Mezuzot (Doorposts) 2

April 3, 2025

Mezuzot (The Doorposts) Part 2 of 2 

You see, glue rinses off; but superglue does not rinse off with a detergent or a solvent. It scrapes off; the polymer binds with the cornified epithelium of the epidermis.

In other words, when it does come off, some of you comes off with it, leaving a mark that should never have been there. In a marriage, that kind of bonding is one of the things God uses to preserve a marriage; it is good in that situation. Outside of matrimony, however, it is not a good thing. Did God forgive the sin? Yes. At the Resurrection or when Jesus comes will it still matter? No. But does it leave a mark now? Absolutely. There is a mutual vulnerability with this kind of bonding, which is what led Samson to become emotionally and to a degree spiritually susceptible to Delilah. 

Let us continue: Samson foolishly lets Delilah know that the source of his strength has something to do with his hair; he begins sharing the things of the Lord with someone who does not even believe in the Lord. "So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and she wove them into the web, and she fastened it with a pin. And she said to him the third time, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web." He thinks he has gotten away with it once more, not knowing how close he is to the abyss of his self-appointed doom.

Verse 15: "And she said to him," - check this out - "'How can you say, "I love you"?'"
"You don't love me! If you loved me you'd let me kill you. You don't really love me, otherwise you'd let me get you knocked off so I can get paid!" What a jerk Samson had to be! There is no question he acted like a moron. This guy is a real jerk. And I'm a real jerk. And you're a jerk. 'The sin that so easily besets'.

Understand something here: this took place under the Old Covenant. It was not then as it is now, where the Holy Spirit is for all who believe. Under the Old Covenant, only certain people at certain times for certain reasons had the Holy Spirit: high priests, prophets, kings, patriarchs, and judges. Samson may well have been the only person on the face of the earth at that time who had the Holy Spirit. He was someone who had been supernaturally conceived as a type of Jesus: the angel appeared to his parents to tell them he would be born, and he carried the thing he would die on, just as Christ did. So Samson is a type of Christ, as all of these Old Testament figures are in some way. This was a man who was called by God before his conception; this was a man whom God empowered. He had God's hand upon him for the glory of God's name and for the deliverance of God's people - this was the judge of Israel! Called by God, empowered by God, anointed by God, and used mightily by God. But he continually returned to that same stupid sin.

In the same way, you could be witnessing and leading people to Jesus, laying hands on people and seeing them be healed - God could have His hand on you, you could be filled with the Holy Spirit, and God could really be using you; yet you could still so easily fall back into that same old thing. That's Samson, that's me, and that's you - it's all of us. Do not ask me why God continues to put up with someone like Jacob Prasch - I don't know. Fortunately, I am not God; because if I was God, Jacob Prasch would be in big trouble. Thank God that He is He and I am me; because if I was He, me wouldn't be here.

What Samson says next to Delilah shows the power of sin to deceive, and the vulnerability that takes place in that kind of bonding that should be reserved only for wedlock. Let us look at verse 16: "It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death." Why does he put up with this kind of nagging? That would drive any man crazy - the book of Proverbs tells us that living with a contentious woman is like trying to sleep next to a dripping faucet. Samson could have had any wife he wanted, with his position as the Judge of Israel. But he had bonded with Delilah, "so he told her all that was in his heart, and said to her, 'A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak like any other man.' When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called for the Philistines, saying, 'Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.' And the lords of the Philistines came to her, and brought the money in their hands." So Samson bought the whole bill of goods; he told her the truth, "and she made him sleep on her knees and called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him." Notice that Delilah began to afflict him before the Philistines did.

People are not initially judged for their sin; judgment for our sin is not the first thing that happens. Rather, what initially takes place is that we are judged by our sin. The sin itself turns against you; after that come the consequences for it.

