OUR GOD IS A GREAT AND FAITHFUL GOD!

Many people have asked me, “How was your trip to Israel?” I reply, “Very, very good.” What we saw and learnt, makes it all so clear, that what we have been reading is all true, the places, the history, whatever God said he would do. The most important thing I learnt about the trip to Israel this time, is that God is such a great God, that He is the one that loves people, each person, one by one, and saves people, reconciling people. We hear so many testimonies of Jews and Arabs who came to the Lord in such miraculous ways, and we hear ex drug addicts, alcoholics, people without hope, who have found forgiveness and life in Christ. It is about God, coming down to touch people. We can see and are told that it is hard work, it is Christ in us changing people, changing society.  Though we can see the big picture…what God is doing in Israel, and the nations of the world, Jews and Gentiles, it still boils down to the lives of each individual.

For me, it has been a learning process, it is like building the foundation of the entire Word of God, and I begin to see clearly from God’s Word what He is doing in the world. I have found that as we open our hearts to the Lord, He will reveal, just like in last week’s sermon, when Jesus asked :

Mat 16:13  And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say Me to be, the Son of Man?

Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

Mat 16:15  He said to them, But who do you say I am?

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mat 16:17  Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and  blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.

The Lord wants to know WHO WE SAY THAT HE IS. And only God can reveal who Jesus is to us. So what we learn of Israel and how it relates to us is also through God the Father revealing to us. Some things may take some time to sink, as we continue to search and the Lord reveals to us.

1.      GOD DOES WHAT HE SAYS              

God is a covenant keeping God.

What is prophecy?

1.   God says it and it is in the Bible for all to read

2.   God’s action in history (by watching and praying and be involved in the world)

3.   Prophetic event – God creates an event, need revelation to see it and participate in it.

When Jesus was born and throughout his life here, it was always about the fulfilment of Scriptures in the Old Testament. Some verses in Matthew :

Mat 2:14  And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt.

Mat 2:15  And he was there until the death of Herod; so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the LORD through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called My Son."

Mat 2:23  And he came and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Mat 4:13  And leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is on the seacoast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mat 4:14  so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

Mat 4:15  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations!

Mat 8:17  so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He took on Himself our weaknesses and bore our sicknesses."

Mat 12:17  so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

Mat 12:18  "Behold My Child whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He shall declare judgment to the nations.

Mat 13:35  so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

Mat 21:4  All this was done so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

Mat 21:5  "Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and sitting on an ass, even a colt the foal of an ass."

Mat 27:35  And they crucified Him, dividing His garments, casting a lot; so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, "They parted My garments among them, and they cast a lot for My clothing."

Throughout the Bible, it is about God’s covenant and dealings with the nation of Israel :

1^st mention of Israel :

Gen 32:28  And He said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for like a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed.

'Israel' from Strong's Concordance No. 3478 ישׂראל yiśrâ'êl means 'he will rule as God'. 

Israel is mentioned in the Bible 2571 times

200 verses with the phrase of God of Israel.

607 verses with the phrase sons of Israel

Genesis 12:1-3

Abrahamic Covenant – first mention of God’s purpose to have a nation that will bless the whole earth.

Exodus 19:5-8

Mosaic Covenant – where God says He will make Israel a Kingdom of priests and holy nation, where He is their King, and He wants them to be an example to the world of God’s rule in their lives – every aspect of their lives. The meaning of 'Israel' shows that Israel was meant to be a country that shows forth the rule of God.

There are many Prophetic passages on what God would do  (and a large portion, at this time has been fulfilled)  in Israel, but here are a few :

Ezekiel 34:11-31, 36:8-38

Ezekiel 37 – the bones have life again (for the Jews after the destruction of the of the first Temple, and most recent the Holocaust)

Book of Zechariah

Isaiah 66 (verse 8 – fulfilled when Israel became a nation in a day on 14 May 1948)

When Israel became a nation in 1948, it was said that you could count only 15 believers, then it just grew, as the Jews made aliyah, and the gospel went back to the Jews. The gospel went out from the Jews (Jesus was a Jew, all the disciples were Jews) and the gospel is going back to the Jews.  There are at least 15,000, some say 20,000 Messianic Jews in Israel.

