Jerusalem is a ‘pilgrim,’ whether they consciously and proactively seek to be, or not.

20. 08 Theology When I speak or preach about the Jewish people as God’s chosen people, often people react with a feeling such as: “and what about us...” or “we are still God’s people too...” It feels like some sort of jealousy or allergic reaction, as if God does us an injustice when He expresses His love and election of Israel. Let us never forget that we only live by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We can never claim God’s love. To see what is really going on between God and Israel, let us consider Deuteronomy 7:6 : “The Lord God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” God wanted a people for Himself as a treasure. Israel as a light and blessing for the world, especially by bringing forth the Messiah, is thus preceded by being a treasured possession for the Lord Himself. That is why the Lord often speaks about Israel as His bride. God’s relationship with Israel is not a chilly one that is only about rules and laws. On the contrary, it is a compassionate relationship based upon an intense deep love. Isaiah 62 says: “But you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you (...) and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” This kind of speaking about Israel in terms of a marriage shows how deep God’s love is for Israel as His ‘treasured possession’. In Ezekiel 16 , the Lord expresses His love with the following words: “And you grew up and beca me tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed (...) when I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love (...), and you became mine.” This text is full of compassion. It makes us humble when we realise how wonderful God’s love and grace is towards us, that we also are beloved by God and brought into a deep bond with the Jewish people through Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King of Israel. | Photo: flickr Israel is a ‘Treasured Possession’ By Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director, Christians for Israel International February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 On 16 November 2018, few people outside the small meeting room 605 of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, United States, were aware that a new theological reformation was being birthed. The huge Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and American Academy of Religion (AAR) conferences draw thousands of theologians and biblical scholars from across the world for annual meetings every year to one of several big American cities. As with Pentecost in Acts 2, when Jesus chose the biggest international gathering of Jews as the setting to launch his Church, so also the eve of SBL/AAR was selected as the best time for the inaugural meeting of the Society for Post- Supersessionist Theology. Supersessionism is the technical theological term for replacement theology or fulfilment theology. It refers primarily to the belief that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people, and that Israel’s role as a nation was fulfilled and abolished when Jesus first came to embody Israel as the promised Messiah. So ‘post- supersessionism’ is a way of theologians saying that they have moved on from replacement theology, defining that as an idea that belongs in the pa st, outdated and no longer valid for Christian theology. The Society was founded by a small group of mainly American theologians, led by Kendall Soulen whose 1996 book The God of Israel and Christian Theology was the f irst full-scale academic critique of replacement theology. The new committee of the Society also includes a Catholic scholar (Holly Taylor Coolman), an Anglican non-dispensational scholar (Gerald McDermott), and two Messianic Jewish scholars (Mark Kinzer and David Rudolph). Through the Society’s website www.spostst.org, membership is open to any theologian who agrees with the mission of the Society. What makes this Society unique are its three fundamental beliefs: (1) God’s covenant with the Jewish people is irrevocable; (2) Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is truly God and the Saviour of all, reaffirming the ‘core Christological convictions’ of the early creeds of the Church; (3) the basic identity of the Church is as ‘a table fellowship of Jews and Gentiles united in the Messiah’. This holds together the key beliefs of both the Jewish people and the Gentile Church, and also explicitly includes Messianic Jews as an essential part of what the Church should look like. The way the beliefs of the Society are described is deliberately vague, allowing for ‘a family of perspectives’. This is necessary, to involve theologians from backgrounds and perspectives as diverse as possible, while still remaining within the accepted boundaries of orthodoxy. Only with such a group will it be possible to find common ground for starting to re- think the misguided and damaging theological ideas of earlier Christian theologians, going all the way back to the second century AD. In addition to annual meetings before SBL/AAR, the Committee will be considering the possibility of a hub for resources, and other ways of countering supersessionism with more persuasive views. The website will soon publish write-ups of all speakers’ presentations from the inaugural conference. This is still a ‘day of small things’ ( Zechar iah 4:10), but ‘pray for us that the word of the Lord will run quickly and be glorified’ (2Thessalonians 3:1). Theologians Replace Replacement Theology By James E Patrick, Israel & Christians Today, UK Letters of the Aleph-bet: Resh The resh is the twentieth letter of the Aleph-Beit. It is the letter ‘r’. The ancient sign, from which also the Greek Rho (sign: ρ ) and our R originate, depicted a head. The Aramaic word ‘resh’ means ‘head’, as does the Hebrew word ‘rosh’ – in itself a remarkable meaning for a letter that is located almost at the end of the Aleph-Beit! One could say that the Hebrew word ‘resh’ depicts someone who bows his head. In Hebrew, the word ‘head’ also has the connotation of ‘beginning’ or ‘principle’. Hasidic tradition notes that there are four ‘capitals’ (literally: ‘head-letters’ ) in the Aleph-Beit, just as the Jewish calendar contains four different New Year’s days. The first of these is the aleph which is, of course, the beginning of the Aleph-Beit. The next is the Hei, meaning ‘exhalation’ – ie. the expression of air by which every letter is pronounced. The third ‘capital letter’ in the Hebew alphabet is the letter Yod, which means ‘dot’ - in writing, every Hebrew letter starts with a dot. The resh, finally, conveys the idea of ‘meaning’ or ‘knowledge’. Together, these four letters form the word Aryeh, meaning ‘lion’ - the first of the four animals in the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the heavenly throne chariot (ch.1). But you can also form the word yir’ah with them, meaning ‘fear’, or ‘respect’. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). Proverbs 1:7 uses the word ‘knowledge’ instead of wisdom. For true knowledge and wisdom, you have to be receptive. This receptiveness arises from fear: respect for the Lord, through which the ego is, as it were, made subordinate to the reality outside oneself because one is open for the Source of reality, the Creator. With the letter Qoph, we saw already that the resh could also represent the ‘Rasha’, meaning ‘the evildoer’. However, the ‘rasha’ can repent from his evil ways, and return to the Qadosh, the Holy God. In the way of repentance, the resh changes from ‘Rasha’ into Rosh, meaning ‘ head’. F inally , it is interesting to note that the numerical value of resh is two hundred. In the Talmud, two hundred ‘zuz’ (an ancient Jewish coin) represents the poverty line. Somebody who possesses less than two hundred ‘zuz’ is entitled to appeal to the charity of the community. By Kees de Vreugd, Theologian, Christians for Israel International, and Editor of Israel and the Church Supersessionism is the technical theological term for replacement theology or fulfilment theology.

