Living and the Dead - Afrikaans

April 1, 2025

Die Lewendes en die Dooies en die Priesters van die Here

Lev.21: V1 "Verder het die HERE vir Moses gesê: Spreek met die priesters, die seuns van Aäron, en sê vir hulle: Aan 'n dooie moet 'n priester hom nie verontreinig onder sy volksgenote nie; behalwe aan sy bloedverwant, [ In Hebreeus word dit genoem 'ha‐krovim'] sy nabestaande: aan sy moeder en sy vader en sy seun en sy dogter en sy broer; en aan sy suster wat jongmeisie (maagd) is, sy nabestaande, wat nie aan 'n man toebehoort het nie aan haar mag hy hom verontreinig."

Die Priesters van die Here en die dooies; Die Lewendes en die dooies. 'n Levitiese tipologie. Carl Bach, 'n Duitse Teoloog, sê in Latyn: 'Novum Testamentin Envetera Latet': Die Nuwe is in die Oue verskans, en die Oue is in die Nuwe geopenbaar.

Dit het 'n spreekwoord geword onder teoloë (Die Plymouth broers het dit al 30 jaar voor Carl Bach gesê, maar hulle het dit nie in Latyn gesê nie, daarom was dit nie akademies aanvaarbaar nie.)

Paulus sê: Rom.3:31: "Maak ons dan die wet tot niet deur die geloof? Nee, stellig nie! Inteendeel, ons bevestig die wet." Die wet is vervul in Christus; Die Wet wys op Christus, die Wet is vervul in Hom. Die vraag is, wat beteken dit vir ons?

Die priesters kon nie 'n dooie liggaam hanteer of daaraan raak nie??dit word in Hebreeus gupha? genoem??letterlik 'n lyk. 'n lewende liggaam word in Hebreeus ?'guph'? genoem. Ons kan dus na die Liggaam van Christus verwys as: Ha?guph Ha?Mochiach, maar 'n dooie liggaam word genoem?'gupha'.

Die 'cohen'?priester mag nie aan 'n lyk geraak het nie want as hy as priester van die Here in kontak met 'n lyk gekom het was hy volgens die godsdienstige instellings besoedel en sodoende kon hy nie in die Huis van die Here enige diens verrig het nie. Hy mag nie 'n offer in die Tempel gebring het of iemand in die Huis van die Here bedien het nie.

Ons hoor baie van persone met 'n ongeredde of teruggevalle man of 'n vrou met ongeredde kinders, die meeste is egter vroue met die probleem van 'n ongeredde man of teruggevalle kinders ens. Dit is iets wat 'n baie groot hartseer by mense kan veroorsaak. Ons kan ons eie probleme hanteer, en ook kan u as 'n gelowige u eie dood hanteer omrede u geloof in Jesus Christus, maar wanneer u kinders, vrou of man of u ouers nie die versekering van Redding het nie, en u as gevolg daarvan nie met hulle, wat die naaste aan u is, kan kommunikeer nie, dan kan dit 'n uiterse frustrasie en pyn veroorsaak.

Ek kan nie aan 'n enkele Christen dink wat met 'n ongeredde persoon getroud is wat gelukkig getroud is nie, en normaalweg as die man 'n gelowige is, dan sal die vrou tot redding kom, nie altyd nie maar normaalweg. Water neem die vorm van die houer aan, maar wanneer die skoen aan die verkeerde voet is, dan is dit nie maklik nie.

Daar is getroude vroue wat vir baie jare in groot smart met hulle ongeredde mans moet saamlewe en wat probeer om hulle kinders in 'n Christelike lewe op te voed terwyl hulle mans hulle teenstaan.

Kinders wanneer hulle klein is, is een saak maar wanneer hulle begin groter word dan raak dit 'n ander probleem.

Al is die ongelowige man 'n goeie man wat goed sorg vir sy huis, of as dit 'n ongelowige vrou is, is so 'n huwelik Teologies onversoenbaar, dit kan nie werk nie. Dit is ook die geval met ouers wat ongeredde kinders of ouers het, of broers en suster wat vasgevang is in valse leerstellings, soos mense wat hulle geloof in Roomse Katolieke stelsels het wat glo dat die beeld van Maria vir hom of haar redding kan bring in plaas van die Lewende God, dit is dinge wat 'n mens laat vrees dat hy of sy te sterwe gaan kom sonder Jesus Christus, dit is dinge wat in baie van ons lewens bestaan en dit is 'n baie groot smart.

Wie is hulle wat lewe en wie is die dooies, en wat en wie is die tempel, en wie is die priesters?

Wanneer die Levitiese priesters (Die Cohenim) in aanraking gekom het met 'n dooie persoon se liggaam was hulle volgens die godsdienstige instellings besoedel, hulle was onrein, en hulle kon onder hierdie omstandighede geen diens in die tempel vir God verrig het nie.

Wat leer die Bybel ons inverband met so 'n situasie, en wat se voorsiening het God vir ons gemaak?

Blaai na 1Pet.2:5: "??en laat julle ook soos lewende stene opbou, tot 'n geestelike huis, 'n heilige priesterdom, om geestelike offers te bring wat aan God welgevallig is deur Jesus Christus. ['n Geestelike Huis?Gr?'oykos']

In baie plekke in die Nuwe Testamant is dit duidelik dat die Kerk die Tempel van God is, ons is die Lewende Stene. Die Ou Testamentiese Leviete was afgesonder van die gewone mense, hulle is Ou Testamentiese figure van gelowiges. Wanneer Jesaja sê: "Hy sal die priesters van Levi reinig",?was dit 'n profesie oor die Messias. Ons is die priesters, Ou Testamentiese Leviete is 'n beeld van die gelowiges in die Nuwe Testament,??hulle wat gereinig sal word.?'Tahor e?lev tahor brea Elohim'??Skep vir my 'n rein hart o God. 'Veh ruach nahon tahadesh be mene'??Die Regte Gees. Die priesters is geredde Christene, die Tempel is die kerk, dit kan 'n gebou insluit of nie insluit nie, maar dit is absoluut 'n lewende organisme. Die Kerk, die Gemeenskap, die Gemeente, is die Tempel!.

Dit laat ons met nog een vraag; Wie is die dooies?