2.      HE WANTS US TO RESPOND TO WHAT HE SAYS

         

         Please go to my posting ONE NEW MAN for further study on the following :

         Ephesians 2:11-22, Romans 11

         

         Some people have voiced their anger towards Israel for displacing the Palestinians, and other matters that the world is upset at Israel. I do understand that some of this anger is valid, and many more are lopsided. On every side, someone has been hurt, someone has their reason to be to angry and fight each other. I begin to understand that as human beings, and without God, we would do many things that cause destruction and destroys human relationships. Only God can restore and bring reconciliation. As individuals find forgiveness and peace in Yeshua their Messiah, He will bring that restoration and reconciliation amongst people that most times would be literally impossible without the forgiveness, hope and life that comes only through the Lord! And that is what I see God is doing….what is past, what made us hate and destroy each other no longer matters. What we see happening is God repairing lives, and where we can find hope in Him, and people obeying God’s Word to see the ONE NEW MAN.  

         As I was writing this, and listening to an online Open Hebrew Class discussion that I am joining for the first time (because my normal class at 6am today was cancelled and this discussion is at the same time), the teacher was talking about (at the moment I was typing the above!) Ezekiel 37 about the dry bones, and the fact that you can look in many ways what this all means…but the fact is that nothing was lost and the bones came together and God breathed into them and they were alive again!  He said, “Nothing was lost as all are connected to the Lord, and because we want to be connected to the Lord.” How profound! Yes, at the end, despite what has happened in the past, whatever problems, whatever sin, God gives us hope as we connect to Him. Then we are able to forgive each other and see that it is God who brings the healing and reconciliation. All we need to do is respond and receive what Christ has done for us.

It is amazing that the national anthem of Israel is THE HOPE, HaTikvah (Ha = The, Tikvah = Hope)

            

            

            

            

            

                               

A BETTER....HEAVENLY COUNTRY

Yes, it is great to be home! But my thoughts are still filled with the trip to Israel....the many things we learnt, the friends we made....and now, what to share with the people here.

Just a couple of photos of the family....wanted to put the latest of the latest, but a bit 'cacat' in downloading, so these are from my handphone. The top was from our 17th Wedding Anniversary on 25 January this year. A pity Noel looks blurred in the photo. The photo of the boys was also taken about then, in my messy study room! See my books (God's Word & You) all stacked up on the left??

This morning, it must have been about 4am, when I woke up with terrible palpitations....that is, took the pulse rate, and it was about 200 per minute! I did think, this heart may just decide to stop! Other times, it does not go up so high, usually, 140-160. I am sure you know that normal pulse rate would be about 80-90. For those who don't know, this is a regular occurrence in my life, causing me to be in the hospital on an average of once per month. Don't worry, there is nothing dangerous about my heart palpitating. But....palpitations mean that the heart is pumping too fast, and it is not pumping properly, therefore reduction of oxygen to the brain and I may just faint....and causing low blood pressure too.  It will be dangerous if you are driving, or you faint and hit your head somewhere. It will just take too much space to explain everything  - how to solve problem, why, when.... so I will leave it to some other time. 

5 am. Normally, I will just wait for Noel to wake up about 6am, then we will go off to Sunway Medical Centre, where my cardiologist is at. I decided to read the book of Hebrews. This is such a great book, and it seems to be a mini Bible that explains God's purpose for His people, Israel, and about living by faith. 

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 

Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.      (KJV)

It is very easy, as believers, to live on this earth, as if this is our final destination. We build our dreams here, just like everyone else....a life of comfort, with our material possessions. I find that it is important to know that we are only here on transit to our heavenly country! That is the reason why Jesus said we are not to build our earthly treasure but heavenly treasure.

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. 

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

So at 6am Noel dropped me while the nurses ('You again, ah?", "Palpitations again?!?" "Ha! Ha! The same ......." ) get me ready to inject the medication straight to the heart. It will bring the pulse rate to 0....this is actually very scary, I only found out only recently!....and then the heart will start pumping and go back to normal. When the heart goes to 0 rate, I have a sick feeling for about 2 seconds, and I am fine! Then it is waiting for another hour for the blood pressure to go back to normal. Then it is time to go home. 

