Hanukkah Part 1 - Afrikaans

April 1, 2025

Hanukkah – Deel 1.

“Hanukkah” kom van die Hebreeuse term‐ “hanukkat” wat toewyding of “her‐toewyding” beteken.

 

Daar is vier aspekte van Hanukkah: Die eerste is die “tradisionele” een waarvan die meeste mense weet. Maar die mees belangrike is die historiese, die Messiaanse en die eskatologiese betekenisse.

  • Die historiese aspek van Hanukkah het betrekking met wat in die tyd van die Makkabeërs, ongeveer 160 jaar voor Jesus gebeur het.
  • Die Messiaanse weergawe van Hanukkah word geopenbaar in die tiende hoofstuk van die Evangelie van Johannes toe Jesus die fees herdenk het.
  • Die eskatologiese oorsig sien hoe hierdie dinge weer in die Laaste Dae met die wederkoms van Jesus afgespeel gaan word.

Ons hoof fokus is dan op die historiese? wat gebeur het; Die Messiaanse? hoe dit in Jesus vervul was ? en dan eskatologies? wat dit met Jesus se Wederkoms gaan beteken.

Die Tradisionele Aspek.

Baie mense sal soos volg argumenteer: “Wel, Kersfees was afkomstig van die Roomse fees van Saturnalia op die 25 Desember, dit was ‘n heidense fees tyd. Hanukkah was op die 25 ste Kislev van die Hebreeuse maand ongeveer dieselfde tyd.” Bykans al die Hebreeuse fees dae het ook ‘n heidense weergawe. Die heidene het hulle gode vereer aan die einde van ‘n landbou seisoen, hulle het ook hierdie gode gedank vir die son, die reën en die oes. Die Hebreeuse fees dae was dus ‘n polemiek teen die heidene. God (Yahweh) se opdrag is dat die Hebreërs die Ware God moet dank vir die reën en die oes ens. Maar wanneer jy sien dat mense oor hierdie dinge in ‘n argument betrokke raak soos: “Wel, dit en daardie was ‘n heidense dag”? dan raak hulle teologiese en historiese argumente baie twyfelagtig.

Die Apostel Paulus sê dat ons niemand moet oordeel oor ‘n fees of ‘n nuwe maan of ‘n Sabbat nie. (Kol. 2:16?17) Net so lees ons in Rom. 14:4?5: “??Die een ag die een dag bo die ander, die ander ag al die dae gelyk. Laat elkeen in sy eie gemoed ten volle oortuig wees.” Die belangrikste hier is dat hierdie dinge vir die Here gedoen moet word of glad en geheel nie. My groot probleem met die kersfees viering is dat nie vir die Here gedoen word nie. Ek sal graag wil sien dat dit nie gevier word soos wat dit gevier word nie. Ons het geen idee wanneer Jesus gebore is nie, ‘n geleerde raai kan wees gedurende die Fees van Tabernakels, maar niemand weet nie. God sê vir ons niks hiervan nie en dit is duidelik dat nie belangrik is nie, Jesus is gebore en dit is dit. Hanukkah is egter iets anders, daar is beide ‘n historiese en ‘n Bybelse weergawe? ‘n Nuwe Testamentiese voorbeeld vir die Fees van Hanukkah. Alhoewel, alles waarmee ons Hanukkah nou assosieer in die Joodse kultuur ? in “Yiddish kiten” – en baie Christene wat daarvan weet (As hulle iets daarvan weet?) kom uit die tradisionele sy daarvan.

Baie van die tradisies wat met Hanukkah geassosieer word het hulle oorsprong nie in die outydse wêreld nie maar in die Middeleeue, tot die woorde van die liedere wat geassosieer word met die Fees. Die mees bekende lied:? “Ma’oz tzury’shuati” het ontstaan uit Middel Eeu se Hebreeus en nie uit Bybelse of moderne Hebreeus nie.

Hanukkah tradisies sê dat die menorah se olie vir agt dae gebrand het. Daar was genoeg olie in die lamp? die Menorah? in die tempel vir ‘n dag of twee, maar dit het vir agt dae gebrand. Weereens, daar is geen historiese bewys daarvan in die boek van 1 en 2 Makkabeërs nie en sekerlik ook nie in die Skrifte nie, dit het later ontstaan. Dit is nie te sê dat nie waar is nie, miskien was dit so maar dit is nie in die geskiedenis opgeteken nie. Dit was nie deur Josephus in Antiquities beklemtoon nie. Mense wonder egter hoe Josephus daarvan geweet het, maar in sy Antiquities is baie dinge waarop daar vandag gefokus word wat nie deur hom beklemtoon word nie. Hanukkah is die Joodse Fees van Lig en Wonderwerke.

Die wonderwerk was nie gesien as die lamp wat vir agt dae gebrand het nie maar dat God hulle hierdie groot oorwinning oor die magtige vyand gegee het. En die lig was natuurlik toe hulle weer die tempel her?toegewy het, hulle kon weer die menorah in die tempel laat brand. Ons weet van Psalm 119:105: “U Woord is vir my ‘n lamp vir my voet en ‘n lig vir my pad.” Die brandende menorah in die tempel verteenwoordig dus die Woord van God vir die Hebreërs.

Die vensters van die tempel was egter uniek. Normaalweg word vensters wyd aan die buitekant gebou en dan smaller na binne toe om so die lig na binne te kan fokus. Maar die vorm van die tempel waar die Menorah gestaan het was wyd aan die buitekant en dan, om so veel as moontlik lig van die menora te vang, was dit so gefokus dat dit na buite oor? wat genoem word die “Millo” kon skyn vanaf die Tempelberg oor die Stad van Dawid daaronder.

Die idee wat in die argitektuur wat tempel ingebou was, was dat die Lig van Yahweh? die Lig van Sy Woord vanuit die tempel sou kom. Die argitektuur van die Tempel illustreer dat die Wet uit Sion sou uitgaan, dit sal na buite skyn. So was dit dan dat nadat die tempel her toegewy was, was die idee dat ons weer die menorah kon her belig.

Vandag is daar dinge soos tradisionele Hanukkah kos. Mense eet jellie donuts wat “sufganiot” genoem word. Ek dink nie hulle het dit in die ou tyd gedoen nie. Hulle het “latkas”? aartappel pannekoeke geëet, en spesiale soorte “knishes”, as jy van Joodse kos hou. En dan natuurlik, was daar die “dreidel”: ‘n Yiddish woord wat gebaseer word op die Hebreeuse woord? “tsvivon”, om te “spin”, en daar is ‘n akroniem aan dit gekoppel? “Nes, Gadol, Hya, Po”:? ‘n Groot wonderwerk het hier plaasgevind. Die dreidel was gespin en kinders het ‘n spel met die dreidel, ’n top gespeel. Wat ons hier sien is dat wat in die algemeen met Hanukkah geassosieer word dit baie min te doen het met wat dit histories beteken het. Dit het ook byna geen teologiese verbintenisse nie afgesien van dit wat die rabbi’s later aan bygedra het.

Daar is dan ‘n historiese Hanukkah en ‘n tradisionele Hanukkah. ’n Ander manier om daarna te kyk is om die geboorte te vergelyk soos wat dit opgeteken is in Lukas en Mattheus en met die tradisies van die

Kerk. Dit is nie net ‘n versiering nie; ‘n groot deel daarvan is net opgemaak. Tradisie sê daar was drie wyse manne, maar dit is nie in die Nuwe Testament nie, dit is opgemaak, net so is dit met Hanukkah.

Die Historiese Aspek.

Daniël is die enigste Boek in die Bybel wat al drie die oorspronklike tale bevat: Aramees (of Chaldee) Hebreeus en Grieks. Hier is Griekse woorde vir sekere dinge soos musiek instrumente en so voorts, wat deur heel waarskynlik Masedoniese handelaars ingevoer is.

Die gedeeltes van Daniël wat op die profetiese doelwitte van God fokus, in die besonders vir die Jode? is in Hebreeus. Die gedeeltes van Daniël wat fokus op God se profetiese doelwitte vir Israel, relatief tot die nasies, is in die “lingua franca” van die tyd wat Chaldeërs (Aramees) was.

Die opkoms en val van Assirië

Wanneer jy die Boek van Daniël lees onthou dan dat die Laaste Dae soos Daniël se dae gaan wees. Die Jode was vrees bevange oor Assirië, hulle was die slegte mense, die mense wat die tien noordelike stamme in ballingskap geneem het. Hierdie was die wreedste en mees magtigste heidene. Niemand het ooit kon droom dat Assirië eendag inmekaar sou stort nie en nadat dit gebeur het was daar ‘n valse gerustheid wat nie lank geduur het nie. Hulle het Babilon en sy meteoristiese opgang gekonfronteer wat baie slegter was as Assirië, en dit het ‘n outydse oorsprong gehad (verseker geestelik) wat terug gegaan het na die Toring van Babel.