Blaai na die Evangelie van Joh.5:24: "Voorwaar, voorwaar Ek sê vir julle, wie my woord hoor en Hom glo wat My gestuur het, het die ewige lewe en kom nie in die oordeel nie, maar het oorgegaan uit die dood in die lewe."

Wanneer u woord aanhallings sien soos 'voorwaar, voorwaar', dan sien u 'n Semitiese aanslag in die oortreffende trap, dit maak ook bekend dat die oorspronklike taal wat hier gebruik was nie Grieks was nie, en ook nie Hebreeus nie, maar heelwaarskynlik Aramees. Om meer klem op 'n woord te plaas word die voorafgaande werkwoord in Semietiese taal soos Hebreeus, herhaal. Gewoonweg sal ons sê dit is

baie, baie koud, maar in Hebreeus sal hulle sê dit is koud koud [Kar, kar] om die ernstigheid te beklemtoon.

Wanneer Christus dan sê: Voorwaar, voorwaar, dan is dit baie belangrik. Die punt hier is dit: As u in Hom glo, dan het u die ewige lewe, en u sal nie in die ewige oordeel kom nie, want u het van die dood na die lewe beweeg.

In die Werke van God, in God se ewige en Heilige perspektief, is iemand wat absoluut dood is in die tweede dood, en deur dieselfde sienswyse is 'n opregte wedergeboorte, sy of haar se tweede geboorte. Die enigste manier om nie deel te wees van die tweede dood nie, is om 'n tweede geboorte te ondergaan, en net dit wat in ewigheid kan bly bestaan is dit wat van uiterse waarde is. Biologiese geboorte en biologiese dood is in 'n sekere sin net oppervlakkig of tydelik.

Die werklike geboorte, is die tweede geboorte en die werklike dood is die tweede dood. Mense wat nie Wedergebore is nie, wat nie gered is nie, is dwalend, hulle is die lewende dooies. In die Werke van God is so 'n persoon alreeds dood, en net deur die opregte belydenis van sonde en geloof in Jesus Christus die Seun van God, kan 'n persoon wat dood is lewendig gemaak word.

Blaai na die Evangelie van Matt. 8:22: "Maar Jesus sê vir hom: Volg My, en laat die dooies hul eie dooies begrawe." ??Laat die dooies die dooies begrawe?? Daar is misleide Christene wat leer dat hulle nie begrafnisse moet bywoon nie as gevolg van die hulle verklaring van hierdie Skrif, maar dit is nie wat hier staan nie. As u die Joodse agtergrond van die Teks verstaan dan sal u opmerk dat daar gepraat word van iets soos wat genoem word die 'yerusha' 'n erflating, soos die reg van die oudste seun om 'n dubbele porsie van die familie erflating te kan ontvang. Maar saam met hierdie dubbele porsie is daar die verpligting aan die oudste seun om by sy ouers te bly tot en met hulle dood. Wat Christus dan hier gesê het was dit: Moet nie dat finansiële oorwegings 'n probleem vir julle word om My te volg nie. Die probleem hier was geld en nie die begrafnis nie.

Laat die dooies die dooies begrawe.

Ongeredde mense is dood. Eff.2:1 sê: "En julle het Hy lewend gemaak, wat dood was deur die misdade en die sondes." Ons was almal dood. Lyke is beelde van ongeredde mense. Die lyke van die Ou Testament, in die besonder in die Torah, is beelde van ongeredde mense in dieselfde manier wat die Leviete beelde is van Christene, en natuurlik is die Tempel 'n skaduwee van die Kerk of die gemeente. Wanneer 'n persoon 'n lyk aangeraak het was hy figuurlik besoedel, en nie by magte om enige tempel diens vir God te verrig nie en dit was vir hom 'n groot probleem.

Die probleem is dit: Ons raak gewoond daaraan. Dit is soos 'n lykbesorger wat na?doodse ondersoeke moet uitvoer, hy raak aan alles gewoond en dieselfde gebeur geestelik. Ons lewe saam met die ongereddes en ons begin vergeet waarmee ons te doen het, ons raak gewoond om die dooies te hanteer.

Die ongeredde persoon agter die toonbank in die kafee is dood, die ongeredde persoon wat saam met u werk, is dood, hulle is lyke, my ongeredde moeder en vader, broers en susters, is dood, hulle is lyke, maar ons raak gewoond daaraan en ons vergeet dat hulle dood is.

Ons weet dit, maar ons bereik 'n punt waar dit nie meer by ons registreer nie en so raak ons besoedel.

In die tye van die Bybel het die Leviete offers vir die mense gebring wat behels het dat hulle hierdie voedsel moes hanteer. En omdat daar so baie soorte siektes bestaan het was dit 'n ideale toestand vir die verspreiding van enige soort infeksies omdat die Leviete in aanraking gekom het met baie mense. In die Midde Ooste is dit deur die grootste gedeelte van die jaar baie warm en wanneer 'n liggaam tot sterwe kom is daar die doodskleur faktor wat baie vinnig intree maar ook so Rigor Mortis, 'n vinnige verrottings proses. 'n Lyk is ryp met 'n groot verskeidenheid bakteriëe. Moet dit nie hanteer nie, begrawe dit baie vinnig.

Al die reinigings rituele wat die Leviete moes toepas het 'n sekere geestelike, sowel as praktiese betekenis vir die Jode gehad, en die resultaat was dat die Jode 'n baie gesonder lewe gelei het as enige van die ander volke van ander beskawings.

Die reiniging van die voedsel (Kashrut) was baie belangrik omdat daar nie verkoeling stelsels bestaan het nie. Vark vleis en skulpvis produkte was baie gevaarlik onder hierdie klimaats toestande en dit was dan ook een van die redes waarom hierdie produkte vir die Jode taboe was. Die Jode het nie hiermee 'n probleem gehad nie. Baie minder botulisme en trichinoses as wat die ander beskawings ondervind het, was by die Jode teenwoordig omrede die verbod in die Levitiese Wet.