While I was waiting, there was another elderly patient next to me. From the conversations I heard between the nurses and doctor, she has renal failure. They had contacted her children but they were taking a long time to come. Suddenly, she was calling out for the nurse that she could not breathe, and I called, "Quickly, she is calling!". So there was a bit of commotion, but she was ok, and was later brought to the ICU. I was praying for her that her children would get there quick, thinking of the fact that it would be terrible to go without your family around! But I remembered what I read this morning. We, as children of God are truly blessed to know the Lord, and there is nothing to fear if we are leaving this place we call home....this earth.....but it is truly temporary. Then I remembered that about 2 months ago, a Chinese lady in her 50s, that a few of us shared the gospel to, passed away of renal failure. She had asked the Lord's forgiveness and gave her life to the Lord, and found hope and joy in Him, though it was only in such a short time. Her family who were unbelievers could see that she had peace when she passed away and called me. They said they know that she believes in Jesus and wants her to go through a Christian funeral service. This was the first time we were organising for  aChinese speaking funeral but thank God we had a Chinese pastor friend that helped us tremendously. It was such a joy to KNOW that she has gone back to her rightful, permanent HOME. And it was so wonderful that her relatives could hear the gospel and know that there is indeed a better place. This earth is full of pain, and suffering, and problems, but Praise God for the hope we have through our Lord Jesus Christ!  

PHOTOS, PHOTOS, AND MORE PHOTOS!

For those who don't know what a Kipa or kippah, here is a picture of the kipas I bought for Noel and my sons, Nethanial, Jaden and Nahshon :

I did pay a bit too much for them....I thought I was a seasoned enough shopper, not to be caught buying at the first shop, but I failed miserably this time! But when shopping in Israel, we always are in the mind to bless the people (especially when we find that there are many more shops selling at a cheaper price....!!) and whatever ministries that reach out to bring the message of salvation...whether it is to the Jews or the Gentiles. Noel requested that I buy one for him...he told me on my 3rd day in Israel that he wore one (the one that we got free from the Wailing Wall when we were here the last time) to One Utama shopping centre and everyone was looking at him, wondering whether he was a Muslim! The last time when we were here, we were told that the Jews wear this as a reminder that God is in heaven above, and that we are on the earth....I guess to keep us grounded. : ). I am sure it is also a sign of respect to remind us that God is there looking over us!

Today is a free day for us, and Praise God that I was able to buy all that I needed to buy with whatever money that was left!! We went to a wet market near the hotel and I bought some figs and a box of matzo. Matzo (Click here for a Biblical explanation of what matzo signifies) is the communion bread that is without leaven. It points to Christ who was without sin (leaven is a picture of sin), with holes. The Jews eat matzo to remember the suffering that they went through when they were liberated from the Egyptians, they did not have time to let the yeast rise. But we know that Jesus is the bread of life...without sin, and was pierced for our transgression....bringing freedom from sin into our lives.

 Look how orderly everything is arranged in the wet market! 

All sorts of olives!

We have these too....but the skin of the Israeli dragon fruit looks 
rather lumpy.....

Look at those HUGE pomegranates!! It is about 3 times bigger
than the ones we have in Malaysia! Smaller ones are normally 
used for juicing, and the bigger ones sold as fruit for eating

This is how pomegranate juice is extracted.....cut the fruit into
 half, and put it on the juice extractor, press and viola!!

Yums! Everyone keeps telling me....lots of antioxidant!

We then took a shuttle bus from the hotel and went back to the Old City where there were lots of shops that you can bargain. Finally got 5 of these T-shirts :

THE END.......looking forward to going home!!

GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

We had our School of Ministry (SOM) No.30 'graduation' ceremony yesterday night. It has been an amazing time here, and it feels so very different to be here. It is the Lord's land and God has always shown throughout history that He is a covenant keeping God, and we can clearly see that as to what has happened to Israel and it is THE country to watch if we want to know what God is doing both in the natural and spiritual. Peter shared that he believes we were brought here for a purpose, and something has taken place where we will see this time together as a platform for God to work in a greater way in our lives, as we take hold of what God is saying and doing. Most important of all, we are to continue to pray for Israel.

That is the Malaysian group which is about 45% of the total SOM students

This was taken from my camera...not as nice but with Rita, Peter's wife, in the photo. We appreciate the time of this couple. Peter will be going off to UK tomorrow...we have been blessed to have him throughout the trip, and this is his commitment, twice a year. The other SOM is in November. But he is an international teacher/speaker so he travels all around the world, yet he was with us throughout our time there.

Some of my newfound friends!!