Die opkoms en val van die Meders en die Perse.

Babilon het oornag ten gronde gegaan, en soos wat Daniël geprofeteer het, het die Meders en Perse in sy plek gekom.

Die Perse het met die Meders saamgewerk tot laat in die 20 ste eeu gedurende die regering van die Sha van Iran. As ons teruggaan na die profesie van Jesaja sien ons dat die Perse (Iraniërs) altyd van die Jode gehou het al was dit ‘n Islamitiese land.

Tot en met die val van die Shah in die 70’s het hy daarop aanspraak gemaak dat hy ‘n afstammeling van die Pou Troon van Kores (Cyrus) (Kowresh) die Grote was wat twee keer deur Jesaja geprofeteer was, en tot en met hierdie tyd het die Iraniërs van die Jode gehou. Hulle kultuur en taal was nie Arabies nie, maar “Zoroastriaan,” monisties vanaf Zoroastor maar beïnvloed deur die Jode.

Die magi was Mederse veld predikers vir die konings van die Meders en Perse, dit was die oorsprong van die Magi, die wyse manne. As gevolg van die monistiese invloede van Zoroastor en van die Jode in ballingskap (Wat Nebukatnesar beïnvloed het) het hulle gegaan om Jesus te sien. Daar sal altyd hierdie verbintenis met die Perse en die Jode wees tot en met die Laaste Dae. Die Sokratiese Grieke in die Weste het die meeste lig oor Monisme gehad, maar in die Ooste was dit Zoroastriaane wat die meeste lig van Monisme gehad het. Die Sokratiese Grieke was baie later in die Weste, maar die Perse – Zoroastriaane het die meeste lig gehad.

Die opkoms en val van die Grieke.

Die Persiese koninkryk het nie lank gestaan nie as gevolg van Aleksander die Grote, maar hy het ook nie lank gestaan nie, hy het tot by die woestyn van Belushistan gevorder, en ‘n groot gedeelte van die bekende wêreld oorwin en toe hy 36 jaar oud was het hy siek geword en gesterf. Sy koninkryk het opgebreek en was verdeel onder vier van sy generaals. Die mees belangrikste was Seleuces, wat Sirië, Lebanon, Galilee, en sentraal Israel gekry het – en Ptolemeus, wat Egipte en Suidelike Israel gekry het. Hulle is die belangrikste van die vier, histories maar ook in die Bybel. Die Seleukiede was Siro?Fenisiese Grieke, Grieke wat in die omgewing van Fenisië – van Lebanon en rondom Alippo in Sirië – af tot by die omgewing van Tirus en Sidon. Lukas die apostel was ‘n Siro?Fenisiër wat tot Judaïsme bekeer is. Antiogus Epifanus is een van die mees belangrike tipes of beeld van die Antichris in die Bybel. Hy kom uit die lyn van die Seleukiede wat geken word as die dinastie van Antiogus. Daar was Antiogus I, II, III, and IV. Antiogus IV is Antiogus Epifanus. Die Grieks sprekende Jode het sy naam verander na “Epimanus” wat die “mal een” beteken.

Hier het ons die historiese opset met die konings van die noorde en die konings van die suide. Assirië val, dan Babilon, dan die Meders en Perse. Persië val, dan die Grieke. Dan is daar ‘n wêreld wye chaos in die bekende wêreld en uit hierdie chaos die opkoms van Rome en in die middel van dit alles kom die Jode terug in hulle land. In die Laaste Dae gebeur dieselfde dinge.

Ooreenkomste met vandag.

Met die grootword in die Baby Boomer geslag was die grootse bedreiging die Sowjet Unie. Dit was hulle wat die Christene vervolg het, hulle het nie in God geglo nie en dogmaties was hulle Ateïsties. Niemand uit ons geslag wat die Kubaanse missiel Krisis en Viëtnam onthou het gedink dat die Sowjet Unie en die Berlynse muur sou val nie, net soos in die geval van Assirië het daar ‘n valse gerustheid van vrede gekom totdat teruggekyk is en die baie groter gevaarlike vyand gesien is naamlik? Islam.

Toe ek ‘n klein seuntjie was in New York gedurende die Kubaanse Missiel krisis, onthou ek dat Nikita Kruschev na New York gekom het en letterlik een van sy skoene uitgetrek het en daarmee in die U.N op die podium geslaan het en gesê: “Ons sal jou begrawe! Ons sal jou begrawe!” Binne ‘n paar maande het Brezhnev, Suzlov, en die Politburo van hom ontslae geraak, jy kan nie ‘n mal man wat lief is vir wodka en met sy vinger op die rooi knop vertrou nie.

Gedurende die Watergate Krisis was daar Nixon wat volgens sy mede kamerade? Colson, Haig, and Kissinger onder die invloed van verdowing middels en alkohol was.

Op ‘n stadium gedurende die Yom Kippur oorlog het hy ‘n stadium 3 kern waarskuwing teen die Sowjets uitgeroep in ‘n poging om sy nek polities te red en binne die volgende paar weke het hulle van hom ontslae geraak, die Amerikaanse gesag orde het teen hom gedraai. Jy kan nie so ‘n man met die rooi knop vertrou nie. Die Islamitiese en die Hindu wêreld dink nie so nie, die Hindu dink hy gaan gereïnkarneer word en die Moslem dink hy gaan deur “Shahadi.” Die enigste versekering van redding in Islam is om te sterf in ‘n Jihad. Dus, net soos wat die wêreld in ‘n baie meer onseker staat was nadat Assirië geval het, is dieselfde waar vir die tyd waarin ons nou lewe. Dit is ‘n baie meer gevaarlike onseker

stadium nou waar die Islamitiese lande nou verrykte kern materiaal in die hande kry om tot ‘n 50 megaton bom te kan maak.

So sien ons ‘n baie vinnige veranderde wêreld waar moondhede opkom en baie vinnig val en in die midde hiervan kom die Jode terug in hulle land? net soos wat dit gebeur het in die Boek Daniël. Om die Laaste Dae te verstaan moet ons verstaan wat hier gebeur het. Daar is ander waarna ons moet kyk wanneer gekyk word na die konings van die Noorde en die konings van die Suide. Die finale konflik kan nie Oos? Wes wees nie, dit moet ‘n Noord Suid konflik wees net soos in die dae van Daniël, en dit is wat ons gaan sien, ‘n Noord Suid konflik wat dieselfde soort chaos gaan veroorsaak as met die opkoms van Romeinse Ryk

Pompeii as ‘n Tipe van die Antichris.

Let op dat die figuur vroeër in die 11 de hoofstuk van Daniël, vers 16? ook in die Mooi Land ingekom het, en hy het ook ‘n valse verbond gesluit. Een van die probleme van die Laaste Dae is dat daar baie Antichriste gaan wees, dus, elke keer wanneer iemand gaan probeer om ‘n vredesverbond met die Midde Ooste te sluit? sal mense sê: “Dit is dit.”

Die uiteindelike Antichris gaan egter anders wees, hy gaan in die karakter? soos wat die teks vir ons sê? van twee persone wees. Die een is Antiogus IV Epifanus, en die ander een is: Generaal Pompeii. In die Bybel, wanneer iemand anders as die Hoë Priester op die dag van verootmoediging (of soos die Here Jesus Self in die boek Hebreërs ) in die allerheiligste ingaan, dan is dit ‘n tipe van die Antichris. Die Romeinse Generaal Pompeii het dit gedoen. Hy verteenwoordig die triumvirate, (drie hoofskap) van Rome wat ‘n ooreenkoms met die Jode aangegaan het en hulle ook bedrieg het en in die allerheiligste ingegaan het, hy is ‘n hoof tipe van die Antichris wat mense miskyk.

Antiogus IV as ‘n tipe van die Antichris.

Die Hasmoniese tydperk was tussen die tyd van die Makkabeërs en Pompeii. Die Hasmoniërs was afstammelinge van die Makkabeërs. Dit was ‘n voorspoedige tydperk waar hulle gedink het die troon van Dawid gaan weer opgerig word en die Messiaanse verwagting was ernstig uitgedra, die verhoog was opgestel vir Jesus se Wederkoms in hierdie Hasmoniese tydperk, hulle het egter goed begin maar sleg geëindig.

Antiogus IV het ‘n agenda gehad om kultuur te gebruik om so ‘n politieke beheer te verkry. Die Antichris gaan dieselfde doen, hy gaan probeer om iets multi kultureel en multi geloof te maak en hy sal kom in die karakter van Antiogus. Onthou dat ander mense voor hom dieselfde dinge probeer het. ‘n Belangrike ding wat onthou moet word is dat tot en met vers 36 van Daniël 11 was daar ‘n gedeeltelike vervulling, Antiogus het alles gedoen tot en met vers 36, maar vanaf vers 36 tot by hoofstuk 12 het niemand dit nog gedoen nie. Met ander woorde, die Antichris? die dier? gaan dit wat Antiogus gedoen het weer doen en ook die res daarvan. Hy gaan dinge doen wat Antiogus gedoen het tot en met vers 36 maar hy gaan verder. Antiogus het die Joodse kultuur verhelleniseer, hy het die populêre kultuur van die wêreld gevat en dit op God se mense geplaas wat in kompromie daarmee gegaan het. Hulle het daarmee saamgegaan tot op ‘n punt waar hulle dit nie meer kon stop nie.