"His strength left him. And she said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' And he awoke from his sleep and said, 'I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him." His strength was gone, his God evicted, yet Samson did not know it. We grieve the Holy Spirit with our sin; He does not stay where He is not wanted. He will not leave us, but we are certainly good at evicting Him from our lives. A question many people ask me is at what point the Holy Spirit leaves an unrepentant backslider: that is just the point - you do not know, and you cannot know. 'Is Saul among the prophets?' - Saul didn't know when the Lord departed from him, and neither did Samson. But we do know what follows; let's read it in verse 21: "Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes, and they brought him to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains. He was a grinder in the prison." What happens when God's Spirit leaves? You lose your sight and you lose your might. You become spiritually blind, and you no longer have the strength to pick up your cross; now you no longer have a way out, because you have gone too far for too long.

God's Spirit left Samson; he lost his sight and he lost his might. That is what happened to him, and if we are not careful, that is exactly what can happen to us also. None of us is immune.

Let us continue, however, in verse 22: "However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved off." Romans 11:29: "The gifts and calling of God go forth without repentance." God does not take away what He has given; but although we may lose our hair very quickly, it only grows back slowly. You may lose it overnight, but getting it back is not so easy. Only slowly does a backslider who has gone this far for this long recover; they are blind, without strength, and have made shipwrecks of their lives.

Verse 23: "Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their god." Dagon was the fish-god of the ancient Philistines. The miter of the Roman Catholic bishops has its origin in Dagon-worship. "And they said, 'Our god has given our enemy, Samson, into our hands!'" In the mentality of the ancient Near East, the battles between armies were simply an extension of the battles between spiritual forces. We see this clearly in Daniel and in Revelation, and we have other messages that explain this. Therefore, in the minds of the Philistines, Samson's capture did not merely mean that they were stronger than he, but that their god was stronger than his God. But God will always vindicate His name - He will not give His glory to another.

Verse 24: "When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, 'our god has given our enemy into our hands, even the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us.'" So often, God blesses His people even when they are unfaithful for His own name's sake; we often fail to understand that. "It so happened that when they were in high spirits they said, 'Call Samson for us, that he may amuse us.'" Backsliders will always wind up in a state of humiliation - as Isaiah 31 says, 'woe to those who go down to Egypt, for the safety of Pharaoh will turn to your disgrace and humiliation.'

Continuing in Judges 16:25, "So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars." The word here for 'pillars' indicates the pillars of the city. They made a mistake: he could not go to the Cross, but they brought the Cross to him and didn't know it. "Samson said to the boy that was holding him, 'Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I might lean against them.' Now the house was filled with men and women, and the lords of the Philistines were there. About 3000 men and women were looking on while Samson amused them. Then Samson called to the Lord and said, 'Oh, Lord God, please remember me and strengthen me just this one time, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.' And Samson grabbed the two middle pillars on which the house rested, braced himself against them, one with his right hand and one with his left" - he stretched out his hands - "and Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines,' and he bent with all his might, so that the house fell upon the lords and all who were within it. So the dead whom he killed in his death were more than those whom he had killed in his life." Once again, Samson is here a picture of Christ: he goes from a place of defeat by stretching out his hands to a place of unprecedented victory, when his enemy thought he had been completely defeated. Instead it was the chess gambit; you got my rook, but now your king is in check.

Verse 31: "Then his brothers and all his father's household came down, took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaole in the tomb of his father Manoah. Thus he judged Israel twenty years." Samson should have judged Israel sixty years; instead, it was only twenty. Do I believe in unconditional once-saved-always-saved? No. Calvinism is a perversion of Christianity. Neither do I believe, however, that God saves people in order to lose them. One does not need to understand the New Testament teaching about He who is able to keep you in terms of the Calvinistic misinterpretation and corruption of that truth; the gifts and calling of God go forth without repentance, as quoted earlier.

To understand this, we must go to the New Testament equivalent of this story: we always interpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament revelation of Jesus - I Corinthians 5: "It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind that does not exist even among the Gentiles" - that is, the pagans - "that someone has his father's wife." The Greek scholars usually reckon that this was the man's stepmother. Be that as it may, there is an incestuous relationship going on, where a believer was sleeping with his father's wife. A believer! Paul says, remember, 'among you'. Paul called this so grotesque and ugly, so morally repugnant, that even the heathens would not do it. Even the pagans had more morals than to do such a thing. Paul goes on to rebuke them: "Yet you have become arrogant, and have not mourned, in order that the one who had done this deed might be removed from your midst." Notice that the politically correct, compromised, half-backslidden contemporary church today says that the one who is arrogant is he or she who will stand against immorality. God says, on the contrary, that the one who will not stand against it is the arrogant one.