There has been many 'firsts' in this SOM 30! There were hailstones in one of our trips to Tel Dan (Hill of Dan),someone getting lost at the airport even before the trip started, and of course the intrusion of the thieves (it is believed that there were more than one.....oh my!), someone tumbled on the bus and knocked her head....but we were told that we were the BEST group ever! Peter said it always gets better! I have had a great time... I only got to know a few of the Malaysians of our group (I didn't make great efforts to get to know the others from Australia, Singapore, UK), we always have small chats over meals, but I do stand amazed at what God is doing in their individual lives!
This morning, I woke up with Psalm 57 in my mind. So I read it....felt that it is as if that is the cry of this nation, Israel, to the Lord. It is the Lord who said that He bears the people on eagle's wings.
Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 
One day, the nation of Israel will be filled with the Jews, God's chosen people that will indeed whose heart is steadfast, and will sing and give praise to the Lord among the nations! (Psalm 57:7-11)

Something totally unexpected happened when we went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was before he was taken away to be crucified :
Mat 26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. Mat 26:37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Mat 26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 
Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt]. 
The schedule of the tour has been very tight and it's always ON THE DOT, and we have, what we call 'a sheepdog' for each bus (there were 2 buses of people) who was responsible to round the people and hurry them along when they slack or are left behind. Tough job!! So I was in the washroom (I just HAD to go).... when everyone disappeared when I came out. I couldn't see a single person of my group. I have been here before so I thought that would be the same route taken to go and see the garden. But no, no one was there! So I ran frantically to another side....still no sight of them. so I went back to where I came out...and heard Stephen calling me. Phew! He was behind this locked gate. They have booked a private part of the garden to have a time of teaching and prayer, and it had to be locked while people were inside. So I could not get in, but it was ok, I said I will just stay in the garden where there were these beautiful thick-trunked olive trees believed to be from the time of Jesus, therefore the trees are more than 2000 years old. 

Boy! Look how thick the trunk of this old olive tree is!! How could someone get rid of this tree?!?

There were many Arab Moslems selling souvenirs...old coins, silver necklaces, cards, bookmarks, etc. I went to buy some old coins as Nethanial collects them. Then another man who was selling silverware came and said, "Please buy from me, I have 4 children, and no one has bought anything from me......." He kept at this, while I was trying to tell him I don't want them and maybe others want it. He said so many visitors have passed by but none bought from him. So my heart was softened (though I told myself don't be fooled by some sob story) But as he talked...I thought, it is ok to just buy something though I don't need it. So I did buy one. So he thanked me for having such a good heart to hear his need. I just said thank Yeshua as that is who I believe it. I ended up talking to him for about 20 minutes. He said he thanks Allah. I said, "Just call upon God and ask Him to show you who is the true and living God" He said He does pray everyday. I told him that God loves you, and asked him whether the Quran has the word LOVE. He hesitated, and said, an unsure...Yes. I said, "God loves you and knows your every need." I could see that he was touched. Found out that he has 6 children, but 2 died. I asked what happened, he said they didn't have food for them, and he was emotional, and said he just has many problems. He said he prays everyday that what he sells will bring food for his children. I asked why don't you get a proper job as this peddling the silverware seems insufficient? He said he fell down from a high place, and  hurt his back badly, so he cannot work carrying heavy things. I told him that I will pray for him. He told me to pray for him at 2am, explaining to me that this is the time that the Moslems believe God will hear (??), so I said, 2am Israel time. His name is Bilal. Straight away, I felt, this man's salvation is more important than the money you are trying to keep for your shopping! I have been calculating mentally what I have as I had some things to buy. This time, I intentionally brought very little money...part to give to the ministry at Kehilat HaCarmel, and the rest to buy cds, books, kipa(s) (skull cap), camel skin sandals for the boys, and T-shirts. That is all. So I had money just enough for the sandals and the T-shirts which I have yet to get. But I took out what I felt I should give him and put into his hand. I really don't know whether what he is saying is true, but I was just sharing with Mrs Lee (Swee Chun) on the bus earlier that it is NEVER WRONG to give someone something out of your heart to bless them. When I related what happened, she exclaimed, "That's is why you cannot get in!" I believe that was the reason...so that this man will know that there is a true and living God that cares and loves him, and knows his every need. I told him that he can call upon Yeshua if he has a need. 
Later in the day, we visited, the Garden Tomb, where Jesus was believed to have been buried and rose from the dead. At the end of it, it really does't matter where Jesus was buried and rose again, as there are many possible places...but that He certainly did! As we were going to leave, we were asked to give a small donation for the upkeep of the place as we are not charged anything. Mrs Lee shared later with me that she had in mind what to put in, but she felt totally uncomfortable, and the amount that was 5 x the original amount came into her mind. She obeyed, and she felt a sense of relief. And as she was walking away, she heard clearly, "You came here to bless others, not to buy things (as in buying for herself)." So that is what she did and will be doing with her money! 
God is truly a great God...and everyday it is about learning to hear His voice and OBEY. 