7. Dear faithful readers & friends (Chavorim), As we begin another new year many of us are reflecting on what has been achieved in 2018 and how that has positioned us for 2019. Many Nations including Israel, America, and Australia are facing elections where the people are supposedly free to decide which leaders will take control of their countries destiny. As ‘people of the Book’, Christians and Jews know that it is God Himself who puts our leaders into power or brings them down from power. (read Daniel Chapter 2). Many Bible and Torah teachers and students who have ears to hear are of the opinion that many of our countries and its citizens are in the valley of decision as we prepare for what Yeshua (Jesus) and the Prophets and Apostles foretold would be the signs of the times before the coming or return of Messiah. I am not about to get into a discussion on date setting or naming names regarding the major players in this end of days, apocalyptic revealing or unveiling scenario that is clearly outlined in the Scriptures for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. But I do know we have a very important assignment given to us: to be watching, praying, and being busy about the Lord’s work before He comes. We do this largely by focusing on what is happening in the Land of promise—Israel and the return of the scattered Jews back into the Land, the rebirth of the nation and the miracle of what we see today unfolding with precision down to the smallest details before our eyes. To that end I wish to re-affirm the purpose of this Newspaper and the ministry of Christians for Israel: We exist to Inform you and others of what is happening today through the lense of the Bible and in light of what is happening around us in the context of Israel and the Church in these perhaps last days. This is not just from the opinions of men, but rather on what the God of Israel says, how He feels about Israel and her people and what He has said will happen to those who bless His people, and those who do not—who stand against His people and divide His Land. Our hope is that out of this information comes understanding of the times we are in and what we must do and to Inspire you and others to prayer and action. We all want to be invested and busy about the Lord’s work and demonstrating His love and care by bringing Comfort to the Lord’s people. Not just with empty words but in tangible practical ways, so that they will know they are not alone and that they have a hope, a future and a destiny that their God has promised to them. And to those of us that were afar off, that have become adopted into God’s family, recognising we are joint heirs of the inheritance that has been promised. So it is not surprising that in this edition we have a lot of great and useful information to help inspire you to action and comforting the Lord’s people. Jerusalem Bi-Annual Forum Next month in March a small delegation of our office will be traveling to attend the Bi-Annual Christians for Israel International Forum in Jerusalem. The Forum will be four full days of receiving updates and reports from our counterparts around the globe and our leadership. They’ll be discussing plans for advancing the mission of our ministry and how we can be more effective and strategic. Following on from the Forum many of us will stay on for a five day Study Tour to read and understand the Scriptures. We’ll be taught by some of the best theologians and leaders within our organisation right in the very locations many Biblical events took place— helping us understand what we must be doing for the future. If you want to join us see page 12 of this insert. We have also invited a number of new leaders from our surrounding Island nations in the Oceania region (as have the other C4I’s from Asia, Africa, America and Europe from their regional C4I offices). These new leaders will experience Israel and the Holy Land for the first time and I will personally be thrilled to see the visible and profound impact this will have on them as the pages of the Bible come alive for them in a new and fresh way. Then after the teaching, encouragement and commissioning by our leaders they will return to their island nations to share and impart what they have seen and learned in the churches and communities back home. To me this is a very real fulfilment of Bible prophecy that we have been privileged to participate in. ‘Hear the Word of the LORD, you nations, and declare it in the islands afar off; and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as shepherd does his flock.”’ – Jer 31:10 This is a big investment on behalf of this ministry, as we understand the principle of “entrusting to faithful men who can teach others also.” Many of you have been very faithful and generous in supporting our Aliyah programs to Bring the Jews home, and also our various humanitarian projects, to feed and clothe and comfort the Lord‘s people in their time of need. Also, I wish to acknowledge those who give general donations to cover the printing and postage costs and expenses of our small office. However I do wish to ask you to prayerfully consider on top of this to make a gift to help cover the additional investment in bringing these people to Jerusalem and Israel for this important teaching and impartation and commissioning. As the Regional Director for C4I Oceania I have plans to start printing and distributing this newspaper with a local island insert to replicate what we have achieved here in Australia these past number of years. Imagine how the distribution of a local Israel & Christians Today Newspaper will impact on the local churches and individuals, and also to have access to the books and teaching resources we often promote in these pages. That is our dream for 2019 and 2020. For those of you with a heart to see this dream become a reality I ask for you to partner with us as the Lord leads and enables. For those who aren’t in position to give, then please pray for us and the fledgling new C4I affiliates in the islands. We will continue to update you of our progress. Other Media initiatives Did you know that 15 million Australian’s have a Facebook account to access social media on their mobile phone, tablet or computer, and that 50% do so every day? For this reason Christians for Israel Australia has its own Facebook page (  facebook.com/c4israelAUS ) and we do our best to provide regular post and commentaries to help keep you informed , inspired and updated on what is happening. We also have a great looking website www.c4israel.com.au which has a lot of great and informative content, and where you can easily make a secure online donation or purchase informative, qulaity resources. There’s also helpful information about Aliyah, our humanitarian projects, our tours and events, and where you can subscribe to this newspaper or download and view past editions. During the upcoming forum in Jerusalem next month we will be launching C4I’s first free mobile app for Apple and Android mobile devices. We will let you know when and where you can get this in our next edition, or keep an eye on our website or Facebook page for details. Thanks you for your prayers, financial support and for sharing this newspaper with family, friends and church leaders and members. We are happy to provide extra copies if you need more to give away. Finally I have one more special project to prayfully consider. We want to honour our indigenous brothers and sisters who bravely served in the liberation of Israel in the First World War and we have committed to erecting a statue to commemorate this forgotten history. Every year thousands of Australians travel on pilgrimage to Israel and the Holy Land. Imagine the impact seeing this monument at the restored railway station in the Galilee and the pride they will feel when they learn the full story of Australia’s role in God’s divine plan for the liberation and restoration of the promised Land? see the article on page 8 for details. Every Blessing In Yeshua Ha Meschiach (Jesus Christ) the soon and coming King. ___________________________________ Ian Worby National Leader & Regional Director for Christians for Israel Australia & Oceania. Recasting the Vision for 2019 & Beyond Ian and Mandy Worby at Sachne Springs, near Mt Gilboa February 2019 Report From Our National Leader Comforts Informs Inspires by Ian Worby – National Leader and Regional Director for Oceania