Die gebruik van kultuur en godsdiens.

Alles in die Griekse kultuur was die diametriese teenoorgestelde van die Hebreeuse wêreld. Daar was die Griekse manier en die Joodse manier van dink. Die Hebreeuse manier van dink was gebaseer op ‘n konsep van die Theomorfiese man en vrou? ons is na die Beeld van God geskape. Die Griekse idee was gebaseer op ‘n antropomorfiese siening van God? die idee is: “Ons is gode.” Die Hebreërs was Monisties, (een God) die Grieke politeïsties? veelgodery? “ons is gode geskape na ons beeld.” Hulle gode het menslike kwaliteite soos jy kan hulle belieg en bedrieg, jy kan hulle mislei, jy kan hulle versoen. Dit was die onderliggende filosofie van die Grieke, totaal die teenoorgestelde wat die Jode geglo het. Daar is twee dinge wat filosofies meer onderling eksklusief is as Aristotelianisme (Aristotel se Filosofie) en Judeo?Christelikheid.

In die Middel Eeue het Thomas Aquinas iets geskryf wat die “Summa Theologica” genoem was, waar hy Christelikheid ver?Aristoteliaseer het. Maimonides (Rambam) kom toe en ver?Aristoteliaseer Judaïsme. Daar is nie twee dinge wat meer onversoenbaar is as ‘n Aristoteliaanse filosofie en ‘n Judeo?Christelike wêreld siening nie.

Daar is drie soorte mense in God se ekonomie: Jode, Heidene en die Kerk wat bestaan uit beide Jode en Heidene. So ver as wat dit die nasies aangaan is hulle alreeds mislei. Dit laat ons met twee soorte mense wat die Bybel God se uitverkorenes noem: Die Jode en die Kerk. Die Jode, behalwe vir ‘n getroue oorblyfsel wat die Messias aangeneem het, is alreeds mislei, dit laat ons die Kerk oor, wat bestaan uit Jode en Heidene.

Die Eindresultaat van Kompromie.

Wat ons sien wat in die geskiedenis met die Kerk gebeur het reflekteer dit wat in die tydperk van Daniël se profesie gebeur het, die Intertestamentiese Periode.

In die Griekse wêreld was Homoseksualiteit en biseksuele kultuurgewys kultureel endemies? ‘n siekte. Hulle was aanvaar as ‘n seksuele normatiewe gedrag. Seksuele misbruik van kinders was sosiaal gedeeltelik aanvaarbaar, maar perverse seks? homoseksualiteit en lesbianisme (Van die eiland Lesbos) – hierdie dinge was kultuurliks normatief!

In Griekse vermaaklikheid is daar ‘n mengsel van heidense godsdienstige filosofie en vermaaklikhede. Die probleem was nie sport nie, die probleem was in die Griekse idee van die Olimpiade: Dit was wellustig. Ek bedoel nie “naak” in die biologiese sin soos wat atlete soortvan naak meeding nie, maar “naak” in die vorm van seksuele uitstalling. In die Griekse wêreld, dinge wat ook later deur die Romeine aangeneem is? is wat die Romeine? Gladiators? swaardvegters? noem? geweld was gebruik as populêre vermaaklikheid.

Dit was die kultuur elemente van die Griekse wêreld wat Antiogus wou gehad het almal moes aanvaar, hy wou al die kulture verhelleniseer. Toe die Hebreërs daarmee saamgegaan het? het hulle vir hulleself groot moeilikheid bymekaar gemaak. Hulle het met alles saamgestem totdat daar wetgewing gekom het

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wat hulle geloof onwettig verklaar het. Laastens was die besnydenis ook onwettig verklaar en ook hulle dieet wette, (Kasrut) en ook die lees van die Tora.

Die Haftorah het gedurende hierdie periode ontwikkel omdat die Tora onwettig was. Hulle begin toe die Profete (Haftora) lees en probeer iets vind van die profete wat in tema korrespondeer na wat die voorgelese gedeelte in die Tora sou wees vir daardie week, dit het gewys dat jy die Haftorah besit het.

Dinge was progressief verban en die probleem was God se mense het stap vir stap daarmee saamgegaan tot op ‘n punt waar hulle dit nie meer kon stop nie, dit sluit die verbanning van die Levitiese Teokrasie in. Die priesters van die Levitiese Teokrasie was Sadokiete, die goeie priesters volgens Esegiël; die seuns van Sadok. Maar die Sadokim het die Sadduseërs geword, hulle het die slegte manne geword, maar hulle het reg begin. Die Hasmoniese tydperk het begin met die Makkabeërs en daarna het dit korrup geraak. Die Jode het kompromie aangegaan en dinge het onwettig geraak en dit kon nie gestop word nie.

Die groot probleem was nie die heidene nie, die groot probleem was die Jode wat meelopers geword het en die Jode wat dit geweet het? het niks daaraan gedoen nie.

In Brittanje was daar ‘n Eerste Minister wat gesê het: “In order for wicked men to triumph, good men must merely remain silent.” Wel hy was reg. As ons terug gaan na die 1930’s, die ekwivalente van die kern ontwapening, was die veldtog vir Kern ontwapening die Chamberlainiste.

Churchill en ‘n klein groep hoofsaaklik Torrey lede van die Parlement het gewaarsku en gesê: “Kyk, julle kan nie toelaat dat Hitler die Versailles Ooreenkoms so verontagsaam nie; ons sal hom vroeër of later moet beveg, vroeër is beter as later.” Hulle was gesien as Oorlog stokers en toe teken 10 miljoen mense ‘n petisie teen oorlog met Hitler en Sudaten was opgegee vir ‘n valse vrede. Maar iemand soos die kan nie deur ‘n vredes gebaar gestop word nie.

Dit was dieselfde as in die geval van die Kern ontwapening veldtog: “For wicked men to triumph, good men must merely remain silent.” Maar dit het in stilte heengegaan, hoe goed kon dit bly?

Die Makkabeërs.

Die apokriewe boeke van I en II Makkabeërs is nie in die Bybelse Kanon nie, maar hulle is betroubare geskiedenis boeke al skiet hulle te kort aan Goddelike inspirasie. Hulle vertel akkuraat die geskiedenis van die Joodse mense in die Intertestamentiese periode tussen die Ou en Nuwe Testament. (Lees dit gerus) Die Makkabeërs was ‘n priesterlike familie wat in dorpie buite Jerusalem gewoon het met die naam “Modein”. Een van hulle se naam was Menelaus, ‘n Hebreër wat met die vyand saamgewerk het. Die Makkabeërs het hom en een van Antiogus se offisiere doodgemaak en gevlug na een van die hoogtes van Juda naby Jerusalem wat geken was as die Shillah, tussen Jerusalem en die moderne Tel Aviv, of tussen die see en Jerusalem. Dit is interessant dat in die profesie van die Antichris hy ook sy tente in hierdie omgewing gaan opslaan, die Shillah. ‘n ander parallel is dat beide die Antichris en die Makkabeërs begin het met ‘n klein groepie en dan baie sterk geword het. Let op? hier het ons ‘n vader met vyf seuns. Ons het Eleazar, Jonathan, Jehuda (Judas) die Makkabeus, en Matatias, en twee van die

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vyf seuns was verraai deur hulle broeders. Weereens, in die Laaste Dae is dit dieselfde? Broer sal teen broer opstaan, baie sal afvallig raak en mekaar verraai.

Die eerste persoon wat hulle doodgemaak het was nie ‘n Seleukied nie maar ‘n Joodse samesweerder. Hulle het klein bendes gevorm, partygenote in ‘n guerrilla oorlogvoering tegniek en van uit die berge aanvalle geloods, so het hulle die Seleukied dag vir dag aangeval en teruggetrek. Verraad en omkopery was aan die orde van die dag maar uiteindelik het hulle die Seleukied oorwin.

Die Verontreiniging van die Tempel.

In die eerste hoofstuk van I Makkabeërs lees ons van die verontreiniging van die tempel, die klippe van die altaar was aan verskriklike dinge blootgestel: ‘n Vark was op hulle geoffer deur Antiogus en hy het ‘n beeld van Zeus (Jupiter) daar opgerig en sy eie kenmerke aan Zeus gegee. Nou, Zeus is ‘n verdraaiing van die woord “Theos” in Grieks, amper dieselfde spelling. In Grieks beteken Theos “god.” Die kenmerke is ‘n man wat probeer om homself te identifiseer as die groot god. Die was die Berg Olimpus teenoor die Berg Sion.