BOBBING IN THE DEAD SEA......

Yesterday, finally, I went into the Dead Sea. The last time I was in Israel, I was just too lazy to get changed, go and float in the Dead Sea, and put mud on my body and hair (it is supposed to be very good for you!), wash it off, get changed....so I didn't. I just stayed and watched and took care of the belongings of those who went in. This time....I bobbed in the Dead Sea. Hana, our tour guide, taught us a new song...BOB, BOB, BOB...IN THE DEAD SEA, BOB, BOB, BOB...IN THE DEAD SEA.....to the tune of the Minions - 

We were told to just relax, lean backwards like you are going to sit on a nice sofa. No swimming, diving, and splashing about. We were told not to shave our legs or armpits before going into the water, ha! ha!. It will be truly painful! There isn't a single living organism in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea was the last place that we visited today. Click here if you want to know more about the Dead Sea. It is the lowest place on the face of the earth. 
Not only did I bob...I think it was only for 7 minutes...I put mud (the darker the better! Black is beau..ti..fulll!!!) on every part of my body that I could, and in my hair. Then it was pictures, pictures, more pictures! Yucks, the salt water was....so so salty and bitter. After 10 minutes of mud on my face, it began to sting..... got out of the water, ran to the shower, and ....oops forgot to take my towel! Shivering, walked back another 150m, got my bag, went to the shower room, and finally got changed. 

That is little old me in the middle...bobbing about....it is shallow, but I am not touching the ground.

Hmmm...if I ever do this again, it has to be a pretty warm day. Though it was a very good day, much warmer than the past 3 days, it felt chilly. Come to think of it, the Lord has been so so good to us. When we needed a warmer day, He has been doing that for most of the trip. When it was really cold, we were mainly in a building. It was only in the Golan Heights where we were extremely cold....but yet, on that day, it was raining off and on the whole day. But it was like God was watching over us. There was no rain when we were out, but when it was about to finish our time in the open air, it started drizzling...and raining, yes we did get slightly wet, but we were able run and take refuge in the bus. So, we were still able to do what was originally planned!
Before the Dead Sea, we had earlier visited Masada and Qumran. Please read here for the background and history of Masada. Many consider it a brave act that the Jews committed suicide rather than be caught by the Romans who will make them slaves:
When it became clear that the end was near, Zealot leader Elazar Ben-Yair called his people – 967 men, women, and children – together. He reminded them that they had long ago resolved to serve God only, and not the Romans nor any other master. He called upon them to die as free men and women, rather than face capture and slavery by the pagan conquerors.His heartrending and moving speech persuaded the Zealots to commit suicide before the expected dawn attack by the Romans. They burned their belongings and their weapons, leaving food so that the Romans would know that they had died of their own free will and had not perished of hunger.Lots were drawn and 10 men were chosen as executioners:  the rest lay side by side and bared their necks. At the end, one Zealot killed the other nine and then took his own life. It was the first day of Passover, the holiday in which the Jews celebrate their freedom from bondage.(Excerpt taken from http://www.timesofisrael.com/masada-tragic-fortress-in-the-sky/)
Hana said that for a long time, children were brought to Masada for their graduation and were told of what these Jews did, and that it was something to be proud of. But the highest suicide rate is in the army....all the young men and women must serve in the army. Something that seems so right may be totally wrong. There is a difference between killing and murder. The sixth commandment is "Thou shall not murder." In the case in Masada, it was murder....premeditated killing of another person...planned killing their own wives and children, and other fellow friends. Mrs Lee (Swee Chun to the people at SOM) and I just had a discussion on this matter. What would we do in such a situation? She said there is a Chinese saying that goes along the same line....to kill yourself rather than being killed by someone, and to kill the whole family to 'save face' rather than 'losing face'. The conclusion of our discussion...God's Word should be the standard for our actions, above any other reasoning or what we think is right in our own eyes.
Next, we went to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Read here on how it was discovered, and its importance. It is important because the texts are of great historical, religious, and linguistic significance as they include the earliest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible canon. Hana was sharing that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls were the same time when there was the United Nations General Assembly with the agreement for the formation of the nation of Israel, in November 1947. Why for 1900 years the scrolls were never discovered...but only at this very important time of the people of God? Israel was recognised as a nation on 14 May 1948. Hana said this was God's birthday present to the nation of Israel. God fulfilled His word to His people that they will one day be a nation...in one day!...and that His word endures forever!
Isaiah 66:8  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? [or] shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 
By the way, our guide Hana, is no ordinary guide. She is the best I have ever heard...and such a great expositor of God's Word! God's Word just jumps out of her mouth and becomes alive! I asked her after the time at the Dead Sea whether she has been to Bible College. Her answer was No, No, No. She said she just had the privilege of sitting under the feet of great teachers of God's Word. She mentioned a couple of names, and I could only recognise Derek Prince's name. She said Derek Prince lived with her family for 5 years and actually died in her arms. No wonder she had such knowledge of God's Word with someone who had such a heart for the nation of Israel and filled with God's Word! We went on to the discussion of food as she has been to Malaysia....she wasn't too fond of hawker food. I guess it is the same with us Malaysians....after a few days without rice nor noodles....it was like 'I want rice! I want noodles!" Even pasta did the job!! So she asked me to put in the evaluation....Why can't we have rice and noodles for breakfast?...which I didn't. I think since we are here (and not for a very long time!)  it is good to experience and eat the food here....anyway we will not, and need not, when we get home!! For Mrs Lee, after 3 days, she hardly ate the raw salads. Hana's husband Elihu (I think that is the spelling!) came to share tonight and is involved in Intercessors for Israel. It is just wonderful to see families serving the Lord together! I could see it with Peter and Rita Tsukahira, David and Karen Davis, and basically all the husband and wife team I have seen. 