Ray MacCauley divorced a Christian woman in order to marry another woman who had been married to another man; yet if anyone speaks against it, that person is rebuked for daring to stand up for God's standard of righteousness. If anyone calls you arrogant for this type of action against immorality in the church, you may tell them from God's Word that it is rather they who are arrogant for refusing to speak against the immorality themselves. God calls it arrogant not to stand against obvious evil.

Paul goes on to say this in verse three: "For I on my part, though absent in body, yet present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his soul might be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus." This is not something anyone may do arbitrarily; it is similar to binding and loosing: both concepts come across more clearly in the Greek text, where the verb tense is present continuous active; you can only bind on earth what is being bound in Heaven, and you can only loose on earth what is being loosed in Heaven. (This actually has nothing to do with territorial spirits and the like.) In the same way, the Lord was leading Paul to hand this person over to Satan in the text of I Corinthians 5 that we read above.

Notice here that Paul was not Reformed; he was not a Calvinist. He did not say here, as a Calvinist would, that since this person was backslidden and sleeping with his father's wife that was in itself proof that he had never been saved to begin with. Neither, however, does Paul say anything to support a belief in unconditional eternal security (once-saved-always-saved). He never implies or leaves room to imply that this man still had the assurance of salvation while living in this backslidden state. Rather, he states directly that this man was in danger of going to Hell.

But once again, the Lord does not save people only to lose them. What Paul does say is this: If this man is going to sow to the flesh to this degree for this long, this habitually, and will not repent, the enemy will have him. We will let the enemy have him, that he might be driven in the end to fear God and repent, though he forfeits his life. I have heard many parents talk about how good and godly their children were until they went away to University; then a boy began living with his girlfriend, or a girl began living with her boyfriend, and they won't repent. (My children are at that age now, and I am praying that God keeps them from sin.) But then one day these wayward children come home and knock on the door. They say, "Mom, Dad, I'm HIV-positive. Will you pray with me?" or, "I've been diagnosed with Kaposi's Sarcoma, and they tell me I will soon be dead; please pray with me." Terrible! Horrible! But better that than burning in Hell.

I prayed for the salvation of my children from their mother's womb; I actually prayed that my children - whom I love just as indescribably as you love your children - would die in their mother's womb rather than spend eternity apart from Yeshua their Messiah.

The life is destroyed, but the soul is saved. Samson should have had many more years, many more decades of fruitful service. Sin can kill. Please do not misunderstand me - I do not suggest that all illness is the result of some personal sin; it is only the result of sin in the sense that illness is a result of mankind's fallen state. Yet as Psalm 32 and the epistle of James tell us, sin can cause illness. In fact, by defiling the Lord's table with unconfessed sin we can eat and drink judgment to ourselves and die prematurely, as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 11. It does say here 'fall asleep' rather than 'die' with reference to these believers who sin against the Lord's table, so we know that this does not mean they will go to Hell for it; believers fall asleep, unbelievers die. Similarly, even the New Testament says that if we neglect needy parents we reduce our own longevity. Sin can indeed kill; we see it in I Corinthians 5 and we see it in Samson's life. God forbid this should happen to any of us or to our children, but once more, better that it does than that we burn in Hell. God does not save in order to lose.

Samson could have had a nice godly wife, and many more years and decades of judging Israel. All of the blessings that God had in store for Samson he forfeited. He lost his calling, his sight, his might, his blessing, and even his earthly life; what a tragedy! Yet, as Hebrews 11 assures us, in the end his soul was saved. Samson was defeated by the sin that so easily besets; but even then, God's mercy stood.