So was bakteriese besmettings en ander siektes dan beperk. Bloed, semen afskeiding, urine en enige afskeidings uit sere en snywonde was ook nie toegelaat nie. Persone met melaatsheid was baie vinnig in afsondering geplaas en so is die Israeliete bekerm van verskillende plae. Onthou wat het die Here vir Israel gesê: "As julle My Wette onderhou dan sal julle nie die plae van Egipte ontvang nie". Daar is 'n geestelike en 'n praktiese toepassing vir hierdie dinge.

Die mense moes vinnig van lyke ontslae raak sodat die priester nie in kontak daarmee gekom het nie want as 'n Leviet kontak gehad het met 'n lyk en hy moes later 'n offer bedien dan kon hy baie maklik 'n verskeidenheid van siektes so versprei het. Lyke besoedel alles omdat hulle dood is.

Hoe kyk ons hierna? Swak geselskap besoedel goeie sedelike beginsels. Ons regskapenheid, opregtheid, is die Regskapenheid van Koning Jesus, dit is toerekenbaar want ons het geen regskapenheid van ons eie nie, daar is geen mens wat goed is volgens God se Standaarde nie.

Niemand is goed in homself nie, ook nie eens diegene wat glo nie, want dit is die Regskapenheid van Jesus Christus wat in ons 'n verskil maak. Swak geselskap besoedel goeie moraliteite, en met dit ingedagte vra ons onsself die vraag: Wat moet ons houding en stand wees teenoor die dooies? Almal van ons ontvang lesse van die Here in nederigheid. Somtyds dink ons dat ons uitverkore is net om later uit te vind dat ons eindelik niks is nie.

My broer was in Jerusalem en hy was nog net 'n kort rukkie getroud. Hulle was in Betanië by die tradisionele plek waar Lasarus se graf is. Niemand weet verseker of dit die regte plek is nie, maar hulle dink so, en hulle het 'n kerk op hierdie plek gebou om mense daarna te trek om geld te maak natuurlik. My broer het in die kerkie ingegaan met 'n klein flitsie en hy het die verhaal van Lasarus gelees soos

opgeteken in Joh.11. En hier het die Here vir hom iets geopenbaar, en hy het geweet dit is deur die Heilige Gees. Hy het gedink dat hierdie openbaring iets uniek was maar 'n paar jaar later het hy uitgevind dat die Here dit al 300 jaar terug ook aan George Witfield geopenbaar het, en toe sien hy dat hy glad nie so uniek is nie.

Jesus het vier dinge gesê toe Hy Lasarus uit die dood opgewek het. Die vraag wat Christus gevra het was

: Waar het julle hom neergelê? Met ander woorde: Waar is die dooie man?

Die tweede ding wat Christus gesê het was: Rol weg die Steen. Derdens sê Koning Jesus: Lasarus kom uit, en vierdens: sê Koning Jesus: "Maak hom los."

"Waar het julle hom neergelê, waar is die dooie?"??Dit is die volmaakte beeld van Evangelisasie. Jesus het beveel dat ons vir Hom dissipels moet oprig en nie bekeerlinge nie.

Die vraag is, na wat se soort kerk gaan u mense neem, 'n vermaaklikheid sentrum? Jesus het gesê gaan maak dissipels en ons kan nie dissipelskap skei van die Evangelie nie.

"Rol weg die steen" Een ding wat ek geleer het met Evangelisasie is dat jy kan getuig en getuig, van die een deur na die ander deur loop en traktaatjies uitdeel, jy kan preek en preek en al die dinge toepas wat jy dink wat gaan werk.

Maar totdat die mens die Stem van die Here hoor, en nie u stem nie, dan eers sal die dooie uit die graf uit kom. Al wat gebeur as ons die Evangelie bring of getuig is dat ons net besig is om die steen weg te rol, ons maak dit moontlik dat die dooies die Stem van die Here Jesus kan hoor.

Dan sê Koning Jesus: "Lasarus kom uit." Van die ou Apostoliese predikers het gesê dat as Koning Jesus nie Lasarus op sy naam genoem het nie sou al die dooies opgestaan het, miskien is hulle reg? Ons sal nie weet nie! Maar een ding is seker; Net die Seun van die Mens kan die dooies uit die graf opwek, net Jesus Christus kan dit sê. Maar dan praat Koning Jesus weer met die lewendes om die graf: "Maak hom los." Jesus het nie gesê gaan maak bekeerlinge nie. Wanneer mense uit die graf opgestaan het, wanneer hulle tot redding gekom het, kom hulle in gebondenheid daar uit, hulle is in doods doeke vasgedraai, hulle is geestelik en emosioneel in gebondenheid en hulle het dissipelskap nodig, hulle het mense nodig wat hulle op die pad na die Beloofde Land kan lei. Die eerste ding wat hierdie stinkende liggaam nodig het is 'n bad??Die Doop.

"Julle, maak hom los" Dit is dissipelskap. Dit is ons gesindheid teenoor die dooies. Ons rol die steen weg, Koning Jesus roep hulle in die Lewe in, en ons is geroep om die dooies los te maak.

Die Jode het 'n tradisie dat die 'Shekina' die gees oor 'n lyk van 'n regverdige man [Tsadik] sal bly vir drie dae na sy dood, maar op die vierde dag is dit absoluut klaar met hom. Ons lees in Joh.11 dat Lasarus alreeds vier dae dood was, en toe hy opgestaan moes sy liggaam al reeds besig gewees het om te ontbind, hy het al guruik. Daar is 'n rede waarom dit vier dae was. Vier dae beteken dit is absoluut finaal. Menslik gesproke was Lasarus absoluut dood, en net die Koning van die konings kan dit doen.

Wat beteken dit, beteken dit dat ons nie die dooies moet hanteer nie? Beteken dit dat ons nie met die ongereddes moet deel nie? Nee, dit is nie wat dit beteken nie, blaai na 1Kor.5:9: "Ek het julle in my brief geskrywe om nie met hoereerders om te gaan nie??dit wil sê, nie die hoereerders van hierdie wêreld of die gierigaards of rowers of afgodedienaars in die algemeen nie,???" Ons moet die kulturele konteks van Korinte verstaan, dit was absoluut uiteenlopend, daar was afgodery, kultusse, homoseksuele?? alles onder die son??geweld was deel van hulle ontspanning. Paulus gaan aan en sê dat hulle hulle nie heeltemal moet afskei van die hoereerders van hierdie wêreld of die gierigaards of rowers of afgodedienaars in die algemeen nie, want dan sou julle uit die wêreld moet uitgaan?? maar hy sê dat hulle nie moet omgaan met iemand wat as 'n sogenaamde broeder bekend is, wat hierdie dinge doen nie.