JERUSALEM....THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING!

We serve an amazing God! This CITY OF PEACE....that is what Jerusalem means. The English word 'Jerusalem' is mentioned 767 times in the Bible. This city is indeed far from being a city of peace in the physical sense, but one day when the Messiah comes, it will be GOD'S HOLY CITY on earth. We all know that the Book of Revelation talks about the return of the Lord. There are 3 verses that mention this City in Revelation :
Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name. 
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
Jesus prayed...'thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. It all makes a whole lot of sense to me now. It takes some some to sink in....still lots more to sink in, but God is a merciful God to all who seek after Him. If we seek Him, we will indeed find Him! Such comfort! 
God continues to preserve the history of this City and we had such an amazing time of learning through Hana, our guide. She is indeed no ordinary guide and such an expositor of God's word! 
We were at Temple Mount...at the Dome of the Rock, that golden dome that is clear for all to see. That is actually a shrine, not a mosque. There is a mosque just 200m from it...can't remember the name. I am surprised that this area is controlled by the Moslem Authorities, given permission by Israel. Therefore this is the place that Moslems are allowed to do what they want, but it is heavily guarded, by the Israelis (another ?!?!) to ensure peace. We saw Moslem women shouting, 'Allah is the greatest, death to the Jews' (explained by Hana) but they were not stopped from doing that though the place is heavily guarded by Israeli police to ensure that things do not get out of hand. It is the Israeli Government's policy that each religious place is free for all and open to all. It is also a surprise that Jerusalem is considered the Moslem's 3rd holiest city....when it is never mentioned in the Quran! We were also told that there is not a single word in the Quran of FATHER, and LOVE. Isn't this a surprise! I would need to look in the English Quran that I have. All I know is that there are many verses in the Quran that brings out the fact that what the Christians and Jews do and believe are incorrect.

There were Israeli police all over the place. 

We also saw this group of Moslem women...in fact there were a few around and they acted quite violently when they shouted, "Allah is the greatest! Death to the Jews!" I wonder how they can be so blind to the fact that this is 'truth'? Wanting others dead just because you think that others are wrong and you are right? It truly baffles me.