The most difficult, painful book of the Bible is without doubt, in my view, the book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah. It recounts the consequences of stubborn, continual, unrepented sin and rebellion against God by a nation, its capital, its people, and its children. Yet right smack dead-center in the most painful, depressing book of the Bible, we read this: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning - great is Thy faithfulness" - see Lamentations 3:22-26. You may be right in the middle of your worst trial, but the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

Maybe even as a Christian, you do not love Jesus Christ as you should; but you cannot stop Him from loving you.

Certainly what happened to Samson was a tragedy, and what happened to this unnamed man in I Corinthians 5 was a tragedy, and what happens all too often today is a tragedy; it should never happen, yet it can and it does, because of that sin that so easily besets. If you are in that sin now, do not get comfortable in it - get out now, before it turns against you, for you can be sure that it will. There are a million ways into that quagmire; there are countless ways into that debacle; but there is only one way out: the Cross of Jesus Christ.

 

Don't bit ethe hand that feeds you - Irish hypocrisy towards Israel

By David Passmore • August 21, 2026
Don't bite the hand that feeds you - Irish hypocrisy towards Israel Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Amongst European nations, Ireland in recent years has gained the reputation as being the leading anti-Zionist country. The Irish Republic has never been favourably inclined to Israel. It only established an Embassy in Tel Aviv in 1996. In poll after poll the vast majority of the Irish public have indicated hostility towards Zionism and strong support for Palestinian Statehood. The curious aberration to this is that in British Ruled Northern Ireland support is demarcated along sectarian lines. Catholic Republican areas predictably tend to ardently support the Palestinian cause, while Protestant Unionist communities are overwhelmingly pro-Israel. Perhaps some credence can be given to sentiments of traditional Catholic antisemitism hardwired into the Irish psyche as contributing towards this disposition. It was certainly odd that the Irish government promptly sent a delegation to the Nazi German Ambassador in Dublin to convey condolences after news of Hitler's suicide broke at the end of WW2. But more concretely if you were to ask the average Irish protester on a pro-Palestine march the basis of their empathy for the Palestinian cause, they would point to the ostensible parallels between the Irish experience of fighting for independence from British colonial oppression to the plight of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Further remonstrations on a diplomatic level concern the actions of the IDF interreacting with Irish Peace Keepers in Southern Lebanon that have caused the deaths of several Irish Peace Keepers over the decades in friendly fire incidents. Ireland has contributed the most peace keepers to this mission per capita and the government has condemned Israel for these deaths that they view as avoidable. This animosity towards Israel is unbalanced. There are reasons to consider that Ireland and Israel have a shared experience of national liberation. Both countries fought the British in the pursuit of independence. Both countries made great efforts to resurrect their ancient languages for modern wide scale use. Both the Irish and Jews form major diaspora communities in New York. Despite all this Ireland ranks as Israel's second largest export market after the US. The preponderance of Israeli exports to Ireland comprises electronic integrated circuits, micro-assemblies, and tech manufacturing components. American multinational colossal tech corporations like Intel are substantially engrossed in this trade through the chain of supply. Ireland and Israel are hubs for design and manufacture of high-tech hardware components for US corporations. So, due to the nature of the most prosperous and competitive sectors of their respective economies, Israel and Ireland are inextricably bound in bilateral trade ties. Resolutions from the Irish government to impose sanctions on West Bank originating produce is merely perfunctory rhetoric. Such actions amount to a drop in the bucket in terms of impact to overall trade. The stark reliance of Ireland on advanced Israeli aviation equipment recently caused a spectacle when Ireland's new government jet struggled to land in heavy fog due to it being ordered without an advanced Israeli made navigation system. This was directly due to a short-sighted government decision not to buy Israeli military technology. There is a marked disparity between the official position of the Irish government designed for domestic public consumption and the economic policies that it actually pursues towards Israel. The government is acutely aware that the US is massively invested in the Irish economy and they don't want to do anything to jeopardise this. Washington demands that their enterprises in Dublin are intertwined with operations in Israel. The Irish government dare not even prevent US military supply flights refuelling at Shannon Airport on their way to Tel Aviv. The Irish government knows that times change and now the gripping social issue is the anti-immigrant/anti-Islam popular street protests. Soon the anti-Israel protests could become a mere side show only really promoted by Sinn Fein given the pressing ramifications of mass migration. So, in the meantime certain politicians will rile against the occupation, purported genocide and pass paltry sanctions against insignificant produce from the West Bank. All the while making hand over fist in money with the Israelis where it really matters in tech.  (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).