15. 9 February 2019 Commentary Piece from HaYovel 3 Reasons Why Christian’s Should Support the West Bank Should Christians support the right of the Jews to live and settle in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, sometimes incorrectly known as “The West Bank”? Among the Christians that are familiar with what should more correctly be titled “Israel’s Biblical Heartland,” I would venture to say that more than 50% are against Jewish settlement there, and prefer to support the so-called “Palestinian narrative.” This is not an article that will try and solve the age old Middle East peace conflict. It is, rather, a simplistic approach as to why I believe Christians should support Israel’s right to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria in 2019. To do this, I’ve outlined 3 reasons--some biblical, and some practical--as to why Christians should be standing with the most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world. 1. Judea & Samaria Gives Hope In a world filled with darkness and ever- increasing evil, Israel’s Biblical Heartland stands out as a beacon of bright light, shining in the darkness. For example, there are 120,000 residents in the Shomron (Samaria) Regional Council, with an astounding 8% annual growth rate! The rest of Israel has a 1.8% annual growth rate. Obviously, their biggest reason for such a high growth rate is the average family size, as most families are Orthodox and have more than the average number of children. If you compare this with a simple online search for the world’s average population growth, you will only come up with 1.09%, which has steadily decreased every year for the last several years. It is obvious Jewish families living in Samaria are flourishing! In a world where the average annual population growth is declining, Israel’s Shomron region alone stands-out as a growing community. 2. The Majority of our Bible Was Written or Occurred There Yes, it’s true! Throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, it’s impossible to throw a rock, sit down on a bench, dig a hole, or even build a parking lot without touching a story straight out of the Bible! Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants all the way to Yeshua (Jesus) traveled the Road of the Patriarchs (now called Road 60) when going to and from Jerusalem and beyond. If we simply start at Mt. Gerizim, we find the story of the woman at the well (John 4), as well as multiple stories of Yeshua stopping at the town of the Samaritans. From Mt. Gerizim, we could throw a rock and hit Joseph’s Tomb, as well as the field that Jacob bought (Genesis 33:19). Across from Mt. Gerizim is Mt. Ebal, where Joshua’s Altar (Joshua 8:30) still stands today, and where the tribes stood and listened as Joshua declared “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Across the valley is Elon Moreh, where Abraham stood in Genesis 12, when God first promised him the land. We don’t have the space or the time, but we would also pass by the stories of Micah, the Tabernacle at Shiloh, Jacob’s Ladder at Bethel, and Jeremiah’s field in Anathoth as we drive to Jerusalem from Mt. Gerizim. This list is only scraping the surface of Israel’s rich Biblical Heartland. Did you know that every time God gave or reaffirmed the covenant with the patriarchs, each instance also took place in Judea and Samaria? There is one exception—when God reaffirmed the covenant with Isaac while he was in Gerar (Genesis 26), also today known as the Gaza Strip. (Enough said, there.) God first spoke to Abraham in Elon Moreh (Genesis 12), He spoke to Jacob in Bethel (Genesis 28), and He walked Abraham through the covenantal process and later reaffirmed it in the region of Hebron (Genesis 15,17). All of these places are within the Biblical Heartland. Is it a coincidence the places where God chose to promise and ratify His covenant with Israel are all under attack today? 3. Deeded Real Estate There are three places in the Bible that are recorded as being bought by the nation of Israel with a set price, and a signed deed of contract. Ironically, all three are currently being hotly contested by the enemies of God’s Word. First, we have Jacob’s Field , which is recorded as being bought by Jacob in Genesis 33:19: “And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.” Today, Jacob’s Field and Joseph’s Tomb (situated side by side) are in the midst of Shechem, also called Nablus, which is in Area A, a place that is illegal for Jews to enter, as mandated by the large red signs at the entrance to the city. Visits to Joseph’s Tomb for Israelis are allowed only 16 times per year, even though under the Oslo Accords, they were to have free access every day. Second, The Tomb of the Patriarchs, located in Hebron, and is home to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish faith. In Genesis 23:16-18, we read the following: “And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.” Even though we have a clear record of Abraham buying the land for 400 shekels of silver (today about $800,000 to 1 million), access to the site is severely restricted to Jews, and there are only a few days a year that they are allowed to visit the full site. Lastly, but most importantly, the Temple Mount is where the 1st and 2nd Temples stood, where the sages say that Abraham almost offered Isaac. Some speculate that the Garden of Eden was here, and more than all these, it is where the House of Prayer for all nations will one day stand when Messiah comes to rule and reign from Jerusalem. In 2nd Samuel 24:24, we have the record of David buying this site: ‘Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.’ After the war of 1967, Israel gave control of the Temple Mount to Jordan, and even today, it is ruled by the Jordanian Waqf. Until two Israeli policemen were shot and killed by a Muslim terrorist several years ago, the political climate on the Temple Mount was almost unbearable for Jews and Christians. Personally, I have been with multiple groups who were shouted at, pushed, shoved, and several times expelled from the Mount for doing nothing more than visiting the site. Today, although it is much quieter, no one but a Muslim is allowed to pray on the Mount, access is severely restricted to certain times and days of the week, and Jews and Christians are still harassed when visiting. Standing with God and the Bible Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria--better known as the Biblical Heartland of Israel—is a place that provides us with hope, a light shining in a dark world. A place where more than 80% of our Bible was either written or took place. A place where we have three clearly recorded pieces of real estate bought and deeded to Israel. There are many more reasons Christians should support the “West Bank” this year, but these should be more than sufficient to spur us to action. HaYovel is the largest volunteer organization that brings foreign volunteers to Israel, and it is focused solely on helping Israel to settle these places that the rest of the world is against. Each year, hundreds of Christian volunteers flood Judea and Samaria with our organization to assist the local farmers with pruning, planting and harvesting grapes and olives in Judea and Samaria. Because of our volunteers, we are proud to say many farmers today are thriving, growing and expanding. As Ezekiel 36:8 says, “But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.” As Christians from the nations, we are privileged to have a part in this prophetic restoration. This year, we invite you to join us, for a program unlike any tour you’ve taken to the Holy Land. Not only will you have the opportunity to get your hands in the soil of Israel, but you will connect with her land and people, become immersed in her rich culture and heritage, and leave as an educated and effective ambassador on behalf of Israel’s Heartland. You will be like the two spies of old, Joshua and Caleb, bringing a positive message of the good news of Israel to your home community. Go to www.ServeIsrael.com to find out more about our volunteer programs in Israel this year. As a Bible believing Christian, we invite you to support the “West Bank” in 2019. HaYovel – Serving Israel’s farmers If you are looking for a way to put hands and feet to your love for Israel, you’ve found it! HaYovel is a non-profit organization that brings Christian volunteers from all over the world to serve Jewish farmers in Israel. Come to Israel with HaYovel, volunteer in the vineyards of Judea and Samaria, and connect to the place where prophecy meets reality. Volunteering with HaYovel is much more than just working the Land – an average week with HaYovel offers: • Volunteering 4 days per week in the vineyards and olive groves • Touring 2 days per week in the areas