Die Makkabeër het Jerusalem bevry maar hy het ook ‘n groot probleem gehad: “Wat kan ons doen met die klippe van die tempel? Ons kan dit nie weggooi nie want hulle is “mei qodesh”? geheilig. Ons kan ook nie op hulle offer nie want ’n vark is op hulle geoffer.” Hulle het die altaar (Wat “misbeach” genoem word) afgebreek, en ons lees in die Mishna dat hulle dit buite Salomo se pilaargang op ‘n hoop gestoor het. Hulle het geglo dat of die Messias of Elia (Eliyahu ha?Navi) die profeet eendag op Hanukkah sal kom en vir hulle sal vertel wat om met die klippe te maak, en so het hulle ‘n ander altaar gebou.

Antiogus onder die krag van geestelike misleiding en deur om God se mense te verhelleniseer deur om die populêre kultuur te gebruik. Om op die rug van die populêre kultuur te ry was ‘n kompromie van moraliteit. So het dit die punt bereik waar dinge so veragtend in God se eie huis vir enige Jood geword het en die lees van die Woord van God was ook onwettig. Die Nuwe Testament noem die Kerk nie minder as sewe keer die tempel. Daar is verskillende woord in Grieks vir tempel: “naos”, “heikal ioudaios”, en? “heiron.”

Ek ontken nie dat daar mense is wat wil sien dat die tempel weer herbou moet word nie, ek sê ook nie dat dit nie sal gebeur nie. Ek sê ook nie dat daar ‘n afgodsbeeld beeld in dit opgerig sal word nie, wat ek sê is dit: Die fisiese reflekteer die geestelike. Toe Jesus aan die kruis gesterf het? het die voorhangsel (Velon) van bo tot op die grond geskeur.

‘n Werklike, letterlike fisiese gebeurtenis het plaasgevind in ‘n letterlike fisiese tempel? ‘n bonatuurlike gebeurtenis het plaasgevind. Maar dit was nie die mees belangrikste nie, wat belangrik was is wat dit beteken het. Sondige mense was nie langer van ‘n Heilige God geskei nie. Ons het nou toegang tot Hom deur die Bloed van die Hoë Priester. “As” die tempel weer opgerig sou word, ek sê nie dit sal nie, en daar ‘n beeld opgerig sou word sal dit net ‘n refleksie wees van die aanbidding van die Antichris deur die Christendom. Dit sal plaasvind soos wat dit nou besig is om te gebeur: Verhellenisering? God se mense word deur die populêre kultuur van die dag ingesluk? kyk om jou!

Om die Wêreld uit die Evangelie te hou.

Wat het met die Griekse kultuur gebeur? Homoseksualiteit en biseksualiteit was kultuurgewys ‘n siekte, en wat ‘n feit was, hulle het ‘n godsdienstige trappie vir dit gehad. In die geval van Tempel prostitusie was die vroue prostitute “hieros gamos” genoem. Die “hieros delphos” was die godsdienstige leiers.

In Swede en Kanada is daar alreeds bewegings wat die openbare lees van die Bybel met betrekking tot seksuele en homoseksuele sondes as “haat spraak” te klassifiseer ? Skrifgedeeltes soos: Romeine 1, of Levitikus. Jy kan die Koran lees maar die Bybel raak onwettig. Dit is presies wat met die Makkabeërs gebeur het, geweld was gebruik as vermaaklikheid. Nou, die Bybel praat baie van geweld maar nooit word dit goed gepraat nie, dit word weergegee vir wat dit is, ‘n nodige boosheid. Hele gemeenskappe begin so raak en hoe kan die Kerk die sout en die lig in ‘n gemeenskap wees as die Kerk met die kultuur saamgaan? “Vir die slegte mense om te triomfeer, is dit net nodig dat die goeie mense moet stil bly.” (“For wicked men to triumph, good men must merely remain silent.”)

Verlede April gedurende Lente het ek in ‘n Christelike tydskrif gelees waar aan verskeie Christene leiers gevra is oor hulle toegewyde boodskappe vir Lente. Nicky Gumble, die Alfa Kursus Ghoeroe, sê dat hy die werke van Rowan Williams gaan voorlees. Hierdie man is ‘n Druid wat homoseksuele as predikers aanstel! Dit is man na wie baie opkyk om Brittanje te evangeliseer! Daar is iemand in die Holy Trinity wat Druidse boeke aanbeveel, wat homoseksuele predikers aanstel en almal dink hy is ‘n pragtige mens! Dit is siek, kyk hoe verrot het die standaarde geword! Dit gaan nie gestop word nie en dit is presies wat gebeur het toe Makkabeus gekom het en die eerste persoon wat hulle uitgeroei het was Menlaus die samesweerder. Die mees uitstaande gevaarlike vyande van die Evangelie van Jesus Christus is Evangeliste wat met die vyand van die Kruis heul. Dit is presies wat in die dae van die Makkabeërs gebeur het, en die wat dit teen gestaan het was klein groepies mense wat in ‘n guerrilla aksie opgetree het, maar daar is ander wat by hulle begin aansluit.

Daar is mense wat uit hulle kerke padgee wat hierdie dinge sien, wat in huise begin saamkom omdat dinge ernstig verkeerd begin loop.

Ingesluipte Skynheiliges.

Maar iets anders het ook met die Makkabeërs gebeur, volgens II Makkabeërs 11:33?35; Het baie by hulle aangesluit , maar in skynheiligheid. Ons moet onthou dat as iemand teen dit is wat jy teenstaan, dit nie outomaties beteken dat hulle staan waarvoor jy staan nie. 90% van die mense wat saam met Moriel stem is opreg maar 10% van hulle gaan fout vind met alle kerke. Hulle sal by jou aan aansluit en iemand soos ek as ‘n klankbord gebruik om ander dinge aan te val. Daar is mense wat jy net kan verstaan as jy weet waarteen hulle is, jy kan nie ‘n gemeente bou op dinge waarteen jy is nie! Ja, ons weet baie dinge is verkeerd maar waarvoor staan ons? ? Ons weet Alfa is onbybels, maar vir wat staan ons, dit is die vraag?

Pasop vir mense wat sê hulle het ‘n onderskeidings bediening en al wat hulle doen is om dit wat verkeerd is aan te val terwyl hulle nooit sê wat reg is nie! Hulle wil niks te doen hê met Evangelisasie of Bybel studie nie of missies nie, pasop vir hulle. Daar is goeie onderskeidings bedieninge en ook slegtes, daar is goeie organisasies en ook slegtes. Maar jy kan nie die Liggaam van Christus bou op dinge wat

verkeerd is nie, net op dit waarvoor jy is. Onthou dat die beste verdediging teen dwaling altyd die kennis van die Waarheid is. Ons het onderskeidings bedieninge baie nodig omdat mense nie meer die waarheid ken nie. As mense hulle Bybel geken het sou hulle geweet het dat Nicky Gumble van die pad af is, hulle sou deur Benny Hinn en Creflo Dollar sien. As mense die waarheid ken sal hulle self dwalinge onderskei. Maar hulle ken nie die waarheid nie en die verdediging van die geloof is uiters belangrik.

Die wat insig het.

Maar in die dae van die Makkabeërs was daar mense net soos wat dit in die Laaste Dae sal wees, die verstandiges wat verstaan en wat baie tot regverdigheid sal lei. (Dan 11:3) Mense sal byeenkomste bywoon waar die Waarheid bedien en verdedig word en hulle sal die Waarheid uitdra. Met ander woorde, wanneer jy die rigting van die Ekumeniese beweging sien waar homoseksuele in die bediening opgeneem word dan sien jy die gruwel van verwoesting wat alreeds in die tempel opgerig is, hou jou een oog op Jerusalem en die ander een op die Liggaam van Christus. Kyk wat sien ons alreeds op die tempelberg waar die Moskee van Omar staan. Op hierdie Moskee is ‘n aanhaling uit die Koran wat sê “God het nie ‘n Seun nie.” Daar is alreeds ‘n gruwel van verwoesting en dit is alreeds in die Kerk.

Klein groepe.

Dit was die agtergrond, dit is wat toe gebeur het en dit is wat nou gebeur, ons het die tradisionele en die historiese en dan het ons die Eskatologiese. In die Laaste Dae sal dit dieselfde wees, ‘n klein groepie mense sal opstaan soos die Makkabeërs, diegene wat insig het sal vir ander ‘n lig wees en saam sal hulle vir God ‘n weermag oprig wat hierdie modderstortings gaan weerstaan. Baie sal in skynheiligheid aansluit, daar sal verraad in die binnekringe wees maar aan die einde sal hulle oorwin, aan die einde het die Makkabeërs gewen soos wat Daniël geprofeteer het.

Ek kan julle dit sê: Baie slegte dinge gaan gebeur, die twee diere gaan kom maar ek sien in die Boek Daniël dat aan die einde gaan ons oorwin, wat gebeur het gaan weer gebeur.