The tide has Changed

By David Passmore • July 31, 2026
The Tide Has Changed Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The America that Netanyahu touched down on is a changed America. The death of Lindsey Graham represents a changing of the guard. Graham was a staunch Israeli ally who will most probably become an increasingly rare breed in Washington. Sixty percent of Americans now hold a unfavourable view of Israel which politicians are finding difficult to ignore. It was once unthinkable to believe that New York City with such a strong Jewish electoral base and influence on all sectors of economic and cultural life would have a mayor that is so hostile to Israel to such an extent that he is calling for the arrest of its Prime Minister. From all accounts Netanyahu was cordially welcomed at the White House. The official press release stated that the talks were constructive. What is more telling is what was left unsaid particularly concerning the proposed sale of F35's to Israel's new regional adversary -Turkey. Trump is keen to find a swift resolution to the Iran War, while Netanyahu is opposed to a premature departure. When the US and Israel initiated their attacks on Iran over five months ago, Trump and Netanyahu appeared united in the War's goals and purpose. But as the protracted conflict has staggered to topple the Iranian regime fractures have emerged. Much has been said about the imminent political realities both leaders face. The Republicans could take a big hit in the November midterm elections should the war continue and global energy markets be negatively impacted. Netanyahu is anxious to demonstrate a big win to the Israeli public with the upcoming October election. In Israel, the Iran War is not viewed in isolation, but rather as an extension of the response to the colossal disaster of the October 7th massacre. Netanyahu must rehabilitate his reputation as a competent steward of national security having had the greatest loss of civilian life in an attack happening under his watch. Aside from the Iran issue, Trump is being pressured by Erdogan to insist upon Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory pre-emptively seized by Israel following the toppling of Assad. Trump has also indicated disapproval of the extent of continuing Israeli measures against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, questioning the proportionality employed. Netanyahu is not in an envious position. Throughout his tenure and political career, he lauded his ability to engage successfully with the American public by zealously advocating Israel's position. Yet under his government Israel's reputation has plummeted in the US. Trump may be the last US President to extend such overwhelming bilateral support to Israel. The days of politicians like Lindsey Graham are fast ending. While John Fetteman and Marco Rubio appear to be remaining more solid, even some of the most warmly inclined leading Republican and Democrat voices like Donald Trump and Rahm Emanuel have nuanced their support for Israel. The tide has shifted and will at best level off if not continuing to shift further.  (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).