"Want waarom sou ek ook die wat buite is, oordeel? Oordeel julle nie die wat binne is nie? Maar die wat buite is, oordeel God. Verwyder tog dié slegte mens onder julle uit."

Ons is veronderstel om in hierdie wêreld te wees maar nie van die wêreld nie, ons is nie geroep om uit die wêreld te gaan nie. Sommige kerke verwar Heiligmaking met 'n sagte vorm van wettisme. Wettisme leer dat Christene nie dit of dat moet doen nie, maar dit is meer verwant aan Roomse Katolieke stelsels as aan Bybelse Christenskap. Ons is geroep om in die wêreld te wees maar nie van die wêreld nie, ons is geroep om getuies te wees vir Koning Jesus.

"Waar het julle hom neergelê?" Ons moet na die plek gaan waar die ongeredde mense is, wat beteken dit? Sommige van dit het te doen met die balsem proses.

Die balsem proses kom van die Egiptenare af en is ook genoem die mumifiserings proses. Dit word vertel dat die Jode hulle aardsvaders se lyke ook gebalsem het. Die doel van balsem is om te probeer om 'n lyk te bewaar in sy oorspronklike status, met ander woorde hy kom lewendig voor terwyl hy eindelik dood is. Dit het ook te doen met persoonlike kontak met die persoon.

2Kor.6:14?16: "Moenie in dieselfde juk trek saam met ongelowiges nie, want watter deelgenootskap het die geregtigheid met die ongeregtigheid, en watter gemeenskap het die lig met die duisternis? En watter ooreenstemming het Christus met Bélial, of watter aandeel het die gelowige met die ongelowige? Of watter ooreenkoms het die tempel van God met die afgode?"

Moet nie aan mekaar gebonde wees soos twee osse wat saam in 'n juk trek nie. Osse was die sterkse dier in die Midde Ooste en hulle is normaalweg in pare verkoop.

Onthou u die gelykenis van die uitnodiging na die bruilof. Die verskonings. "Ek het 'n paar osse wat ek wil gaan uit probeer." Dit was gebruik as 'n verskoning om te kyk of die osse in harmonie kan saamwerk.

Hulle moet maats wees wat kan saamwerk op die basis van krag, geslag, soort, en ouderdom, en dit was nie net 'n geval van enige twee diere bymekaar nie. 'n Jong dier sal al sy krag van die begin af gebruik en gou uitgeput raak terwyl die ou dier wat die werk ken sal weet hoe om sy energie nuttig oor die werkstyd te verdeel. Net so ook as 'n klein dier langs 'n groot dier ingespan word sal hulle in sirkels beweeg. Dit is waarom die persoon die osse moes gaan beproef. Dit is ook wat dit beteken om die

oudstes op die proef te stel, dit is om te kyk of hulle kan saamwerk. Daar is niks so frustreerend as wanneer daar vier ouderlinge is waarvan drie altyd vir 'n rede nie teenwoordig is nie.

Moet nie saam met ongelowiges in dieselfde juk trek nie, en dit is nie genoeg om te sê: Wel, my kêrel is gered, nou kan ons maar in die huwelik tree nie. Die man is die hoof van die vrou en Christus is die Hoof van die gemeente. Nou mevroutjie, hoe kan jy onderdanig wees aan 'n baba? Hierdie pas geredde man van jou het nou God se bedekking geword, die simbool van God se liefdevolle beskerming, God se gesag in jou lewe, hoe kan hy dit wees as hy net pas tot bekering gekom het, en jy meer weet as hy? Laat hom beproef word. Jy wil graag trou op die ouderdom van 22 / 25 of 26 maar dit is nie genoeg om te sê: "Hy is 'n Christen nie! Nee hulle moet eers deeglik beproef word.

Daar is gewone dinge waardeur Christene wetlik gebonde kan raak, soos 'n finansiële gebondheid aan 'n besigheids venoot. Een wil hierdie kant toe en die ander wil ander kant toe.

Wat gaan jy vir jou ongelowige besigheids venoot sê as hy te veel gedrink het? "Ek sal vir jou bid"? Trek in dieselfde juk, dit is 'n pyn!.

Die huwelik is 'n baie goeie voorbeeld. Die Bybel maak voorsiening vir persone wat gered word nadat hulle getroud is, maar die Bybel maak geen voorsiening vir diegene wat met 'n ongelowige trou nie. Die Bybel sê net, moet nie dit doen nie.

Wanneer jy jou nek in hierdie juk gesteek het kan jy dit nie weer daar uit kry nie, sulke dinge besoedel die gelowige mens, want dit ontaard in 'n dwarstrekkery, en 'n lyk gaan jou besoedel.

Esra 4: 1?2: "En toe die teëstanders van Juda en Benjamin hoor dat die ballinge 'n tempel bou vir die HERE, die God van Israel, het hulle aangekom na Serubbábel en na die familiehoofde en aan hulle gesê: Laat ons saam met julle bou, want net soos julle soek ons julle God, en aan Hom offer ons van die dae van Esar?Haddon af, die koning van Assirië, wat ons hierheen laat optrek het."

Let op hulle is hier betrokke met heidense praktyke in die aanbidding van die Ware God: "Laat ons saam met julle bou."

In die Alpha Times, sien ons waar 'n Rooms Katolieke priester 'n bespreking gelewer het. Vader Catelamessa het met Nicky Gumbel gepraat. Catelamessa is 'n prediker in die pouslike huishouding van die Vatican wat op uitnodiging saam met Alpha opgetree het. Hy sê hy is 'n broeder in Christus, en hy aanbid God, hy glo in Jesus, maar dan kniel hy voor 'n standbeeld neer en bid vir die afgestorwenis. "Laat ons saam die huis bou.? Wat het die Tempel van God in gemeen met afgode? Wat het die lewendes te doen met die dooies? Ons het al reeds genoem dat ons nie romanties of finansieel gebonde moet raak met ongelowiges nie, en nou sien ons vandag oral hoedat kerke in gebondenheid kom met afgodedienaars, die wêreld kerke!. Laat die wat vuil is vuiler word?