of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, meeting the local people and hearing their stories • Experience an Israeli-style Shabbat (rest day) every Saturday. Staying on Har Bracha (the Mount of Blessing), nearly every evening, volunteers hear from influential speakers such as members of Knesset, rabbis, pioneers, and heroes of Israel’s history. By the time volunteers leave to go back to their homes, they are educated ambassadors, ready to be advocates on behalf of Israel and the restoration unfolding in the Heartland. The following opportunities are available in 2019: Summer Trip 3 Weeks, 16 July to 6 August Harvest Trips 2 Week grape harvest, 13-27 Aug 3 Week grape harvest, 28 Aug - 17 Sep 5 Week grape harvest, 18 Sep - 22 Oct 2 Week grape/olive harvest, 23 Oct - 6 Nov We welcome volunteers of all ages to join us for one of our many family- friendly volunteer trips. Go to www.HaYovel.com for photos, videos, and information about how to join us. HaYovel actively supports and advocates for Israel in a multitude of ways, including the Joshua and Caleb Report, a film series dedicated to telling the stories of the people and places of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. Deon Van Baalen, HaYovel’s Advocate in Australia, would love to connect with you to tell you more about HaYovel’s work in Israel, or to speak at your church or congregation. Contact Deon at Deon@HaYovel.com or 0487 090 882 . by Luke Hilton, Director of Marketing

16. 10 February 2019 Commentary ‘Wipe Israel off the map’ has a serious agenda. It is simple. Prove God is fictional! Prove His Word is not true. Words like: ‘“I will bring back My exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them , ” says the Lord your God.’ (Amos 9:14-15) Notice the sentence highlighted. The agenda is to make sure this Word is actually false! Because God chose Israel Israel is the target! The enemies of Israel say, “Come, let us destroy them as a nation that the name of Israel be remembered no more.” (Psalm 83:4) But Israel takes strength from Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Last year the USA and Israel withdrew from UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). A persistent volume of anti-Semitic attacks on Israel and the Jewish people escalated a call for action. Ambassador Alan Baker Director of the Institute of Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Centre spoke out. (Baker worked on the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinian Authority). He wrote: “On April 11, 2016, UNESCO adopted a decision, proposed by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman and Sudan, entitled “Occupied Palestine”. “The very title of this decision perhaps betrays and undermines what one should expect from an international body ostensibly dedicated to education, science and culture. The decision condemns all Israeli presence and activities in Jerusalem, Hebron and the tomb of Rachel. In so doing it pointedly and deliberately denies, ignores, and seeks to delete from history, any historic, cultural and religious link between the Jewish People, the Jewish religion and Jerusalem, including specifically its holy religious site of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the Machpela Cave in Hebron and Rachel’s tomb near Bethlehem.” (The Self-Destruction of UNESCO, Amb Alan Baker, JCPA Hot Topics, 20 April, 2016) A year after that report, the Trump administration filed notice to withdraw from UNESCO citing the need for ‘fundamental reform’. Anti-Israel bias was a major concern for the Americans. (Previously, the US withdrew during the Reagan administration, citing mismanagement, corruption and excessive Soviet influence. They rejoined in 2003). On their recent withdrawal, Heather Nauert, US State Department spokesperson in a 2017 statement said, “This decision was not taken lightly. It reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reforms in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias.” The US withdrawal came into effect December 31, 2018. They now maintain an observer status to engage in debates and activities without the right to vote. On her last day as US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was very direct. “UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies. Today the U.S. withdrawal from this cesspool became official.” (Hard to misunderstand her words!) The United Nations and its UNESCO operation has become an anti-Semitic enigma. In 1942 Europe was the battleground for Hitler and his Nazis. Representatives of European countries met in the UK at the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME). Although they were in the midst of war, they met to consider systems of education to be implemented when peace was restored. This was the United Nations embryo. Other conferences followed. One was convened in London in November, 1945. After this, thirty seven countries founded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Founded immediately after the unspeakable Nazi abuse and in the bitter memory of the Holocaust, it is staggering to consider recent UNESCO actions. Israel joined UNESCO in 1949 but was expelled in 1974 because of excavations carried out on the Temple Mount. Five years later Israel was returned after America threatened to withdraw funding over the situation. The anti-Israel decisions stepped up. In 2010 UNESCO determined Rachel’s Tomb was a mosque. They ordered Israel to remove the site and the Tomb of the Patriarchs from their list of national heritage sites. “The attempt to sever the Jewish people from its heritage is absurd. If the places where the fathers and mothers of the Jewish people were buried thousands of years ago are not part of the heritage of the Jewish people, then what is a heritage site?” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued. In October 2011 the Palestinian Authority was accepted as a full member. In 2015 UNESCO called for Rachel’s Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs to be part of ‘Palestine’ and to be listed as sacred Islamic sites. “The theatre of the absurd continues,” boomed Netanyahu. As the USA prepared to withdraw from UNESCO State Department spokes person Heather Nauert offered a shopping list of grievances. The unconstitutional acceptance of the Palestinians in 2017 propelled the move. UNESCO condemned Israel multiple times. Other groups and their behaviour were ignored. John Bolton, National Security Adviser in the Trump administration said, “We don’t recognize the state of ‘Palestine.’ We have consistently across Democratic and Republican administrations opposed the admission of ‘Palestine’ to the United Nations as a state, because it’s not a state.” Australia agreed. “Our decision to vote against reflects Australia’s strong concern that consideration of Palestinian membership in UNESCO is premature,” said Ms Gita Kamath Australia’s Head of Mission. Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, spoke of things to come at the United Nations General Assembly (2016). “The UN, begun as a moral force, has become a moral farce. So when it comes to Israel at the UN, you’d probably think nothing will ever change, right? Well think again. You see, everything will change and a lot sooner than you think,” he promised. Israel announced it would follow the US decision to withdraw from UNESCO (2017). “UNESCO has become a battlefield for Israel-bashing and has disregarded its true role and purpose. Today’s decision is a turning point for UNESCO,” Netanyahu said in a statement. Stefan Simon Director of Global Heritage Initiatives at Yale’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) called the US withdrawal ‘irresponsible’ and ‘very short-sighted’ . He acknowledged US concern with the embrace of ‘Palestine’ but added ‘ You can’t just drop your toys and run away!’ Brian Daniels, the director of research and programmes for the Penn Cultural Heritage Centre at the University of Pennsylvania Museum summed up the future pessimistically. “I see it limping along,’ he said. “These kind of agencies die hard.” ___________________________________ Ron Ross worked as a newsman in Jerusalem, broadcasting Middle East reports internationally. He is the Middle East correspondent for Vision Christian Radio and a popular speaker. www.ronross.org ronandyvonne@mac.com by Ron Ross US and Israel Quit UNESCO. Why? PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER, 31, 2016. UNESCO sign board Novikov Aleksey / Shutterstock.com Our decision to vote against reflects Australia’s strong concern that consideration of Palestinian membership in UNESCO is premature...