Die Makkabeërs, Jesus, Koning Dawid almal het dieselfde strategie gehad. Dinge het baie sleg geword onder koning Saul, dieselfde het gebeur onder die Seleukiede, dan baie sleg onder die Sanhedrin en die Romeine. (Herodiane). Maar wanneer dinge baie sleg begin gaan dan begin God iets nuuts gebaseer op klein groepe. Dit het Hanukkah geword, die Hebreeuse fees van lig en wonders wat in Hebreeus: “ Nesim v’ niflaot” genoem word.

Einde gedeelte een. †††


By David Passmore May 30, 2026
Staying The Course Amidst Isolation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Living in Israel one gets the feeling that the metaphorical walls are closing in. Israel's reputation is being tarnished all over social media and the mainstream media, and this is reflected in massive public disdain towards this country. We are constantly told that there is near consensus amongst academics and commentators that a genocide was committed in Gaza. The very legitimacy of the state is brought into question. The majority of Americans are now hostile towards Israel. There is real fear that the next U.S. administration will turn against Israel. Even if this were to happen passively, by the U.S. refraining from exercising its veto power towards Security Council Resolutions condemning Israeli actions this could be catastrophic. Internally it is a fractured society leaning increasingly right wing which further alienates Israel from world opinion. An example in point is how Ben Gvir mocked the most recent participants of a global aid flotilla to Gaza. Such conduct further agitates outrage at Israel. The left-wing media presents the ruins of Gaza as a mortal wound in Israel's side. When the world observes this level of carnage no degree of public relations can ameliorate the sense of indignation towards Israel. We can liken the situation of Israel to that of a depressed person. All he sees is hopelessness and gloom. But this isn't the first time that the Jewish nation has been faced with such darkness. Things change and we don't know how the geo-political map will reconfigure in the future. We need to ride out this storm and keep going. On a historical note, the situation is reminiscent of what our ancestors faced when we returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was faced with constant lies and conspiracies designed to entrap him by hostile actors: Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab. They employed deception, slander and ridicule in order to maintain their political eminence. There was also a certain sense of abandonment amongst the Jews in Israel then as in our own day. We read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah about the anguish of the leadership in Israel concerning the lack of assistance from the Babylonian diaspora towards the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple. Only 20% of the exiles returned to the land. It was largely the poor who returned. Most of the affluent, established Jews remained in Exile. This is a continuing theme in Jewish history. It is also important to observe that from its very beginnings there were bible believing Christians who spearheaded the return of the Jews to their land. The idea of organizing a return of the Jews to Israel began as a Protestant Restorationist objective that can be traced to 17th century Puritan England. The protagonists of the Cromwellian Republic viewed themselves as the new Israel fighting the Papist forces of Satan. Alongside this, interest grew in the notion that biblical prophecies pertaining to the return of the Jews to Israel were a necessary precursor for the return of Christ. The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century lent political clout to Christian Restorationism with specific missions to the Jews established. Although there had been a longing to return to Israel as written in the thrice daily Amidah prayer, Jewish Zionism arose in the midst of mid nineteenth century nationalism and was further fermented by European antisemitism. It was an altogether secular enterprise. Although Israel's situation appears rather stark, we can draw strength from the Providence afforded to our ancestors in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when they too were faced with defamation. This is also an opportunity to grow closer to our natural allies in the evangelical world who from the beginning of Zionism were steadfast supporters of the project to establish a Jewish homeland in Israel.  (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
By David Passmore May 25, 2026
Signs of the Times Tony Pearce ‍ ‍ Left, right or center – is our democracy in danger “Things fall apart, the center does not hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” W.B Yeats ‘The Second Coming. ’ ‍ ‍ Labour’s losses in the council elections and the battle for succession to their unpopular leader Kier Starmer have raised the possibility that we may soon have our seventh Prime Minister in ten years. Local elections saw Reform and the Greens make sweeping gains, leading Green Party leader, Zack Polanski to say that we are seeing ‘the end of the old two party system’. Maybe we are. In which case what comes next? Will we head to the far left, the far right or will the center hold on to power? Or will it end with ungovernable chaos as unqualified people take control of local and national government? Behind all this there are fundamental questions, ‘What is government for? Who does it represent and where is it going?’ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ According to the Bible (Romans 13) the purpose of government is to promote good and restrain evil. The government has the right to raise taxes for the common good of society and people should pay them. In 1 Timothy 2 Paul encourages us to pray for the government that ‘we may live a godly and peaceable life’. In other words, pray that the government will create an orderly and peaceful society and not interfere with our right to set up communities that teach and preach the Word of God. The situation becomes more difficult when we see government promoting things which are harmful and restraining things which are good and clamping down on freedom of speech with a threat to our ability to live a ‘godly and peaceable life’ ‍ Since becoming a Christian in my early twenties, I have wrestled with the question of how our faith applies to contemporary political issues. I started this quest on the left politically after leaving university and working as an English teacher with sympathies for Marxism. I then became a born again Christian in 1970, and joined my late wife Nikki in evangelizing the radical left, by handing out leaflets at their marches and demonstrations in London and attending their meetings to discuss matters of faith and politics with them. ‍ ‍‍ ‍ We had some good discussions with people and hope we made some consider the Christian alternative. However as we looked at Marxism from a Christian point of view and its practice in Communist countries, we understood that behind this ideology there is a strong anti-christian spirit. It denies the existence of God and promotes the idea of human perfectibility by our own effort. This is exemplified in the words of the Internationale, the socialist battle hymn, ‘No saviour from on high delivers, no faith have we in prince or peer, our own right hand the chains will shiver, chains of hatred, greed and fear.’ This Antichrist spirit led to the persecution of Christians in the Communist countries of eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and China. Far from creating the socialist paradise on earth that Lenin wrote about in ‘Socialism and Religion’, it created a society ruled by hatred, greed and fear, controlled by secret police, prison camps and responsible for the death of millions. ‍ ‍ In western society we have witnessed the growth of ‘cultural Marxism’ a movement aimed at infiltrating and changing society from within, rather than fomenting the workers’ revolution. Labour’s Fabian Society, with its (now discarded) logo of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, has been engaged in this process since the beginning of the 20th century. Social change really took off with the permissive society in the 1960s, which succeeded in changing traditional values, especially in the area of sex and the family. It replaced biblical values with a new ‘morality’ that is fundamentally anti Christian. These ideas have permeated large swathes of our society including the education system, the judiciary, the Civil Service, much of the media, mainstream political parties (including even the Conservative ‘wets’ and parts of the established church). ‍ ‍ Melanie Phillips describes the results of this in her book, ‘The Builder’s Stone.’ ‘Having decided that the West was rotten to the core, western elites set out to create a new culture that would usher in the brotherhood of man and eradicate hatred, prejudice, and war. Their Brave New World junked biblical religion with all its constraints on behaviour and revolved instead around self gratification. Everybody had the right to live as they wanted; nobody could say that their way of life was better or worse than anyone else’s; no one had the right to say that their culture was better than any other culture. That was ‘racism.’ At the heart of all this was the doctrine that there was no such thing as objective truth. Everything was relative; everything was a matter of opinion. Because there was no truth feelings became more important than facts. So the West abandoned the codes of morality, conscience, truth and lies, personal responsibility, and duty to others in favour of a culture of the self. In the process it junked its inherited traditions and biblical codes on which western culture was based.’ ‍ Britain changed from being a society that respected values based on the 10 Commandments and the teaching of Jesus Christ to one that discarded them for relative values. Ideas of ‘diversity, inclusion and equity’ became the norm, together with and a form of ‘tolerance’, that is really very intolerant if you oppose it. This ‘tolerance’ means accepting the virtues of multiculturalism and humanism and believing that all gods are equally valid or true (or none are). We must also accept that all lifestyles and family arrangements including homosexual and transsexual ones are just as valid as traditional two parent heterosexual families, with a father and mother committed to each other in lifelong matrimony looking after their own children. ‍ As society accepts this radical change in how we view culture, morality and religion, we are told not to criticize other cultures and world views or imply that they are anything less than equal to the culture, morality and faith derived from the Bible. ‍ All this has not improved society. Instead we have a collapse of values with no central idea to hold it together, just a group of competing ‘communities’ which are often only united in opposition to the traditional values and culture of Great Britain. A good example of this is the ‘red – green alliance’ of radical leftists and Islamists who come together to denounce Israel and campaign to ‘globalise the Intifada’. In practice this means a world wide war against Israel and Judaeo-Christian society and a desire to replace it with their version of either Islamism or Communism. However if one of them were to come to power, you can be sure that the Islamist’s would get rid of the leftists or vice versa. In fact that happened in Iran’s 1979 revolution, when Islamist supporters of Khomeini and Communists came together to get rid of the Shah. Then the Islamists seized power, turned on the Communists and wiped them out. ‍ Alisteir Heath wrote in the Daily Telegraph: ‘Ruined by decades of political vandalism, the Britain we knew and loved, a land of stability, pragmatism, and ancient freedoms, is no more. Today’s UK is uglier, impoverished, volatile and disorderly. We’ve lost our level-headedness. Anger and frustration have become our defining emotions. Our institutions have wasted away, and we have been taught to despise our history. The decline of family, community and faith have led to alienation, dependence on welfare and the rise of novel ideologies, mostly secular but also sectarian, turbocharged by social media. While the state becomes unnervingly authoritarian, the air reeks of insurrection and every variety of extremism. The British public’s sense of betrayal is as well-founded as it is dangerous. The machinery of state is incompetent and self-serving, a vehicle for social engineering in the global interest.’ ‍ ‍ ‍ Criticism of this process now risks being classed as ‘hate crime’ with a growing authoritarian society monitoring social media posts and public teaching of alternative ideas in ways which risk shutting down free speech in our society. A Christian teacher Enoch Burke is currently in prison in Dublin after he was suspended from his job and jailed after refusing to accept and teach transgenderism in the school. ‍ ‍ ‍ Nick Timothy, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, got into trouble when he questioned mass Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square. He wrote: ‘Mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination. The adhan – which declares there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger – is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination. The domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook.” He is right in this. Allah hu Akhbar actually means Allah is greater, greater than your God, Muhammad is greater than Jesus and the Koran is greater than the Bible. ‍ ‍ ‍ Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern for our Nation wrote: “The fact that we have mass Islamic prayer in Trafalgar Square at all is indicative of the massive culture change that we have seen in the last few decades. A culture change that was not voted for or ever agreed to by the British people. And, a culture change that can hardly be described as having been entirely beneficial to our culture as a whole. I only need to mention grooming gangs involving mostly Pakistani Muslim men , sharia courts, honour crimes, terror attacks, the assassination of an MP, an attempt to blockade Parliament, mass antisemitic marches through London, a convicted terrorist standing for local elections, sectarianism, and many other examples to make the point. Earlier this month, the Government gave Muslims special protection with the adoption of an official definition of anti-Muslim hostility .” ‍ ‍ ‍ You are not really supposed to question this in public life today. A message circulating on social media is an apt commentary on all this. ‘First they overlook evil, then they permit evil, then they legalise evil, then they promote evil, then celebrate evil, then persecute those who call it evil.’ Soviet dissident Solzhenitsyn wrote: ‘A Communist system can be recognised by how it spares criminals and criminalises its opponents.’ ‍ ‍ ‍ The root cause of all this is the rejection of God and biblical values. The 18th-century French philosopher Joseph de Maistre coined the phrase "people get the government they deserve." David Pawson followed up on this idea, arguing that in democratic societies like ours, the moral and spiritual condition of a nation's citizens is directly reflected in the leaders they elect. If the general public abandons moral truths, they will inevitably vote for governments that reflect those same compromises. David Pawson taught that God may use governmental leadership to judge or bless a nation, depending on the people's obedience. He noted that Hebrew prophets saw wicked rulers as a form of divine judgement on a society that has strayed from God's laws. Therefore a nation's ultimate hope rests on repentance rather than just political change. His conclusion is that Christians should actively stand for moral truth in society. He believed that the church is meant to influence culture upward, and that a decline in national morality inevitably leads to deteriorating governance. ‍ ‍ ‍ Sadly much of the church today has become the ‘salt that has lost its savour’ through compromise with antichristian forces in society and government. It may be too late to save our country and western democracy as social and economic pressures create a collapse of democracy and push us either towards anarchy or dictatorship. ‍ ‍ ‍ Yeats’ poem quoted at the beginning of this article ends with the enigmatic line ‘Some rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.’ Most likely he is referring to the coming anti-Messiah who is labelled the Beast in the book of Revelation. Many believe his is now waiting in the wings to replace the true Messiah (born in Bethlehem) and bring in the dictatorship prophesied in Revelation 13. The Bible indicates that the Beast or Antichrist will have power for a moment, but it will be short lived and doomed to destruction at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. Then the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of His Messiah and He shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11.15) and the ‘government shall be on His shoulder’ (Isaiah 9.6). ‍ ‍ ‍ Maranatha come Lord Jesus. ‍ ‍ ‍ Water, water nowhere and not a drop to drink. (Apologies to the Ancient Mariner) ‍ ‍‍ ‍ While nations worry about supply of oil and gas as a result of the war in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a much more vital commodity for human survival is water. And it is in short supply in a growing number of nations. ‍ ‍ As of 2026, over 25 countries face extremely high water stress, with the most severe crises located in the Middle East and North Africa. This region is home to the world's most water-stressed nations, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, and Libya. India and Pakistan face critical water scarcity due to overexploitation of aquifers and population density. Much of Africa , Somalia and Ethiopia in particular are facing severe shortages due to drought and climate change. Mexico and parts of the United States (particularly Texas and the west coast) are experiencing significant water shortages and declining groundwater levels. ‍ ‍ ‍ Iran is facing a severe, multi-year water crisis as of May 2026, with major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj approaching the point where taps could run dry due to depleted reservoirs. Groundwater is depleted across most of the country, and nineteen provinces are experiencing severe drought. The crisis is driven by a combination of climate change and decades of poor water management, including excessive dam construction and inefficient, water-intensive agriculture. China is facing a severe, multi-faceted water crisis defined by extreme scarcity in the north, widespread pollution, and mismanagement, threatening its food supply and economic growth. ‍ ‍ ‍ Several countries are significantly affected by upstream dam construction that reduces downstream water flow, causing, environmental, and diplomatic crises. These countries include Iraq, heavily impacted by dams built on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by Turkey and Iran, leading to reduced water for agriculture, destruction of forests, and increased sandstorms. Egypt and Sudanface significant water security risks due to the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laosare affected of dams built by China on the upper Mekong River ‍ ‍ One country which bucks this trend is Israel. Israel manages its water resources by transforming a chronic shortage into a surplus through large-scale desalination, extensive wastewater recycling, and a centralised national water carrier system. The agriculture sector has shifted away from freshwater, using treated effluent instead. Advanced drip irrigation technologies are widely used to minimise waste. Israel has exported its water technologies to countries around the world, particularly Africa where it has given advice on how to use limited water resources to great effect. ‍ ‍ ‍ Without water no society on earth can survive. Bible prophecies indicate that water shortage and pollution will be a global problem in the last days. Most obviously no water equals no food, so famine is an inevitable result of water shortages. Jesus warned of this as a sign of the last days in Matthew 24.7. Revelation 8.10-11 speaks of something called ‘Wormwood’ falling on rivers and springs of water causing it to become bitter and many to die from drinking it. ‍ ‍ Prophecy speaks of the two great rivers of the ancient world, the Nile and the Euphrates, being affected by a crisis causing the Euphrates to dry up (Revelation 16.12) and the Nile to become contaminated and its waters turn foul (Isaiah 19.5-11). Isaiah 24 speaks of a curse devouring the earth in the last days causing the earth to be ‘defiled (or polluted) under its inhabitants.’ ‍ ‍ ‍ According to the New Scientist, there are massive amounts of water hidden deep beneath the Earth's surface. Scientists have found evidence of a reservoir of water three times the volume of all surface oceans combined, located roughly 250–400 miles underground within the mantle. ‍ ‍ ‍ It may be that the Lord will release this water to replenish and clean up the earth in the Millennial kingdom when ‘waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.’ Isaiah 35. Zechariah 14.8-9 says, ‘In that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.’ Zechariah 14.8-9. See also Ezekiel 47. ‍ Rethinking Russia ‍ Things are not going well for Vladimir Putin in his ‘special military operation’. Four years after invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia is not making advances and actually losing ground. Russia is losing as many as 25,000- 35,000 casualties a month and over 1.2 million have been killed and wounded since the war began. Ukrainian skills in drone warfare have destroyed large quantities of Russian equipment, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery and rocket systems, helicopters, and naval vessels. ‍ ‍ Russia is spending an estimated 40% of the entire federal budget on the war effort. As a result of this and western sanctions, Russia is increasingly unable to fix chronic infrastructure problems at home. During the bitter Russian winter thousands of people were left without heat, light, or even water. All forms of transport, trains, trucks and planes, are facing logistical problems, making it difficult to transport goods and people across the vast Russian regions. Russia is on the way to an infrastructure collapse that will likely take decades to recover. ‍ ‍ Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov warned the State Duma that Russia's faltering economy risks stoking a 1917-style revolution. He demanded urgent financial and economic measures by autumn to avert a potential economic collapse. This raises the danger of the Russian Federation fracturing. The Caucuses are restive, the far east is looking to China and Siberia is facing an acute problem as a result of melting permafrost, causing buildings, bridges and pipelines to collapse. ‍ ‍ In the present circumstances it is hard to see how Russia could lead the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). Some have said that it is more likely that Turkey is the lead power in the War of Gog and Magog. They say that Meshech and Tubal are not Moscow and Tobolsk, but regions of modern Turkey. Erdogan’s Turkey is backed by an Islamist world view hostile to Israel, seeking the recovery of its Ottoman Empire. He has his eyes on taking control of Jerusalem. Turkey is possession of a large land army already stationed in the region, some of it occupying part of Syria. ‍ ‍ The alternative is that the War of Gog and Magog is some way off, possibly part of Armageddon, giving time for Russia to recover from its present distress. We wait and see, but meanwhile spare a thought and a prayer for the people of Ukraine and Russia, suffering as a result of Putin’s futile war, oppressed by his corrupt dictatorship and facing an economic and social collapse caused by his failed policies. ‍ ‍