Maar ons moet verstaan dat God sekere voorsienings gemaak het onder sekere omstandighede, maar net onder hierdie omstandighede en dit sluit glad nie ongeredde besigheids venote in nie.

Het jy 'n ongelowige kêrel, of is jou jou vriendin nie 'n toegewyde Christen nie? Die feit is dit, hierdie vriendin of vriend is twee trekdiere wat nie gaan saamtrek nie.

Het u geweet dat enige fisiese romantiese kontak n emosionele gebondenheid kan veroorsaak?

Soen en liefkosings is dinge wat deur God geskep is om 'n huweliks fondasie te skep, moet dan nie toe laat dat 'n dooie man jou soen nie, moet nie 'n lyk streel of begeer nie!. As u in die huwelik wil tree, trou dan in die Here, maar weet dit jy gaan nie jou prins of jou feëprinses in die begrafplaas of in die dode huis vind nie. U is, of in Christus, of in die doderyk.

U sal nie 'n eggenoot of eggenote in 'n begrafplaas, 'n kroeg, diskoteek of in 'n nagklub vind nie. In die wêreld, maar nie van die wêreld nie. Dooies sal jou besoedel, dit sal nie werk nie!

As jy 'n Christen is en jy het 'n besigheid, as jou kerk 'n kerk is wat vasstaan in Waarheid volgens die Woord van God, en jy begewe jou in 'n geding met 'n liberale protestante kerk, of 'n Roomse Katolieke Kerk, weet dit, dit sal nie werk nie, die lewendes kan nie saam met die dooies erf nie.

Daar is vier soorte liefde van funksioneer in 'n huwelik: Philo, Eros, Storga en Agapé. Storga liefde is 'n familie liefde: Ongeredde mense is instaat om dit te handhaaf.

Philo Liefde, is broeder liefde. Ons kom oor die weg met mekaar omdat ons lief is vir sport of sekere musiek, dit is 'n gemeenskaplike liefde vir iets.

Erotiese Liefde: Ek is lief vir myself ek wil jou besit. Ongeredde persone kan dit beoefen.

Maar die vierde soort liefde, is die Agapé liefde. Daar is net een plek in die Bybel, in die Nuwe Testament waar 'n ongeredde mens instaat was tot Agapé liefde en dit is waar 'n persoon so afgetakel was dat hy die bose onvoorwaardelik liefgekry het. Net 'n wedergebore Christen kan waarlik Agapé deur die Liefde van God. Philo liefde faal omdat dit menslik is. Erotiese liefde gaan sekerlik faal omdat niemand jonk en mooi bly nie. En net so kan familie liefde faal.

Net Agapé liefde is verewig. Ons kan nie 'n huwelik bou op enig iets anders as die Liefde van God nie. Daar is nie iets soos 'n goeie Storga, Philo of Eros liefde nie, dit gaan nie hou nie, dit is goedkoop liefde.

Toe ek groot geword het, het ek nie groot geword as 'n Christen nie, ek het nie eens geweet wat 'n Wedergebore Christen is nie, ek het geweet van Katolieke, Jode en Protestante, ek het van niks beter geweet nie. Soos wat baie ongeredde mense maar is was ek maar baie ongeërg in my jong dae. Ek het al die dinge gedoen wat ongeredde mense doen, ek het ook meisies gehad, maar Koning Jesus het my gered van hierdie dinge, maar ek kan u dit vertel, as u wil gesels oor die goeie dinge van 'n huwelik, dan het God die beste. God het seks ontwerp, en u kan nie goeie seks buite die huwelik, die instelling van God, geniet nie. Hoe kan u al u intieme dinge met iemand deel wat glad nie die selfde einddoel het nie? 'n Huwelik wat se basis nie gefondeer is op die Liefde van God nie, is 'n valse huwelik. Daar is ook nie een huwelik tussen 'n geredde en 'n ongeredde persoon wat kan werk nie, God het nie gemeenskap met die Bose nie.

God maak egter voorsienig dat ons ons kan besoedel met ons naaste verwantskappe.

Lev. 21: 2 ?3: "???behalwe aan sy bloedverwant, sy nabestaande: aan sy moeder en sy vader en sy seun en sy dogter en sy broer; en aan sy suster wat jongmeisie is, sy nabestaande, wat nie aan 'n man toebehoort het nie aan haar mag hy hom verontreinig."

In hierdie gevalle is ons gejuk saam met ons bloedverwante. Daar is dooie mense waarmee ons moet in aanraking kom, ons het nie 'n keuse nie.

Soos ons ongeredde ouers, ongeredde broers en susters en kinders, hulle is lyke waarmee ons moet in aanraking kom, God weet dit, en Hy het vir ons voorsiening in die Skrifte daarvoor gemaak. Hoe het God dit gedoen?

Dit is nie iets wat ons gekies het nie, dit is God wat self intree om 'n slagoffer te help. As ons dit self gedoen het, as u self u nek in hierdie juk gesteek het, dan is daar iets verkeerd met u. Maar as u nek alreeds in hierdie juk is, dan tree God in. "Behalwe aan sy bloedverwant,????sy nabestaande???mag hy hom verontreinig."

Vir die meeste van ons, behalwe vir klein kindertjies, is dit die moeilikste om u getuies vir u naasbestaandes te gee, omdat hulle u geken het voordat u tot redding gekom het, en hulle gaan u opvat vir wat u gewees het toe u nog in die wêreld was, en hulle gaan u sodanig hanteer en die duiwel gaan hulle te hulp snel onder hierdie omstandighede. Deur hulle natuur is hulle onrein en dit kan na ons toe oor beweeg want ons is in aanraking met hulle lyke.

Ongeredde familielede kan vir u 'n groot hartseer besorg soos niemand anders nie, hulle kan onder u vlees inkruip deur u op alle maniere te versoek totdat u ou natuur weer na vore kom en dan het u verloor, en dit het geen goeie doel vir Evangelisasie werk nie. Dit is beter om tot die Here te bid dat Hy 'n ander Christen kan stuur om u te hulp te snel. Al wat u kan doen is bid vir hulle en laat hulle u lewe vir Christus sien, en bring ander Christene saam met u wat vir hulle kan getuig, want hulle gaan te veel ammunusie vir u hê en die duiwel weet dit.