21. 08 Theology When I speak or preach about the Jewish people as God’s chosen people, often people react with a feeling such as: “and what about us...” or “we are still God’s people too...” It feels like some sort of jealousy or allergic reaction, as if God does us an injustice when He expresses His love and election of Israel. Let us never forget that we only live by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We can never claim God’s love. To see what is really going on between God and Israel, let us consider Deuteronomy 7:6 : “The Lord God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” God wanted a people for Himself as a treasure. Israel as a light and blessing for the world, especially by bringing forth the Messiah, is thus preceded by being a treasured possession for the Lord Himself. That is why the Lord often speaks about Israel as His bride. God’s relationship with Israel is not a chilly one that is only about rules and laws. On the contrary, it is a compassionate relationship based upon an intense deep love. Isaiah 62 says: “But you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you (...) and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” This kind of speaking about Israel in terms of a marriage shows how deep God’s love is for Israel as His ‘treasured possession’. In Ezekiel 16 , the Lord expresses His love with the following words: “And you grew up and beca me tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed (...) when I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love (...), and you became mine.” This text is full of compassion. It makes us humble when we realise how wonderful God’s love and grace is towards us, that we also are beloved by God and brought into a deep bond with the Jewish people through Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King of Israel. | Photo: flickr Israel is a ‘Treasured Possession’ By Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director, Christians for Israel International February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 On 16 November 2018, few people outside the small meeting room 605 of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, United States, were aware that a new theological reformation was being birthed. The huge Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and American Academy of Religion (AAR) conferences draw thousands of theologians and biblical scholars from across the world for annual meetings every year to one of several big American cities. As with Pentecost in Acts 2, when Jesus chose the biggest international gathering of Jews as the setting to launch his Church, so also the eve of SBL/AAR was selected as the best time for the inaugural meeting of the Society for Post- Supersessionist Theology. Supersessionism is the technical theologi cal term for replacement theology or fulfilment theology. It refers primarily to the belief that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people, and that Israel’s role as a nation was fulfilled and abolished when Jesus first came to embody Israel as the promised Messiah. So ‘post- supersessionism’ is a way of theologians saying that they have moved on from replacement theology, defining that as an idea that belongs in the past, outdated and no longer valid for Christian theology. The Society was founded by a small group of mainly American theologians, led by Kendall Soulen whose 1996 book The God of Israel and Christian Theology was the f irst full-scale academic critique of replacement theology. The new committee of the Society also includes a Catholic scholar (Holly Taylor Coolman), an Anglican non-dispensational scholar (Gerald McDermott), and two Messianic Jewish scholars (Mark Kinzer and David Rudolph). Through the Society’s website www.spostst.org, membership is open to any theologian who agrees with the mission of the Society. What makes this Society u nique are its three fundamental beliefs: (1) God’s covenant with the Jewish people is irrevocable; (2) Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is truly God and the Saviour of all, reaffirming the ‘core Christological convictions’ of the early creeds of the Church; (3) the basic identity of the Church is as ‘a table fellowship of Jews and Gentiles united in the Messiah’. This holds together the key beliefs of both the Jewish people and the Gentile Church, and also explicitly includes Messianic Jews as an essential part of what the Church should look like. The way the beliefs of the Society are described is deliberately vague, allowing for ‘a family of perspectives’. This is necessary, to involve theologians from backgrounds and perspectives as diverse as possible, while still remaining within the accepted boundaries of orthodoxy. Only with such a group will it be possible to find common ground for starting to re- think the misguided and damaging theological ideas of earlier Christian theologians, going all the wa y back to the second century AD. In addition to annual meetings before SBL/AAR, the Committee will be considering the possibility of a hub for resources, and other ways of countering supersessionism with more persuasive views. The website will soon publish write-ups of all speakers’ presentations from the inaugural conference. This is still a ‘day of small things’ ( Zechar iah 4:10), but ‘pray for us that the word of the Lord will run quickly and be glorified’ (2Thessalonians 3:1). Theologians Replace Replacement Theology By James E Patrick, Israel & Christians Today, UK Letters of the Aleph-bet: Resh The resh is the twentieth letter of the Aleph-Beit. It is the letter ‘r’. The ancient sign, from which also the Greek Rho (sign: ρ ) and our R originate, depicted a head. The Aramaic word ‘resh’ means ‘head’, as does the Hebrew word ‘rosh’ – in itself a remarkable meaning for a letter that is located almost at the end of the Aleph-Beit! One could say that the Hebrew word ‘resh’ depicts someone who bows his head. In Hebrew, the word ‘head’ also has the connotation of ‘beginning’ or ‘principle’. Hasidic tradition notes that there are four ‘capitals’ (literally: ‘head-letters’ ) in the Aleph-Beit, just as the Jewish calendar contains four different New Year’s days. The first of these is the aleph which is, of course, the beginning of the Aleph-Beit. The next is the Hei, meaning ‘exhalation’ – ie. the expression of air by which every letter is pronounced. The third ‘capital letter’ in the Hebew alphabet is the letter Yod, which means ‘dot’ - in writing, every Hebrew letter starts with a dot. The resh, finally, conveys the idea of ‘meaning’ or ‘knowledge’. Together, these four letters form the word Aryeh, meaning ‘lion’ - the first of the four animals in the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the heavenly throne chariot (ch.1). But you can also form the word yir’ah with them, meaning ‘fear’, or ‘re spect’. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” ( P salm 111:10). Proverbs 1:7 uses the word ‘knowledge’ instead of wisdom. For true knowledge and wisdom, you have to be receptive. This receptiveness arises from fear: respect for the Lord, through which the ego is, as it were, made subordinate to the reality outside oneself because one is open for the Source of reality, the Creator. With the letter Qoph, we saw already that the resh could also represent the ‘Rasha’, meaning ‘the evildoer’. However, the ‘rasha’ can repent from his evil ways, and return to the Qadosh, the Holy God. In the way of repentance, the resh changes from ‘Rasha’ into Rosh, meaning ‘head’. Finally, it is interesting to note that the numerical value of resh is two hundred. In the Talmud, two hundred ‘zuz’ (an ancient Jewish coin) represents the poverty line. Somebody who possesses less than two hundred ‘zuz’ is entitled to appeal to the charity of the community. By Kees de Vreugd, Theologian, Christians for Israel International, and Editor of Israel and the Church Supersessionism is the technical theological term for replacement theology or fulfilment theology. US withdrawal from Syria creates Israel’s gravest security situation in the 21st century. The security situation of Israel cannot be seen separated from what is happening in the countries around Israel. This is true in particular when it comes to the threat from Iran and the Iranian expansion in Syria. Iran is trying very hard to use Syria as a highway and base to build up military power against Israel. This is the reason that Israel is regularly bombing Iranian targets in Syria. The harsh reality is that almost everyone involved agrees that the US withdrawal from North-East Syria will make things much worse for Israel. The US has a 2000-strong force in the Self Administration of North- East Syria (SANES). SANES is unique in the Middle East. In 2013 SANES was established in the combined regions of Jazira (utter North-East Syria), Kobane and Afrin (utter North-West Syria). It was established as an alliance of Kurds, Syriac-Assyrian Christians and Arabs living in these regions. It is based on secular democratic and power-sharing governance. It has full freedom of religion and full equality and equal freedoms for men and women. Even those who convert from Islam to Christianity can establish their own churches publicly. There is, for example, an increasing number of Christian Kurds. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are the army of SANES. SANES hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced people from Syria and Iraq. Since 2014, the International Coalition and the SDF have increasingly worked together in successfully defeating ISIS (which is not finished yet). US Army is present in Jazira, Kobane and liberated areas (Manbij, Raqqa, Deir Ezzor). US Army was never present in Afrin. Turkey invaded Afrin in January 2018 and destroyed it. The Yazidi’s and Christian Kurds there were driven away or forcefully converted to Islam by the jihadists that Turkey used in the attack at Afrin. Tens of thousands of Kurds were driven away from Afrin. As you can see on the map, one-third of Syria is now part of SANES and defended by the SDF. From this map, it is clear that SANES is strategically located between Iraq and the Iran/regime-controlled part of Syria. So this 2000 US force helps a 50.000 SDF force to be a critical barrier against Iran. If the US leaves, without the protection of SANES against Turkey the following will happen. Moscow promised SANES and SDF protection against Turkey if they merge with the Assad regime. If there is no other solution, this will for sure happen as Turkey would otherwise destroy and murder both the Kurds and the Syriac-Assyrian Christians (as we have seen in Afrin). If that merger happens, there will be no barrier anymore against Iran as Moscow and Assad will instruct the SDF to let them through. Here you see the difference: This means that Iran can increase its troop movement and military build-up by 400%. This increase is possible because three additional major routes will become available that each are easier and better than the current route. That will create an unprecedented Iranian pressure on Israel and the whole Arab region. There are attempts to solve the situation with a mixed force of French and Arab troops to replace the US. It is very unclear if that can succeed in time. It is very unclear how the US wants to protect SANES as economic sanctions alone will not stop Turkey from invading. SANES will only not merge with the Assad regime if it is certain that Turkey will be stopped from invading North-East Syria. If the US gives Turkey a 20-mile-zone in Northern Syria, SANES will for sure merge with the Assad regime before that happens. This means that all those who care for the future and security of Israel should ask President Trump to postpone the withdrawal until SANES is really safe against any Turkish aggression. Johannes de Jong is director of Sallux. Sallux is a Christian political thinktank at a European level, and has been involved in the situation in North-East Syria since 2014. 09 Israel Today February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 Israel’s Story in Maps Courtesy of CFOIC Heartland The State of Israel is so often the focus of the world’s attention totally out of proportion with its physical size, and yet misinformation over its borders – modern and historical – is a favourite tool of those who oppose Israel’s very existence. Israel’s history of thousands of years is dotted with conflict, and yet so many do not understand just how small this amazing land is. Here we begin a series excerpted from the resource ‘Israel’s Story in Maps’, a remarkable story indeed. The Land of Israel - 3D Illustration Map 1 - Everything’s Relative 2 United States: 3,794,100 mi 2 9,826,675 km Israel: 0.28% of the USA Washington 2 Russia: 6,601,668 mi 2 17,098,242 km Israel: 0.16% of Russia Moscow 2 China: 3,705,406 mi 2 9,596,960 km Israel: 0.28% of China Beijing 2 Israel: 10,733 mi 2 27,799 km including Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights Jerusalem US Withdrawal Increases Threat By Johannes de Jong, Director of Sallux How SANES and SDF are now a barrier against Iran Currently there is only one narrow Iranian transport route through Syria: Map based on Liveuamap Syria Iranian transport routes if SANES/SDF are forced to hand over North-East Syria to Syrian regime

11. Israel’s 70th Birthday Present Last May, on the occasion of Israel’s 70th anniversary, I happened to be in Jerusalem. Among other things I filmed an interview with David Parsons, Vice-President of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem. Trained as an Attorney, David was the principal author of the Jerusalem Embassy Act that passed through the US Congress in 1995, which ultimately led to the US Embassy move to Jerusalem. Jerusalem Day , the anniversary of Jerusalem’s re-unification in 1967, happened to fall on 13th May in the Gregorian Calendar (28th Iyar in the Hebrew Calendar). The following day was Israel’s 70th birthday in the Gregorian Calendar. It was on that day that the United States opened its Embassy in Jerusalem, and I had the pleasure to be there to witness it from nearby. Of course, there was widespread condemnation expressed by many nations from across the world, including from nations that call themselves friends of Israel. Among other things, the US Embassy move was condemned as ‘a violation of International Law’. Actually, as far as International Law is concerned, President Trump did the right thing. Nevertheless, the Palestinian Authority is planning to contest the legality of the move in the International Court of Justice. International Law Conference in the Czech Parliament In early January—last month—I had the privilege of attending a conference in Prague which focused on the sovereignty of Jerusalem in International Law, as well as looking at the political and legal issues surrounding the so-called ‘Two-State Solution’. These issues are central to “Whose Land?” Parts 2 & 3 respectively. The conference, under the auspices of The Hague Initiative for International Co- operation ( thinc. ), was held in the Czech Parliament and sponsored by a number of organisations including the European Coalition for Israel, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the Israel Allies Foundation, Sallux, the William Wilberforce Institute (Czech) and B’nai B’rith. One of the main organisers and speakers was Andrew Tucker, Co- founder and Director of thinc. Among the other speakers was David Parsons. thinc. is a forum for international lawyers to come and work together to find a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, within the framework of International Law, that honours both sides. Another aim is to expose the abuse of International Law used by Israel’s enemies to achieve the political goals that seek to delegitimize the Jewish state. In 2017 I attended thinc.’s inaugural conference at the Palace of Peace in The Hague, home of the International Court of Justice. The significance of the location of this latest conference, which was opened by the Speaker of the Czech Parliament, is that the Czech Republic is following the USA, Guatemala and Brazil in recognising Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and moving its embassy there. Australians to recognise ‘West Jerusalem’ as Israel’s capital After several years of lobbying by various groups in Canberra, the Australian Prime Minister made an announcement just before Christmas. Many Australian Christians, however, are deeply disappointed that the government has only gone considerably less than half way. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is an Evangelical Christian, caved in under international political pressure—as well as intense pressure from the Foreign Ministry and Intelligence agencies— to make a considerably watered down announcement. While recognising ‘West Jerusalem’ as Israel’s capital, Australia will not be moving its embassy there until Israel and ‘the Palestinians’ come to a negotiated settlement and the so- called ‘Two-State Solution’ is finalised. Andrew Tucker, himself an Aussie, and the main legal advisor for “Whose Land?” , believes that this situation is worse than if Australia had refrained from making a decision altogether. Why? Firstly, because it gives credence to the claim of the PLO (the main governing body of the Palestinian Authority) to both a legitimate historic and legal right to the ancient Jewish capital—its claim is entirely fraudulent. Moreover, the PLO has never recognised the right of Israel to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and neither has it ever amended its founding Charter that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, which it agreed to do under ‘Oslo’. Rather, the PLO’s claim of sovereignty over the ancient Jewish capital is nothing less than an attempt to rip the heart and soul out of the Jewish nation. Secondly, the ‘Palestinian’ claim on Jerusalem is based on Jordan’s illegal seizure of ‘East Jerusalem’, which is what brought it into Arab hands during the War of Independence in 1948. The ancient Jewish capital (specifically ‘The Old City’) was ethnically cleansed of its Jewish population. Jordan’s conquest of ‘East Jerusalem’, which was both politically and militarily supported by Britain, was illegal under the UN Charter. As Andrew Tucker tells us in Part 2 of “Whose Land?”; “Jordan had no claim to Jerusalem or the ‘West Bank’—on the basis of any doctrinal principle of international law.” In 1988 Jordan renounced its territorial claim to ‘East Jerusalem’ and the ‘West Bank’ in favour of the ‘Palestinians’, and as another lawyer points out— Professor