The Saudi Nuclear Deal: An attempt to alter the Regional Balance of Power

By David Passmore • July 24, 2026
The Saudi Nuclear Deal: An attempt to alter the Regional Balance of Power Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The initiative to develop a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia with US assistance isn't new. There were concrete plans discussed towards these ends during the first Trump Administration. The recent announcement to actualize this deal follows the geo-political regional tumult in the wake of the Iran War. Several dimensions of motivation underlie the US decision. An overarching US strategic agenda is to keep the Saudis firmly in the American sphere of influence. Washington knows all too well that the Chinese and Russians are eager to offer their nuclear technical assistance to the Saudis in order to draw them closer to their camp. On a personal note, the nuclear agreement is a significant achievement for Bin Salaman. The Saudis have long had designs to diversify their energy supplies. Having a civilian nuclear program also adds prestige to Saudi Arabia as an emerging market economy. For the US, a monopoly on contracting companies for the requisite construction offers lucrative economic opportunities. Although the Civilian Nuclear deal does not allow the enrichment of Uranium, the Saudis will be in a position to do so if Washington gives the green light. This will act as a counterbalanced threat hanging over the Iranians. After the recent flare up of renewed fighting with Iran due to their lack of adherence to the moratorium of understanding, something had to budge in Trump's estimation. A reconfiguration of the power balance in the Gulf by introducing the potential of Saudi Arabia to be able to acquire nuclear weapons shifts the dynamic and places further pressure on Iran to strictly abstain from nuclear proliferation. Despite Israeli concerns about the agreement, Trump sought to assuage their alarm by making it contingent upon Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with them. Given the inherently unstable nature of an autocratic Saudi regime Israel views a diplomatic relationship with the Saudis as being on precarious footing in the long term. Israel is already forced to contend with the implications of one nuclear armed Muslim state - Pakistan and it will further weaken its own deterrent capability if another similarly capable hostile neighbour were to emerge in the future. The roles of Turkey and Qatar in all this foray are a wild card. Officially Turkey is served under the NATO nuclear umbrella for defence that is subject to US control. However, its civilian nuclear program remains in its infancy. Now with the Saudi deal, Erdogan may be inclined to exert pressure on the US to help accelerate his own nuclear program. Just as Erdogan's efforts to acquire F35 fighter jets from the US greatly disturbed Israeli military planners, a heightened Turkish nuclear ability will intensify this fear. Qatar views itself as pursuing its own independent foreign policy that has managed to remain rather neutral during the current war, thereby escaping the ire of Iran's strikes on US regional assets. Overall, the Qatari government has grown closer to the Turkish vision for the region and so likely isn't particularly amiable to the Saudi agreement. Ultimately the Saudi deal is a gamble. Many will see it as throwing more fuel on the fire which will further imperil the tinder box region and heighten tensions. But Trump finds himself at a continuing impasse with a stubborn regime in Tehran that is leveraging their geographic hold on the straits of Hormuz to inflict damage on the global energy markets. Iranian strikes upon US Arab regional allies have underscored the de facto alliance between Israel and the Arabs against Iran and its Shia proxies. The US hopes to use the Saudi nuclear deal as a means of making this alliance official by having Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords as a pre-condition.  (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).

Circling the Wagons

By David Passmore • July 14, 2026
Circling the wagons Ruben Rothler LLB, LLM Israel is a society riddled with tension and division. It is sociologically, if not politically miraculous that a country drawing Jews from all over the world is able to exist at all. The army affords a degree of integration as a melting pot. But this is only a marginal source of national unity in the overall scheme of things. More so are the myriads of external threats that face this small country. In the former generation the Ashkenazi (Jews of European descent) - Sephardic (Jews of Oriental descent) divide was far more pronounced. The dominant Ashkenazi establishment held the reins of political and economic power which was resented by the Sephardim. However, due to a combination of inter-marriage and political accommodation much of the chasm that separated these distinct groups was forged. Menachem Begin (an Ashkenazi politician) in 1970 successfully ran on the Likud Party ticket with a campaign that brought Sephardic Jews under his conservative political umbrella. Later the immigration of Russian Jews following the end of Communism would add a whole new dimension to the Israeli demographic milieu. The younger generation of these immigrants tended to adapt well to Israeli society and contributed much to the economy. The wider division in Israeli society that crosses ethnic lines concerns that between religious and secular Jews. This can be further bifurcated to the clash between the secular and specifically ultra-orthodox Jews (Haredim) as distinguished from the national religious Jews (Dati Leumi). The Secular and the Religious generally part on what they envisage a Jewish State to entail. Religious Jews desire the State to strictly adhere to the stipulations of Jewish Law (Halacha), while at present Halakhic influence is largely limited to certain areas of Family Law concerning Jewish citizens. Wider considerations of promoting a socially conservative political agenda would also be forefront amongst the religious mindset broadly. Secular Jews view the imposition of such proposed measures as a serious infringement of their civil rights. With regard to the Haredim, the bone of contention looms larger, in that this group is fundamentally opposed to participating in society at large. This is acutely manifested in diminished contribution to the work force and a refusal to be conscripted into the army. The 2023 judicial reform protests posed a significant threat to social civil order. The nation appeared to be bitterly divided into two opposing camps. This split reflected broader divisions concerning visions of how the country should be governed. The judicial reforms would have weakened the Supreme Court's ability to render the Executive branch accountable. However, the Supreme Court was also accused of using its considerable powers to promote a socially liberal agenda. Left wing secular Israelis tended to oppose the proposed reforms while those on the right (which included the majority of Religious Jews) supported the reforms. Every weekend droves of protesters were brought onto the streets causing major disturbances to traffic. The polarising nature of this impasse threatened the future of Israeli democracy. It was the October 7th attack that brought a swift end to this public debate and civil strife. The nation instinctually united in response to this common existential threat. The judicial reforms were shelved for a future point when the urgent security threats subsided. However, as the war dragged on the enduring issue of Haredi refusal to conscript into the army became more pronounced. Mounting casualties combined with ever increasing manpower demands to field troops on the multiple theatres of action on which the IDF is engaged has depleted the ranks, and the army is now in much need of fresh conscripts. Haredi belligerent refusal to participate in the pressing national defence has escalated from being a political debate to a matter of very practical vital importance. Overall we can observe that the challenges to national unity in successive generations since the establishment of Israel has recurrently been ameliorated by the common necessity of defence towards outside threats. Most recently we can see this happening with regard to the global anti Semitism and anti-Zionism that has been raging since the October 7th atrocities. These hostile attitudes have paradoxically acted as a force which promotes nationalism and a sense of national cohesion in Israel that otherwise might not functionally exist.  (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).