Num.5:1?3: "En die HERE het met Moses gespreek en gesê: Gee bevel aan die kinders van Israel dat hulle uit die laer wegstuur al die melaatse mense en almal wat 'n vloeiing het, en almal wat deur 'n lyk onrein is. Man sowel as vrou moet julle wegstuur; buitekant die laer moet julle hulle wegstuur, sodat hulle nie hul laer verontreinig waar Ek in hulle midde woon nie." "Buitekant die laer moet julle hulle wegstuur."

Enige iemand wat 'n vloeiing het wat 'n teken is van 'n infeksie en enige iemand wat met 'n lyk in aanraking gekom het, moet buite die laer in afsondering geplaas word. As u uit 'n kerk diens kom en 'n sigaret aansteek en saam met u ongeredde kêrel in 'n motor spring, dan versprei hierdie siekte. As u een persoon in u kerk het wat sulke dinge doen dan gaan van die ander dit ook binnekort begin doen. Maar dit word van die leiers verwag om 'n streep te trek. "Jammer jong man, meisie, julle word buite die laer geplaas totdat julle genees is!. Dit is 'n siekte wat versprei.

Maar wat van die liggame wat ons moet hanteer?

1Kor.7:13?16: "??en as 'n vrou 'n ongelowige man het, en hy dit goedvind om met haar saam te lewe, moet sy hom nie verstoot nie. Want die ongelowige man is geheilig deur die vrou, en die ongelowige vrou is geheilig deur die man; want anders sou julle kinders onrein wees, maar nou is hulle heilig. Maar as die ongelowige wil skei, laat hom skei. In sulke gevalle is die broeder of suster nie gebonde nie. Maar God het ons tot vrede geroep. Want hoe weet jy, vrou, of jy die man sal red; of hoe weet jy, man, of jy die vrou sal red?"

As u 'n ongeredde man of 'n vrou het kan dit u van u vrede beroof, maar nie van u 'Shalom' nie. Die woord wat hier vir vrede gebruik word is 'Shalom', dit is nie die vrede van die wêreld nie, dit is 'n vrede van Christus, 'n vrede sonder enige konflik. "My vrede gee Ek vir julle, nie die vrede van die wêreld nie." Dit beteken nie dat ons sonder enige wêreldse konflik gaan wees nie, alhoewel dit die vrede sal wees wat ons gaan kry met die Wederkoms van Christus, dit is die vrede van Christus, absolute gurustheid en volkomenheid.

Die woord Shalom kom van die Hebreeuse woord: L'shalem: om vol te maak, te vervul. Ons sal Shalom omrede ons Messias gekom het om te L'shalem.

Ons het vrede omdat Jesus gekom het om die Wet te vervul, Hy het die prys vir ons ootredinge betaal en om ons met Sy Heilige Gees te vervul.

Dit is die Vrede van Christus. U kan deur die grootste konflik in u lewe gaan maar u kan nog steeds Shalom deur dit alles hê. Die ander stelling is ook waar: U kan sonder enige konflik wees maar u kan ook sonder die Vrede van Christus, Shalom, wees.

Shalom is die vrede wat Christus gee, en u kan dit in u lewe ondervind, afgesien van enige omstandighede.

Ongeredde mense, of naasbestaandes wat saam met ons gejuk is, en in die besonders ongeredde huweliks maats, kan ons van ons vrede beroof, want hulle besoedel ons. Ons liggame is die Tempel van die Heilige Gees, so, as u met hom of haar saam in 'n bed klim, dan besoedel u die Tempel van God, maar God het hier vir ons voorsiening gemaak.

Hierdie ongeredde persone word in 'n mate geregverdig deur die geloof van die geredde persoon, alhoewel hulle die geredde persoon besoedel veroorsaak dit nie 'n gruwel, 'n verontreiniging van die tempel nie. Anders sal die kinders ook verontreinig gewees het en hulle sal dieselfde gewees het as die kinders van ongeredde huweliksmaats. God het nie klein kinders nie, net kinders.

Die regverdigings proses in hierdie geval werk soos volg: Die ongelowige kind sal geregverdig word deur u geloof tot op 'n punt waar die kind oud genoeg is om vir homself te besluit, dan sal die kind, of 'n gelowige word of hy sal die juk verbreek en wegbreek.

Net so is dit in die geval met 'n ongelowige man of vrou in die huwelik. Hulle is onderskeidelik geregverdig deur een van die huweliks maats wat gered is todat die ongeredde maat die juk verbreek en

wegbreek of Christus aanneem as sy of haar Verlosser. Daarom, laat hierdie dinge jou nie van jou Vrede in Christus berowe nie.

Die ongredde persoon besoedel nog steeds maar verontreinig nie, maar dit sal afhang of u 'n toegewyde geloof in die Here u God se Leerstelling handhaaf terwyl in 'n huwelik is met 'n ongeredde persoon.

Maar as u hierdie dinge weet en u u nogtans begewe in so 'n huwelik, om saam gejuk te word met 'n ongeredde persoon, dan wens ek u voorspoed toe, u gaan dit beslis nodig kry. Praat met persone wat so gejuk is, daar is 'n mate van regverdiging, maar dit kan net gaan tot op 'n punt waar die ongeredde tot of bekering kom, of waar hy of sy hulle nekke uit die juk trek en wegbreek. Maar moet nie dat dit u van u vrede beroof nie, u sal besoedel word, maar sal u God se Tempel verontreinig? Nee.

Num. 9:6?10: "En daar was manne wat deur die lyk van 'n mens onrein geword het en op dieselfde dag die pasga nie kon hou nie. Daarom het hulle nader gekom voor Moses en Aäron op dieselfde dag, en dié manne het vir hom gesê: Ons is onrein deur die lyk van 'n mens; waarom moet ons te kort gedoen word, dat ons die offer van die HERE nie op die bepaalde tyd onder die kinders van Israel sou bring nie? En Moses het vir hulle gesê: Bly staan, dat ek kan hoor wat die HERE julle sal beveel. Toe het die HERE met Moses gespreek en gesê: Spreek met die kinders van Israel en sê: As iemand van julle of van julle geslagte deur 'n lyk onrein word of op 'n ver reis is, moet hy tog die pasga vir die HERE hou."