I was a bit thick skinned...went up to the police guarding
part of the Western Wall and asked whether I could
take a photo with them. They were hesitant,
but finally agreed. : ). The Western Wall is just
next to the Temple Mount area.

Next stop....the Western Wall. It is just a few minutes walk from the Dome of the Rock. Why is the Western Wall so important? The Western Wall is the last remnant of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 CE by Titus and the Roman legions. It is not part of the Temple as the Temple was totally destroyed. The Temple is the place where the Jews went to pray and sacrifice for the atonement of their sins during the Sabbath and Jewish festivals and Feasts of the Lord. Peter Tsukahira shared that the scene in the book of Acts, as we are told it is the Feast of Pentecost, or Shavuot in Hebrew, took place here. It was a time when the Jews from all over gathered in Jerusalem. 
Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 
Act 2:6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 
We saw places where the mikveh, or ritual baths that the worshipers used  for ritual cleansing before bringing their sacrifice to the priest. It was great to be able to see the place where Acts 2 took place!

Peter teaching on Acts 2. The wall behind is the outer wall.
The Temple which was totally destroyed was behind this wall

Mikvehs just next to the outer protection wall of the temple. 

The temple was totally destroyed

With some of the younger ladies in the group...and Stephen Tang

THE HEBREW LANGUAGE

I have been thinking a little on the Chinese and Hebrew Language...how wonderful that God has created these languages with Biblical meanings in their characters (Chinese) and alphabets (Hebrew). My knowledge of Chinese, I am ashamed to say, is very minimal. When sharing the gospel with Chinese non-believers, I normally share from Genesis...how sin came about and man's need for God's forgiveness, will mention a few Chinese words which has Biblical meanings, give them a DVD WHO ARE THE CHINESE? and maybe the book GOD'S PROMISE TO THE CHINESE and another local book THE CONFESSIONS OF AN EX-TAOIST MEDIUM. The first 2 are available from Canaanland.
I am proud to be a Chinese and am part of this rich Biblical heritage!

I recently started an online 9 month Biblical Hebrew course in December 2013....and I am way, way behind!.... and will be missing 2 lessons during my trip to Israel. There are lots of lessons on YouTube if anyone is interested, but it really takes lots of discipline! 
(In the midst of writing....I can hear sounds of bombs....this is quite normal to hear in the quiet morning...it is 5am now)
As to Hebrew....here is a fun video on all the alphabets of the Hebrew language :

There are a couple of interesting facts we learnt from the CONVERSATIONAL HEBREW workshop yesterday. Our teacher was Neta Wineapple :
1. EVERY HEBREW LETTER MEANS SOMETHING
Here are a few :

For example, Ayin actually means 'eye' as in your eye that you use to see. We were told by our teacher Neta Applewine, that the word Yeshua is written

Hebrew is read from the right to the left....so the last letter in the word YESHUA is AYIN which carries the meaning 'EYE'. We were told that the Rabbis took the AYIN out of YESHUA, making it YESU. Yesu is a curse name which means MAY HIS NAME AND MEMORY BE ERASED,  and Neta said from young they were taught that Yeshua is Yesu, without AYIN, 'eye'. If you say Yeshua, they would not know who you are talking about. Only when the 'EYE' is put back into Yesu, will the people see the LIGHT, and SEE who YESHUA is! Only when the Lord opens their eyes, they can see Yeshua.....isn't that amazing?!

2. EVERY WORD HAS A ROOT
Remember about the olive tree and about roots? (Romans 11:17,18). Words with the same root are somehow connected to each other.

For example, the word for PEACE, Shalom. The root alphabets are (again from right to left) shin, lamed, mem. Remember that Hebrew was written without any spacing between words, so they have alphabets that have REGULAR (beginning and in the middle) and FINAL (at the end of a word). Therefore, here, we can only have PERFECT PEACE, because Jesus paid for our sins, and be complete in Him!

'Jerusalem' in Hebrew is pronounced Y'ru-shah-lah-yim. It means THE CITY OF PEACE. Notice, that it has the same root....reading from right....yod, resh, vav, shin, lamed, yod, mem. It has the root of the word PEACE. 




Another word is AMEN, which means in Hebrew 'so be it'. It has the same root as TRUTH and FAITH. Wow!

I don't really know whether we will all be speaking Hebrew in heaven, but I think it is a great language, just like Chinese....that we should learn. : )

SHABBAT SHALOM!!