A Divided Nation

By David Passmore • July 8, 2026
A Divided Nation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The Haredi community has had a complicated, paradoxical relationship with the State since its founding. Rooted in a Talmudic precept that the Jews are forbidden to resettle the land of Israel en masse by force before the coming of the Messiah, the secular democratic State of Israel presents itself as blasphemous by its mere existence. Yet due to practical considerations such as the need to obtain funding for its religious academies the Haredi leadership reached a settlement with the State's founders that exempted Haredi men from being conscripted for military service. This was at a time when the Haredi population in Israel was relatively small. Over the past decades this demographic ballooned until the point that soon the majority of Jewish children in Israel will be born into Haredi families. Such a situation is clearly unsustainable. Recently the Knesset's (Parliament's) Haredi parties have pressured their coalition partners in government to codify Torah Study as part of the Country's Basic Laws. This was purposefully done to elevate the status of their institutions to be on parity with service in the IDF. Israel is yet to promulgate a written Constitution, so legislation classed as a Basic Law holds Constitutional status for all intents and purposes. These moves by the religious parties represent a back door power grab to enshrine in law very significant hurdles to prevent the enlistment of Haredi men. The burden of Israel's defence is comparatively massive for a country its size and it is vastly disproportionately shouldered by the secular population. Until now there have been political initiatives to conscript the Haredim. But given the huge manpower shortages emerging in the wake of near continual conflict on multiple fronts since the events of October 7th this matter has become urgent and not merely a theoretical discussion of what is fair and equitable. It is important to draw a distinction between the Haredim and national religious Jews (Dati Leumi). The Haredim adhere to a lifestyle entirely committed to observance of Jewish Law and Talmudic study. This is embraced to the exclusion of gainful employment and participation in wider society. They are either outrightly opposed to Zionism or consider themselves non-Zionist. Conversely, followers of the national religious movement in Israel although being observant of Jewish law and learning would alongside this pursue secular professions. Furthermore, they are ardently Zionist and disproportionately serve in IDF combat units. This is often done within the framework of a program called Hesder Yeshiva that combines religious learning with military service. Efforts to cater a similar model for accommodating Haredi participation in the IDF have so far failed to make substantial gains. Such measures designed to override Haredi objections to service based upon modesty concerns by strict segregation of the sexes in these specially formed units have failed to appease the Haredi leadership. For them, any form of military service is considered a dereliction of their duty to fully devote themselves to a Torah lifestyle. They argue that their Talmudic learning and prayers are in itself a form of national service and act to protect the Jewish people spiritually from enemy attack. It is as if two parallel societies exist within Israel. And the trajectory of separation between the two is only growing. The Haredim are cloistered away in their Yeshivas, immersed in lives devoted to adhering to the stipulations of Jewish law. While the particulars of actually running the State is left to the Secular. The Haredim desire all the benefits of subsidizing their lifestyle without contributing to society. What we really have going on here at source is two profoundly different and opposing ideological visions of what is important in life and what is the purpose of a Jewish State. At the State's founding these divergent perspectives were more manageable. Ben Gurion only had to contend with one religious party –the National Religious Party. Later in 1970 Begin aligned with the NRP to form a coalition government that also brought Sephardic Jews under the Likud umbrella which had the effect of bringing unity to the country by bridging the Ashkenazi-Sephardi divide. However, over time Israeli politics has seen a proliferation of religious parties, gaining further leverage as king brokers in forming governments due to the proportionate representation voting system which secular Israelis not uncommonly view as political blackmail. (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).