Weer bevestig ons die Tora, hierdie dinge is vervul in Christus. Wat is ons Pasga???Jesus Christus! Ons herdenk die Pasga deur deel te wees aan die Nagmaal van onse Here. 1Kor.11: Koning Jesus is ons Pasga.

Wanneer u na die Tafel van die Here, na die Nagmaal Tafel opgaan, en u was in kontak met 'n dooie persoon, dan voel u onrein, en die duiwel sal altyd wil voordeel trek uit sulke oomblikke van swakheid. U het miskien 'n argument opgetel met u ongeredde man of vrou en nou is u op pad kerk toe om die Pasga van die Here te gaan gebruik, en nou voel u dit nie waardig om die Nagmaal te gebruik nie, u voel u is besoedel want u het in kontak gekom met 'n lyk, maar God sê u kan aansit aan Sy Tafel. Die Woord van die Here sê in 1Kor.11 dat die Here ons tegemoed kom in ons swakheid.

Moet nie toelaat dat u van u vrede beroof word nie, moet nie toelaat dat emosionele omstandighede u ook geestelik beroof nie. Ja, 'n lyk het u besoedel, niemand kan dit betwis nie, God weet dit, en u weet dit, en almal weet dit, maar God het voorsiening gemaak onder hierdie omstandighede sodat u na Sy Tafel kan kom. Hy deel met ons in ons swakheid.

Num.19:11: "Die een wat aan 'n dooie, enige lyk van 'n mens, raak, hy sal sewe dae lank onrein wees."

Let op die sewe dae. God het die aarde in ses dae gemaak en op die sewende dag het Hy gurus. God het ons week ook in sewe dae opgedeel waardeur iemand homself sal reinig van 'n onreinheid. Die Hebreeuse konsep is 'Tahor'. Met water op die derde dag en op die sewende dag, dan sal 'n persoon gereinig wees. Maar as 'n dooie persoon hom nie op die derde dag en op die sewende dag gereinig het nie dan sal so 'n persoon onrein wees. Enige mens wat 'n lyk aangeraak het, die liggaam van 'n mense wat gesterwe het, en homself nie gereinig het nie, besoedel die Tabernakel van die Here, en so 'n

persoon sal nie meer deel wees van Israel nie. Ongeredde mense, al is hulle ons naasbestaandes, veroorsaak besoedeling, as u saam met 'n ongelowige eggenoot of eggenote in die bed klim dan veroorsaak dit besoedeling en u moet gereinig word anders sal u die Tabernakel van die Here verontreinig. Hoe verhoed ons dat ons die Tabernakel van die Here verontreinig wanneer u getroud is met 'n ongelowige? Want daardie persoon sal afgesny word van Israel omdat as die reinigings water nie op hom of haar gesprinkel is nie, is hy of sy onrein.

Num.19:11?14: Die een wat aan 'n dooie, enige lyk van 'n mens, raak, hy sal sewe dae lank onrein wees. Op die derde dag en op die sewende dag moet hy hom daarmee ontsondig??dan sal hy rein wees; maar as hy hom op die derde dag en op die sewende dag nie ontsondig nie, sal hy nie rein wees nie. Elkeen wat aan 'n dooie raak, aan die lyk van 'n mens wat gesterf het, en hom nie ontsondig nie, verontreinig die tabernakel van die HERE, en dié siel moet uit Israel uitgeroei word. Omdat geen reinigingswater op hom uitgegooi is nie, sal hy onrein wees; sy onreinheid is nog aan hom. Dit is die wet: As iemand in 'n tent sterwe, sal elkeen wat in die tent kom en al wat in die tent is, sewe dae lank onrein wees." Let op? 'Sewe Dae' onrein..

Num 19:15?16: "Ook al die oop goed wat nie met 'n deksel toegebind word nie, is onrein."

(Moet nie eens uit dieselfde houer drink nie.) "En elkeen wat in die oop veld aan iemand raak wat deur die swaard verslaan is, of aan 'n dooie of aan 'n mens se doodsbeen of aan 'n graf, sal sewe dae lank onrein wees."

Dit is waarom die Jode hulle grafte moes wit verf, die Jode het hulle begrafplase voor die tyd voorberei en reisigers wat van die pelgrims feeste bygewoon het, het in die leë grafte oornag, maar wanneer daar 'n lyk in was het hulle dit gewitwas sodat dit duidelik uitgeken kan word en dit was ook dan 'n waarskuwing dat dit volgens die ritueel onreinheid tot gevolg sal hê.

Dit is wat Koning Jesus vir die Fariseërs gesê het, hulle is wit gewaste grafte, met ander woorde hulle is grafte met lyke in.

Sewe dae onrein.

Num. 19:17?20: "Vir die onreine moet hulle dan van die as neem van die sondoffer wat verbrand is, en daar vars water in 'n pot op gooi; en 'n rein man moet hisop neem en dit in die water insteek en op die tent sprinkel en op al die goed en op die persone wat daar gewees het; ook op hom wat aan 'n doodsbeen of aan een wat verslaan is, of aan 'n dooie of aan 'n graf geraak het. En die reine moet die onreine op die derde en op die sewende dag besprinkel en hom op die sewende dag ontsondig. Dan moet hy sy klere was en hom in die water bad, en in die aand sal hy rein wees. Maar as iemand onrein word en hom nie ontsondig nie, dan moet dié siel uitgeroei word uit die vergadering, want hy het die heiligdom van die HERE verontreinig: reinigingswater is op hom nie uitgegooi nie, hy is onrein."

Wanneer u in aanraking kom met die dode is u onrein, u klere is besoedel. God maak voorsiening deur die wassing met water wat reinig, wat dit Skrifte onderandere in Eff.5:26?27 "??om dit te heilig, nadat Hy dit gereinig het met die waterbad deur die woord, sodat Hy die gemeente voor Hom kon stel, verheerlik, sonder vlek of rimpel of iets dergeliks; maar dat dit heilig en sonder gebrek sou wees."