Eugene Kontorovich—Jordan had no legal power of disposition to do so. Therefore the ‘Palestinian’ Arab claim to sovereignty over ‘East Jerusalem’ is a violation of a universal principle of International Law known as ‘ex injuria jus oritur’ which basically means that something acquired illegally cannot be used as a point of legal claim. There are other conventions of International Law that come into play as well. The fact is, the Palestinians have no legal claim whatsoever under International Law to any part of Jerusalem. Nations that support the concept of a Palestinian state with ‘East Jerusalem’ as its capital do so illegitimately. The only way the ‘Palestinians’ can legally attain sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem is if the State of Israel voluntarily cedes it to them. Israel conditionally offered to do this under ‘Oslo’ but the Palestinian leadership rejected it. Thirdly, the Australian Prime Minister’s announcement has made the move of its embassy to Jerusalem more unlikely than ever. I can say that the Israeli government is also disappointed that a nation that is one of its closest friends has let them down in this way. Lastly, and most significantly, it has put Australia on a collision course with Israel’s God and King. Australia is not unique in that respect by any means, but it has joined the huge band of nations who are trying to thwart the purposes of God, which we can see from Zechariah 1:14b – 16: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent.” Therefore thus says the LORD: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”‘ I believe this is what the Lord is saying to the nations at this time. As I have often said before, the Lord Jesus is not going to return to Jerusalem as the capital of an Islamic Palestinian state. As an Australian citizen myself, I am dismayed by what has happened. Of course, Britain’s betrayal of the Jewish nation is far greater and a source of even deeper grief to me as a British citizen, and anger as far as the Lord is concerned (see above Scripture). In fact, a lot of the problems that Israel faces today are a legacy of Britain’s violation of the terms of the Mandate. The battle for Jerusalem still has a long way to go in the international arena, as well as fulfilment in the prophetic Scriptures. The command that we have is to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122:6), and that shalom will only come once the Prince of Peace is reigning from the throne of David in the City that He calls His own. Update on “Whose Land?” We thank the Lord for an injection of funds at the end of last year which has enabled us to substantially reduce shortfall when Part 1 was released, and make some further progress with research and development. Although we are still unable to properly restart the production, we do believe that this is the first-fruits of what is to come. In the meantime we are continuing to try to raise funds from various sources. Until we receive the funding we need for completion, we can’t give a release date for Part 2, even though the production of both Parts 2 & 3 is well advanced. To see more about “Whose Land?” visit www.whoseland.tv ___________________________________ Hugh Kitson Producer of “Whose Land?” – on behalf of Title Deed Media. 5 February 2019 Commentary Analysis by Dr Hugh Kitson Australia’s Aborted Embassy Move — the Legal Implications Delegates at the conference in the Czech Parliament. Thinc’s Director, Andrew Tucker, addresses the conference.

24. Our Projects 12 Although the year 2019 is already a few weeks old, the start of a new year always presents a good opportunity to pause for reflection and look back on the previous year. The practical help our supporters provide, especially with free transport to a consulate and the Israeli embassy and after that to an airport, is appreciated enormously. By providing transport we make families feel safe and can also help in their struggle to collect all official documents. Without these, they cannot get an exit visa and begin building a new existence in Israel. At the moment we have eight minibuses and three passenger cars at our disposal to do our work, a necessity in a country the size of Ukraine. Leaving is Always Difficult In the past year, we assisted families from places we had not visited before. Also, a number of Holocaust survivors asked us to help them with their departure to Israel. Our two hiding places (in Kiev and the east) were fully occupied, especially by families coming from the Ukrainian war zone and by families waiting for their departure flights and who were living far from an airport. If possible, we avoid night-time travelling, especially during the cold winter months. However, it remains a problem if families have fled without the intention to go to Israel. But because of the dead-end and dangerous situation in the east, they choose to leave anyway. In that case, often documents must be obtained from the archives. That usually presents quite a fuss, and what’s more, it is dangerous to return to the war- zone. Helping Where Possible In Ukraine, we organised 20, and in Russia 12 aliyah seminars (informative meetings about emigrating to Israel). We organised six consul days together with several other Christian organisations and the Israeli embassy. These are meetings where professional and practical explanation is given about the possibilities of making aliyah for Jews who wish to move to Israel. We have experienced excellent cooperation with the Jewish Agency and a number of rabbis when we have visited new places. We are grateful for that. The visit of the Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs and his wife Blume in October last year was a real boost, especially for the rabbis and their parishioners who live very isolated. Isaiah 11:12 clearly writes about the work that we are allowed to do here for so many years already: “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” | Photo: Christians for Israel You can donate by filling out the coupon below. Thank you in advance for your support on behalf of the Jewish community! Holocaust survivor Svetlana (second on the left) from the village of Dzigovka survived the ghetto of Yampol. She hopes to go to Israel soon, with her daughter and grandson. Here she is on her way to the Israeli embassy in Kiev. Christians for Israel - International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director PO Box 1100, 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 402 277 930 info@c4israel.com.au | www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - East Africa PO Box 34479, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 392 865 461 | c4iuganda@yahoo.com Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564 info@c4israel.org.nz | www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - UK PO Box 789, Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B73 5FX, United Kingdom Tel: +44 121 647 3710 | ukinfo@c4israel.org Christians for Israel - USA Fred J van Westing, CEO PO Box 2589, Manteca, CA 95336, USA Tel/Fax: +1 209 665 4280 fredvanwesting@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today express the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. © CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. www.facebook.com/c4israel Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Looking Back on Aliyah in 2018 By Koen Carlier, Christians for Israel Ukraine February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 During the cold Ukrainian winter the Aliyah team travel long distances on icy roads Complete form & return to: Christians for Israel Australia PO Box 1508, Springwood, Qld 4127 or securely online www.c4israel.com.au/donate I want to support Christians for Israel C4I MINISTRY SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECTS ALIYAH - BRING THE JEWS HOME TEACHING RESOURCES & PREMIUM GIFTS DONATION DONATION FULL RANGE OF RESOURCES AT: C4ISRAEL.COM.AU/STORE QUANTITY Please post cheque or money order to: Christians for Israel Australia Inc (don’t use staples) Internet Banking: BSB: ANZ BANK – 016-464 Account No: 454158806 Ref: Your name & donation purpose. Please confirm be emailing info@c4israel.com.au My Details Name: ________________________________ Address: ______________________________ ______________________________________ Phone: _______________________________ Email: ________________________________ $___________ $___________ TOTA L $___________ MY TOTAL DONATION $___________ $___________ $___________ $1000 $300 $5000 $1350 $550 My donation for general admin costs (inc print & post) Semakh Statue Memorial (Matching dollar for dollar appeal) Hineni Soup kitchen & Holocaust survivor support One Person One Busload (25 persons) Bnei Menashe - Asian Jews (1 person) French Jews (1 person) First Home in the Homeland ($350 pp) One Family (5 persons) $______ ___________ Israel and Christians Today Paper (Free or by donation) $30 each Why Israel? (2 DVD SET) by Willem Glashouwer ___________ $20 each Why End Times? (DVD) Why Jerusalem? (DVD) ___________ $100 each Adi Watches (Mens ) (Ladies) ___________ $20 each Rebuiling the Temple (BOOK) by Enoch Lavender ___________ $25 each ___________ Whose Land? Pt 1 - Foundations (DVD) by Hugh Kitson $25 each ___________ 31 October - Destiny’s Date? (DVD) by Kelvin Crombie $30 each ___________ Anti-Israel Agenda (BOOK) by Alex Ryvchin Christians for Israel Australia ABN: 79 941 819 693 $___________ ($15 per parcel) Food Parcels $12.50ea ___________ Israel 70 Years Magazine (NEW SPECIAL-DISCOUNTED PRICE) $46 each ___________ Israel on Trial (500p Refernce BOOK) by Andrew Tucker Our Projects 12 Although the year 2019 is already a few weeks old, the start of a new year always presents a good opportunity to pause for reflection and look back on the previous year. The practical help our supporters provide, especially with free transport to a consulate and the Israeli embassy and after that to an airport, is appreciated enormously. By providing transport we make families feel safe and can also help in their struggle to collect all official documents. Without these, they cannot get an exit visa and begin building a new existence in Israel. At the moment we have eight minibuses and three passenger cars at our disposal to do our work, a necessity in a country the size of Ukraine. Leaving is Always Difficult In the past year, we assisted families from places we had not visited before. Also, a number of Holocaust survivors asked us to help them with their departure to Israel. Our two hiding places (in Kiev and the east) were fully occupied, especially by families coming from the Ukrainian war zone and by families waiting for their departure flights and who were living far from an airport. If possible, we avoid night-time travelling, especially during the cold winter months. However, it remains a problem if families have fled without the intention to go to Israel. But because of the dead-end and dangerous situation in the east, they choose to leave anyway. In that case, often documents must be obtained from the archives. That usually presents quite a fuss, and what’s more, it is dangerous to return to the war- zone. Helping Where Possible In Ukraine, we organised 20, and in Russia 12 aliyah seminars (informative meetings about emigrating to Israel). We organised six consul days together with several other Christian organisations and the Israeli embassy. These are meetings where professional and practical explanation is given about the possibilities of making aliyah for Jews who wish to move to Israel. We have experienced excellent cooperation with the Jewish Agency and a number of rabbis when we have visited new places. We are grateful for that. The visit of the Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs and his wife Blume in October last year was a real boost, especially for the rabbis and their parishioners who live very isolated. Isaiah 11:12 clearly writes about the work that we are allowed to do here for so many years already: “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” | Photo: Christians for Israel You can donate by filling out the coupon below. Thank you in advance for your support on behalf of the Jewish community! Holocaust survivor Svetlana (second on the left) from the village of Dzigovka survived the ghetto of Yampol. She hopes to go to Israel soon, with her daughter and grandson. Here she is on her way to the Israeli embassy in Kiev. Christians for Israel - International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director PO Box 1100, 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 402 277 930 info@c4israel.com.au | www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - East Africa PO Box 34479, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 392 865 461 | c4iuganda@yahoo.com Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564 info@c4israel.org.nz | www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - UK PO Box 789, Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B73 5FX, United Kingdom Tel: +44 121 647 3710 | ukinfo@c4israel.org Christians for Israel - USA Fred J van Westing, CEO PO Box 2589, Manteca, CA 95336, USA Tel/Fax: +1 209 665 4280 fredvanwesting@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today express the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. © CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. www.facebook.com/c4israel Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Looking Back on Aliyah in 2018 By Koen Carlier, Christians for Israel Ukraine February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 During the cold Ukrainian winter the Aliyah team travel long distances on icy roads Our Projects 12 Although the year 2019 is already a few weeks old, the start of a new year always presents a good opportunity to pause for reflection and look back on the previous year. The practical help our supporters provide, especially with free transport to a consulate and the Israeli embassy and after that to an airport, is appreciated enormously. By providing transport we make families feel safe and can also help in their struggle to collect all official documents. Without these, they cannot get an exit visa and begin building a new existence in Israel. At the moment we have eight minibuses and three passenger cars at our disposal to do our work, a necessity in a country the size of Ukraine. Leaving is Always Difficult In the past year, we assisted families from places we had not visited before. Also, a number of Holocaust survivors asked us to help them with their departure to Israel. Our two hiding places (in Kiev and the east) were fully occupied, especially by families coming from the Ukrainian war zone and by families waiting for their departure flights and who were living far from an airport. If possible, we avoid night-time travelling, especially during the cold winter months. However, it remains a problem if families have fled without the intention to go to Israel. But because of the dead-end and dangerous situation in the east, they choose to leave anyway. In that case, often documents must be obtained from the archives. That usually presents quite a fuss, and what’s more, it is dangerous to return to the war- zone. Helping Where Possible In Ukraine, we organised 20, and in Russia 12 aliyah seminars (informative meetings about emigrating to Israel). We organised six consul days together with several other Christian organisations and the Israeli embassy. These are meetings where professional and practical explanation is given about the possibilities of making aliyah for Jews who wish to move to Israel. We have experienced excellent cooperation with the Jewish Agency and a number of rabbis when we have visited new places. We are grateful for that. The visit of the Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs and his wife Blume in October last year was a real boost, especially for the rabbis and their parishioners who live very isolated. Isaiah 11:12 clearly writes about the work that we are allowed to do here for so many years already: “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” | Photo: Christians for Israel You can donate by filling out the coupon below. Thank you in advance for your support on behalf of the Jewish community! Holocaust survivor Svetlana (second on the left) from the village of Dzigovka survived the ghetto of Yampol. She hopes to go to Israel soon, with her daughter and grandson. Here she is on her way to the Israeli embassy in Kiev. Christians for Israel - International Leon Meijer, Chairman Rev Willem J.J. Glashouwer, President Rev Cornelis Kant, Executive Director PO Box 1100, 3860 BC Nijkerk, The Netherlands Tel: +31 33 422 0405 info@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.org The English edition of Israel & Christians Today is published by the following English speaking branches: Christians for Israel - Australia Ian Worby, National Leader PO Box 1508, Springwood Queensland, Australia 4127 Tel: +61 402 277 930 info@c4israel.com.au | www.c4israel.com.au Christians for Israel - East Africa PO Box 34479, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 392 865 461 | c4iuganda@yahoo.com Christians for Israel - New Zealand Bryce Turner, National Executive Director PO Box 12 006, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand 1642 Tel: +64 9 525 7564 info@c4israel.org.nz | www.c4israel.org.nz Christians for Israel - UK PO Box 789, Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B73 5FX, United Kingdom Tel: +44 121 647 3710 | ukinfo@c4israel.org Christians for Israel - USA Fred J van Westing, CEO PO Box 2589, Manteca, CA 95336, USA Tel/Fax: +1 209 665 4280 fredvanwesting@c4israel.org | www.c4israel.us DISCLAIMER - Articles printed in Israel & Christians Today express the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editors or that of the Board of Christians for Israel. The printing of articles or advertising in Israel & Christians Today does not necessarily imply either endorsement or agreement. © CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system or in any other form, is prohibited without permission. Please contact the Managing Editor should you wish to syndicate or republish any articles or materials appearing in Israel & Christians Today. www.facebook.com/c4israel Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Looking Back on Aliyah in 2018 By Koen Carlier, Christians for Israel Ukraine February 2019 Shevat - Adar I 5779 During the cold Ukrainian winter the Aliyah team travel long distances on icy roads NEW! NEW! 50% OFF!

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