By David Passmore May 25, 2026
Trump's Visit with Xi Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The tempest path of Sino-U.S. tensions came to a head during Trump's first term in office with the outbreak of Covid. Many commentators believed that the deterioration in relations was in terminal decline and that a major confrontation in the straits of Taiwan was fast looming. Trump held China responsible for the spread of Covid, insisting that he would pursue reparations. The election of Biden halted this commitment. Biden sought a non-confrontational policy towards Beijing. In the aftermath of the disastrous premature withdrawal from Afghanistan handing that country over to the Taliban and the Russian invasion of Ukraine under his watch, Biden became too preoccupied to assertively engage with China. Chinese State media portrayed Trump's visit as being rather unremarkable in the context of other foreign dignitaries lining up to meet Xi, pointing out that just a week later Putin would arrive in Beijing. China manifests that it is winning the trade war that Trump began in 2018, beating America at its own game of capitalism. They frame the U.S. as being in a position of weakness because China is able to source whatever products they buy from the U.S. elsewhere like oil from Canada, and soybeans from Brazil. The oil, soybeans and 200 Boeing's Xi agreed to purchase from Trump were presented as a mere gesture to placate Trump as China has already bought 350 Air Buses in the last year. China would have the world believe that it is only semi-conductors where America has the edge. Here China hints that it is not likely to buy H200 Invidia Chips because it would mean that China will always lag behind the U.S. in building their AI tech. China's major contention and concern is that the U.S. may impose export controls to contain China. China's strategy instead is to invest massively on indigenous innovation. China wants to become an innovation powerhouse that will export its own Chips to the Global South. China is fast catching up with America's lead in AI with the launch of Deep Seek and they claim similar progress with Chip making. China is now ostensibly only eight months behind the U.S. on Large Language Models. Running contrary to this narrative Trump insists that China is desperate to trade with America. China's economy has now peaked. Emblematic of this stagnating growth is rising youth unemployment. China is no longer America's biggest trading partner. Trump has shifted manufacturing back to the U.S. and Trump believes that China can't revive its economy without America. Lined up to meet Xi with Trump were the heads of some of America's biggest Tech Corporations. Corporations like nvidia seek a relaxing of export controls for Chips as they want short term profits, ignoring the risk that China will reverse engineer this technology. More broadly, China and the U.S. are playing a geopolitical chess game spanning the globe. Trump outmaneuvered China in Latin America with the removal of Maduro from power in Venezuela. China is exploiting its influence on Iran in order to get Trump to refrain from taking more active steps towards the defense of Taiwan. Indeed, Trump didn't say anything about Taiwan during his visit. Trump's instincts are of a transactional approach towards alliances, where he is only willing to underwrite defense assistance if allies pay up as an insurer would. It is also important to note that saber rattling the Taiwan card also serves the CCP agenda to distract internal dissent concerning the state of the Chinese economy. Most imminently Trump needs China to pressure Iran to open the Straits of Hormuz and get oil prices down before the midterm elections. China has largely insulated itself from the Gulf energy impact due to stockpiles. Trump would also like China to stop providing Iran with GPS for its missiles. Other Chinese weapons systems and technology sold to Iran have failed to perform well against U.S. and Israeli military hardware. Matters boil down to a leverage between whatever Trump can do on Taiwan, China can do on the strait of Hormouz with Iran. Human Rights concerns, espionage and the alarming rate of Chinese acquisition of U.S. land have been placed on the back burner for the time being.  (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
By David Passmore May 17, 2026
Moriel & Jacob Prasch request prayer for Phil Malone and family “Please keep me and my family in prayer. My mum passed away on 13th May at the age of 93. It's a time of mourning, but may it be a time for the Gospel of Christ to be preached to my unbelieving family, especially my brother.”
By Mea Fredrickson May 13, 2026
Moriel & Jacob Prasch request prayer for Sister Joanne Rizzetto, wife of Pastor Dave Rizzetto of Church of The Open Door in New York City. Joanne has developed painful complications and adverse side effects from medications following knee surgery. May The Lord intervene for healing and give guidance to her physicians. Lord, we humbly ask you to intervene in the life of our dear sister. We know you can do all things and that you hear our prayers and consider your servants. Please put a stop to the adverse reaction. Restrain and reverse its effects and restore our sister so that she can continue to serve you in the ministry that you have called them to. We do glorify Your Name. We don't ask as those who treat you as our debtor, but as those who have tasted your goodness and found such mercy and compassion at your feet. Grace and peace and mercy be with Joanne and Pastor Dave.
By David Passmore May 5, 2026
Will Lebanon miss its golden opportunity? Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Converging new facts on the ground have transformed the political landscape in Lebanon. With Assad removed from power in Syria, a vital lifeline of arms supplies for Hezbollah originating in Iran has diminished. Hezbollah suffered considerable losses in its last round of fighting with Israel. The decapitation of its leadership with the targeted pager attack inflicted a severe blow. Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem is a weak substitute for the charismatic Nasrallah who was assassinated by Israel in 2024. Hezbollah in its frail state foolishly fell into line with Iran's instruction to join the fighting against Israel following the recent American-Israeli war with Iran. This was contrary to the wishes of the Lebanese government which was fearful of the inevitable destruction that would be wreaked by the Israeli response. The differing attitudes to Israel amongst Lebanon's population is reflective of its ethnic composition. The predominant groups in order of plurality are Christians, Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims with a smaller minority of Druze. The major concern of most Christians in Lebanon is the dire state of their economy. They have no appetite to further their plight by invoking Israel's rage. During the colonial inter war period the French envisaged the demarcation between Lebanon and Syria as carving out enclaves for Christian and Druze control. Within Lebanon there would be a shared government that by convention would have the Executive power split between a Christian President, a Sunni Prime Minister and Shia Speaker of Parliament. The Christians in southern Lebanon (particularly Maronite Catholics) saw themselves as being anthropologically descendants of ancient Phoenicians as opposed to an Arab identity where the Arab Christians were largely Eastern Orthodox. The schism between the Maronites and the Arab Eastern Orthodox dates back to the time of the Crusades. The Maronites were culturally French, speaking French as their main language and held precedence in much of the Lebanese economy. The first threat to Lebanese stability and cohesion was settled by the U.S. Eisenhower administration in 1958 which landed Marines in an amphibious operation. A repeated attempt at this by the Reagan administration in 1983 ended in a military disaster for the U.S. due to suicide bombings by Iranian controlled terrorists. Israeli efforts to bring in stability during the Lebanese Civil War in conjunction with its Lebanese Christian allies led by Major Saad Haddad likewise came to calamity when the Sabra and Shatila revenge attacks took place following the assassination of Lebanese leader Bashir Gemayel. The ''Good Fence'' policy of an Israeli friendly free Lebanon zone in Southern Lebanon eventually ended badly following Menachem Begin's second incursion into Lebanon called ''Shalom HaGalil'' aimed at stopping the PLO rocket attacks on Israeli border communities like Metulla, Kiryat Shmona, Naharya, Rosh Hanikra, Tzfat and Carmiel. The proxy Israeli occupation from the Israeli border to the Litani river became an imbroglio that many in Israel viewed as Israel's Vietnam with widespread domestic protest and a collapse of morale within the IDF. Eventually Israel absorbed Christian war refugees from Lebanon, while the Vatican and most of the Christian world turned their backs on the Lebanese Christians. Lebanon was then saddled with two states within a state. The first was in the aftermath of Black September in 1970 when King Hussein of Jordan defended his Hashemite throne and government from Yasser Arafat's attempt to take over Jordan due to Jordan having a 70% Palestinian Arab demographic majority. The Jordanian legion drove tens of thousands of its pro Arafat Jordanian citizens into Lebanon, creating a population base for the first state within a state under Arafat. However the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and other factions had their niche interests. Courtesy of the Israeli Air Force Arafat relocated what he saw as his government in exile to Tunisia. This was a missed opportunity by the Lebanese government to assert its autonomy and full territorial control by making a Camp David type peace with Israel inclusive of economic and mutual security provisions. Instead an Iranian backed Syrian intervention replaced Arafat's state within a state with a new one that morphed into Hezbollah. The fall of the Assad regime and the Israeli counter-offensive against Hezbollah re-presents Lebanon with the opportunity that it once lost. The predominantly Christian controlled Lebanese military could and should operationally coordinate with the IDF, to obliterate and remove Hezbollah as the Israelis relieved Lebanon of Arafat's state within a state. Such a rapprochement would likely have strong American and possibly French and British support, allowing Lebanon to be at a non-combative peace with Israel along the lines of Egypt and Jordan, and now some of the Emirates. The natural comradery of the Lebanese Druze community with the Israeli Druze and the pro-Israeli Druze of Syria would additionally re-enforce a regional harmony, as would the Maronite Christian community in Israel with their co-coreligionists in Lebanon.  (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