Hoe reinig Koning Jesus die Bruid om haar voorteberei vir die bruilof? Hy was haar met die Water van die Woord. Die Woord van God Reinig ons. Die Woord van God reinig ons van alle besoedeling wat ons deur kontak met met die dooies bekom het.

Maar as iemand nie die reinigingswater oor hom laat gaan nie dan sal hy of sy veroorsaak dat die heiligdom verontreinig word, en hy of sy sal afgesny word van hulle mense.

Het u al opgelet dat as jongmense wat as Christene groot geword het en terugval in die wêreld, dat hulle gewoonlik trou met ongeredde maats as hulle nie tot bekering kom nie. Onthou u hoedat Esau sy ouers se harte gebreek het toe hy met 'n heiden getrou het?

Maar wat gebeur nou as u alreeds met heiden getroud is en u kom tot redding? Dit is waar Hissop in die prentjie kom. Hissop het te doen met die besprinkeling van bloed. Die Israeliete het Hissop geneem, en die bloed, die Pasga, die Bloed van die Lam wat in 'n houer was en hulle het dit met 'n Hissop takkie aan die deurposte aangewend in die vorm van 'n Bloed Kruis. Koning Dawid in sy boetvaardige Psalm 51 sê: "Reinig my met Hissop." Maar die Skrifte vertel vir ons dat die aanwending alleenlik deur 'n persoon gedoen kon word wat rein is, iemand wat nie onrein is nie.

Ons het gemeenskap met mekaar nodig, ons moet mekaar ondersteun in die bedieninge wat die Here vir ons gegee het, ons het reiniging nodig omdat daar diegene is wat daarbuite in daaglikse kontak is met met die dode.

Dit is ook die rede waarom daar in 'n Christen gemeente voltydse persone in diens moet wees en dit maak nie saak hoe groot die gemeente is nie.

As die gemeente begin groter word is dit nie vir die gemeente nodig om so baie in kontak te kom met die wêreld nie, en besoedeling sal beperk word, en die gemeente lede sal dan meer in 'n posisie wees om mekaar te ondersteun. Mense kom in wat besoedel is met die dooies en hulle het reiniging nodig. Hulle wat onrein is het kontak nodig met diegene wat rein is.

Hulle was met water en hulle was hulle klere, en let op, dit was op die derde en die sewende dag, daar was 'n rede waarom die Metodiste Sondae kerk dienste en in die middel van die week Bybelstudie en Bidure gehad het. Woensdae en Sondae, die Derde en die Sewende dag. Dit is hoe God die week vir ons geskep het.

As u die hele week in kontak gekom het met die dode, of as u in 'n lykshuis werk gaan u beslis 'n was nodig hê. Ek sal aanmekaar skrop!

Ek sal nie wag tot die einde van die week nie, ek sal elke dag my klere was! Lasarus was al vier dae dood! Wat 'n stank! Reiniging met Hissop op die derde en die sewende dag, was met water en dan was u u kleed. Dit word vertel dat die kleed van die priesters gemaak was van linne.

Opb.19:8: "En aan haar is gegee om bekleed te wees met rein en blink fyn linne, want die fyn linne is die regverdige dade van die heiliges."

Jesaja praat van die Kleed van Redding, die Saligheids Kleed, wat die naakte toestand van die gevalle mens bedek, Koning Jesus praat van die Bruilofs Kleed, die priester se kleed was van linne. Die regverdige dade van die heiliges, ons werke, ons bediening, ons goeie werke, dit is die dinge wat besoedel word as ons met die dode te doen het, hoe kan ons dit weer wit kry?

Gaan na 'n plek waar met die Waaragtige Water, die skoon reine Woord van God gewas word, waar daar iemand is wat rein is, wat Hissop kan neem, en die Bloed van die Lam aan die deur van u hart kan aansit. Die Kruis van Jesus Christus, die Bloed van die Lam maak ons vry. Prys die Here.

Dit is hoe ons weer gereinig word. (Tahor) God weet dat ons hierdie dinge op ons pad gaan kry, maar as ons nie by die voorskrifte van die Woord van God hou nie, Wee ons!

Die meeste van ons is op een of ander manier gejuk, maar God weet dit en Hy verstaan dit, maar ons Here het vir ons voorsiening gemaak.

Lev.21: "???behalwe aan sy bloedverwant, sy nabestaande kan hy homself verontreinig"

U kan aan die Tafel van die Here Jesus Christus aansit, daar is plek vir u en my as Wedergebore gelowiges, want die Here onse God het vir ons voorsiening gemaak om ons twee maal 'n week te reinig. Ons het gemeenskap met gelowiges, met die lewendes nodig. In die teenwoordigheid van die Here kan ons ons Saligheids Kleed wit was met die Reinigings Water, die Woord van God sodat die regverdige dade van die Heiliges gereinig en geheilig kan word. Ons het Hissop nodig, ons het mekaar op die derde en die sewende dag nodig. Die Here onse God maak vir ons voorsiening in Sy heilige Woord, dit is die voorwaarde.

Die Heilige Gees het Paulus geïnspireer om hierdie saak so eenvoudig as moontlik aan ons oor te dra ; Moet nie gebonde raak aan ongelowiges nie!

2Kor.6:14?18: "Moenie in dieselfde juk trek saam met ongelowiges nie, want watter deelgenootskap het die geregtigheid met die ongeregtigheid, en watter gemeenskap het die lig met die duisternis? En watter ooreenstemming het Christus met Bélial, of watter aandeel het die gelowige met die ongelowige? Of watter ooreenkoms het die tempel van God met die afgode? Want julle is die tempel van die lewende God, soos God gespreek het: Ek sal in hulle woon en onder hulle wandel, en Ek sal hulle God wees, en hulle sal vir My 'n volk wees.

Daarom, gaan onder hulle uit en sonder julle af, spreek die Here; en raak nie aan wat onrein is nie, en Ek sal julle aanneem; en Ek sal vir julle 'n Vader wees, en julle sal vir My seuns en dogters wees, spreek die Here, die Almagtige." †††


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
Please click this link:https://mailchi.mp/christianconcern.com/action-alert-street-preaching-22-04-26?e=f1df30be3f
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).