For those who are interested in the the Hebrew alphabets. Don't know how to put this standing....maybe someone can help.....

YESHUA, OLIVE TREES, AND THE IDF

These are just some interesting facts :
YESHUA
Messianic Jews (Jews who have come to the knowledge of Jesus as their Messiah) call their Saviour Yeshua rather than Jesus. Yeshua is the Hebrew Word for Jesus. 'Jesus' is the Greek approximation of the original name of Jesus in Hebrew which is Yeshua. It began with Yeshua...then Yesus, then Jesus. The typical Jew refers to Jesus as YESU, which is the acronym of MAY YOUR NAME & MEMORY BE ERASED. It is a curse placed on Jesus by the Rabbis. 
Therefore, the Messianic Jews use YESHUA because that is what Jesus was called when Jesus was alive, and this word is the same word as SALVATION. This is just restoring the name of Jesus to its original context.

OLIVE TREES
Olive trees grow differently from other trees. We see them all over Israel, and it is all short...the average height seems to be about 7-10 feet tall, but the age comes from looking at the trunk.
It grows from the roots....a shoot will come out from the root, and circle the old shoots, therefore the trunk gets bigger and wider. New shoots are from the roots. It is hard to kill an olive tree because the life is from the roots. You can cut the tree, and you can burn the tree, as long as the roots are in the ground, the branches will come out and still produce fruit. The older the tree, the better the olives. 

This is supposed to be one of the oldest olive trees, maybe about 2,500-3000 years old (?), and was left next to a highway up to Sea of Galilee...taken yesterday. Will be able to see more 2000 year old trees when we get to Gethsemene (remember Jesus was there?) in Jerusalem.

The olive tree is in the symbol of Israel.
That's the menorah (lampstand) in the middle of the olive branches on the left and right. Israel is paralleled to an olive tree. You can try to cut it, burn it (Holocaust), it doesn't die as long as the root is in the ground. Remember Jesus being the ROOT of Jesse ( Isaiah 11:10, Romans 15:12)  . Please read Romans 11.

The tanks used during the Yom Kippur War....the exact location 

The Golan Heights overlooking towards Syria (where the buildings are). We could heard bombings from where we were standing

Fresh figs !! Reminded me of Deuteronomy 8:8 (8 - number of abundance!!)  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

IDF - ISRAEL DEFENCE FORCES
We passed a couple of bases and were told there are hundreds of tanks and weapons hidden underground. but no one can see it nor detect it. These were all told in a hush...and when further asked, the Israelis will tell you that they cannot say more than that as they have enemies all around and it is a matter of security. 

The Jews are the most advanced in military matters due to their circumstances. We were taken to the Golan Heights where there was the Yom Kippur War (Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement) in Oct 1973 when the Syrians attacked Israel. During this time, they were unprepared. Many wars have been fought, and many times, the Israelis know that it has been God's hand of protection upon them.
It is compulsory for all Israelis (ages 18-21) to serve the army - men, 3 years, and women 2 years. Israeli Moslems are exempted as a sign of respect for their religion as it is stated in the Quran that a Moslem is not to kill a Moslem. But there are non-religious Moslems who are in the army, if they choose to, but they are not allowed to at the higher ranks due to security.  All who are trained will be listed as Reserves until they are 40 years old. They are to give one month in a year of their time to be kept as soldiers that can be called at any time. The IDF keeps investing in the people and it is a huge budget to pay the salaries of the reserves for one month a year. 
We were told recently there were a couple of people that were at the border of Israel and Syria, and the army have ways to electronically detect and these two were carrying bombs and they were killed by the army - 'sent to Allah' was what the person said! It is all about DEFENDING the state of Israel. It is in the DNA of the IDF that you only DEFEND. Everything done is with the purpose of DEFENDING Israel, not to attack. They fought and took over part of the Golan heights overlooking Syria as the Syrians kept shooting missiles over and endangering the farmers that lived just across to Israel. When the lives of people are threatened, that is when the IDF will retaliate. 
It is a much wider picture that we see here. The condition for Messiah to come is that1. There is the nation of Israel2. Jews are in Israel and be saved/know their Messiah.
That is the reason why the land and the people need to be defended and kept safe. And the Lord will not come until His people say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 
Mat 23:39  For I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." 
and "all Israel will be saved" Romans 11:26, 27 - a national revival will come to Israel!