By David Passmore May 5, 2026
PASTOR JOHN ANGLISS It is with profound sadness that we learned of the temporary separation from our friend and brother Pastor John Angliss. We look forward to being reunited with John in the millennial reign of Christ and indeed in God's Eternal Kingdom. Jacob Prasch visited John a few weeks ago in the UK while John was in hospice care having been diagnosed preterminal in his illness. While medically correct, it was of course a misdiagnosis. John is now cancer free and is alive and well in the presence of Jesus awaiting us in glory while his mortal body is being renewed for resurrection and immortality. In the meanwhile, during this temporary season of bereavement we do request prayer for his beloved wife Mary and for his congregation, The Ark Fellowship in England near Reading, England. Because he has recently arrived in the USA and is scheduled to address the Moriel Canada branch conference in Winnipeg, Jacob Prasch will regrettably not be able to attend the memorial service in Britain. Our condolences however are very much with Mary and our brethren in the UK who like us knew and loved Pastor Angliss. John was one of a minority of faithful voices who upheld a traditional biblically based Pentecostalism in the era of counterfeit revivals and apostasy that overtook most of British Pentecostalism. John was a faithful friend of Israel & The Jews standing on the prophetic purposes of God for Israel and the salvation of the Jews. John was a loyal friend to Moriel and Jacob Prasch and a colleague of David Pawson and Derek Prince, both of whom likewise stood by God's promises to Israel. John was also a founding leader of CMFI - the Christian Ministerial Fellowship International, former pastor of Three Mile Cross fellowship , and former board member of Focus On Israel (a Pentecostal Ministry to the Jews). While this separation is temporary, John's eternal gain will be our temporary loss. O GRAVE - WHERE IS THEY VICTORY, O DEATH WHERE IS THY STING ? Hosea 13:14 / 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57
By David Passmore April 28, 2026
We made it this far: Israel at 78 Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Since the last anniversary milestone of Israel at 75, we have been embroiled in relentless wars. Citizens had little respite to enjoy this year's festivities, coming on the heels of a lull in fighting on the Iranian and Lebanese fronts. We are constantly waiting for a breakthrough on the horizon that will normalize our relations with our neighbors and secure our position on the world stage. It is acutely exhausting to be the focus of the world's attention. But also there is a sense of inevitability accompanying the Zionist project. Specifically that Israel is destined to be central in the wider region and global affairs. Why is this? Is it due to it being a western transplant? Being geographically positioned on the crossroads of three continents? Religious believers would point to prophetic fulfillment. It is short sighted to only look at how our problems are rooted in today’s' reality. Greater forces are at work that will dictate the direction that Israel is heading. The Jewish diaspora will likely find itself in a growing precarious position that will lead to increasing Aliyah (immigration to Israel) and will perhaps ferment the emergence of a second Jewish commonwealth that will not need to heed international pressure in the same way that todays' polity finds itself doing. In this light it is interesting to ponder how our posterity would view our predicament and gains. And I frame matters in these terms with intentionality. We are enmeshed in a seemingly intractable conflict with the Palestinians, and yet Israel has made great gains particularly in the technological fields. There is a current of thinking that perceives Israel's way out of its quagmire is by making itself indispensable to technological advancements. We don't know how tomorrows' world will be shaped by the rapidly advancing AI revolution but so far Israel has proven to be uniquely adaptable and innovative to technological change. This has proved to be a boon to Israel's economy, as have offshore natural gas discoveries being developed in concert with Greece, Greek Cypriot and American energy interests that are geographically and strategically removed from any Straits of Hormuz shipping impediments that strangle the Persian Gulf deposits shared by Qatar and Iran. On another note we should contextualize the situation. How different are Israel's challenges from other nations? Is Israel any less stable than other countries (particularly in the region)? Israel doesn't find itself uniquely challenged to define its identity (most European countries do also, particularly in light of immigration). Nor does the government experience any more volatility than other comparable democracies. Israel's real problems lay in the nature of how its Jewish citizens desire to govern themselves. It is arguable whether the judicial reform protests that occupied public discourse in pre-October 7th Israel would have led to serious civil strife. But it is without doubt that this impasse was allayed by the external attack. The underlying tensions remain unresolved and there are many ways that they could play out. It has been framed as a battle for Israel's soul. Israel's enemies predict that Zionism is imploding and that the State won't survive another 5-10 years. Supporting this claim, they point to Israel's increasing alienation and growing pariah status on the international stage. Our Prime Minister has been indicted for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Even public opinion in our staunchest ally the U.S. has turned sharply against Israel. With 80% of the Democratic Party being anti-Israel in a growing climate of anti-semitism we have even witnessed the shift of Alan Dershowitz to the Republican Party which must be seen as emblematic of a trend. There is apprehension in Israel of a post-Trump America dominated by the Democrats. However, these seeming incontrovertible facts may be offset by other measures of fortitude. This may be partially countered by the high investment by Silicon Valley in the Israeli Hi-tech sector, making Israel an asset for purposes of Research and Development in America's AI race against China. New opportunities for economic relations have also been opened with Arab nations through the Abraham Accords and with the powerhouse India. Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine a world in which Israel's technological prowess will not carry the sway of western decision makers in the long run. Israel's 78th anniversary is a moment to take pause and not catastrophize what the future may behold. The entire world is currently in a state of transformation and Israel is not an outlier in this context.  (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
By David Passmore April 23, 2026
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By David Passmore April 14, 2026
A critical juncture in NATO'S future Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM NATO was originally established in 1949 to keep the Russian hordes at bay from toppling those European countries not forked over to the Soviet sphere of influence at the Potsdam conference. Europe lay in ruins. Britain had passed on the torch of global hegemony to the U.S. by tacitly acquiescing to the decolonization of its Empire when Churchill and Roosevelt agreed terms of the Atlantic Charter for the post-war new world order in 1941. So from its start NATO was very much an American driven endeavor. American money with the Marshall plan was propping up western European economies and its military might was forming the bulk of their defensive capabilities. The lopsided nature of this dynamic has informed how tensions have persisted and recently erupted in the Alliance. During the Cold War the U.S. felt obligated to shoulder the costs of underwriting Europe's security in light of the broader interests to keep the Soviet's in check. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain European complacency became a sticking point with the 'peace dividend' further exploiting American largesse. European NATO allies spent ever smaller percentages of their GDP on defense expenditure at U.S. expense. Now in a multi-polar world U.S. and European perceived threats are less aligned. This was first tested in the aftermath of September 11th when for the first time NATO elected to trigger its article 5 collective defense protocol. And since then the U.S. has sought to continue to expand the traditional theatre of operations beyond Europe's borders. No longer is Russia perceived by America as being a proximate existential threat to its interests, but rather containing Chinese expansion in the Pacific arena. Parallel to NATO a discrete 'five eyes' intelligence sharing alliance comprising the Anglo-sphere (the U.S., U.K., Canada and New Zealand) emerged. This stands at the center of the U.S. – U.K. 'special relationship'. A relevant question would be can this signals intelligence (NSA-GCHQ) partnership persist should the U.S. withdraw from NATO? Conventional thinking would have led one to believe that with Brexit the U.K. would naturally pivot towards closer U.S. relations but under Starmer the U.K. is distancing itself. European powers misrepresent the present conflict as an aggressive, rather than defensive U.S. adventure while they themselves are more likely to be at risk. In this the Starmer government resembles the Labor party led committee for nuclear disarmament in the 1980's. It opposed the Thatcher supported deployment of U.S. cruise missiles in response to the Soviet SS20's pointed at Britain's cities. The British left branded their response to Soviet strategic escalation to U.S. aggression. This time however there is for the moment no Thatcher to bring common sense into an equation dominated by emotionally driven ideologies in the face of an aggressor with definite aims. In terms of the Russian-Ukraine conflict we are reverting to the old question dating back to the Napoleonic war era: to what extent is London happy with the European nations fighting it out alone for dominance of the continent. Britain was never willing to accept a single power in control. Many variables will dictate what kind of world emerges from the current conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. How will power be extracted from potential gains? What will be the strategic impact of this? What is sure, in the age of Trump this pattern of reliance on U.S. muscle is becoming quickly exhausted. Dating back to the Roman Empire, a factor in the decline of major powers has always been astronomical military spending, a budgetary demand that the U.S. under Trump is no longer willing to shoulder alone. (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).