Why Is It Always Israel? | Zechariah 12 Is Happening Before Our Eyes

By David Passmore • June 29, 2026
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Pray for South Africa!

By Mea Fredrickson • June 23, 2026
New Paragraph

Disclosure - A Christian response

By David Passmore • June 22, 2026
THE CAPTION AT THE HEAD OF THE POSTER IMAGE FOR THE MOVIE ‘DISCLOSURE DAY’ BOLDLY DECLARES ‘WE DESERVE TO KNOW’ Indeed, we do need to know the truth. But will we find it in Stephen Spielberg’s new movie ‘Disclosure Day’? Could it just as well be entitled ‘DECEPTION DAY’? In an interview with USA Today Spielberg says that evidence of non-human contact has become “overwhelming” to him. He has suggested that his film could raise significant theological questions for Christians. But will it? For us Christians - No, not on our watch! The movie raises no questions for those who accept the proven accuracy of God’s Word, the Bible. The film, which is capturing the imagination of the public, only confirms exactly what scripture tells us about what are in fact extra-dimensional beings. ALIENS OR FALLEN ANGELS? God inhabits the heavenly realm along with a vast array of angels. Because Lucifer, a created angel, wanted to usurp God as ruler of the universe, he was expelled to another realm outside of our time and space, along with one third of the angels who rebelled with him. These fallen angels manifest themselves as demons who can appear on earth and disappear at will. Spiritual hosts of wickedness exist in heavenly places, wherever this realm is, it is not the place where God dwells. ARE ALIENS BENEVOLENT? In the movie, the ‘aliens’ are portrayed as friendly beings who want to help mankind in a time of crisis. If the aliens are really demons, not visitors from outer space, this is a dangerous delusion. Whitley Striber in his book ‘Communion’ writes on encountering ‘aliens’; ‘I felt an indescribable sense of menace. Whatever was there seemed so monstrously ugly, so filthy, so dark and sinister. Of course they were demons. They have to be.’ Many others have reported similar malevolent experiences. During the movie, Daniel claims to have had an encounter with extra-terrestrials during which he received a special gift of empathy, which is regarded by him as the ultimate superpower. However, there is only One who completely understands our human frailty. We read this concerning Jesus: ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.’ (Hebrews 4 v 15). Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11 v 28) END TIMES DECEPTION Before he was crucified, Jesus warned his disciples about these last days in which we are living. The first words he used in this context were: “Watch no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Deception was top of the list! Later, the Apostle Paul wrote about these days: ‘The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.’ (2 Thessalonians 2 v 9) Have you received the love of the truth? Have you received Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life? If not, you are in great danger. Perilous times are here and they are only going to get worse as man turns more and more away from his maker. Things will only change when Jesus returns soon to establish his own Kingdom on earth, where justice and peace will rule. JESUS, OUR ONLY HOPE! The Bible says all human beings are sinners. The message of Jesus is simple; repent and believe the good news, that God wants humanity, his highest creation, to be reestablished in relationship with him. His plan was simple: to give his life in unconditional love for every human being that has and ever will live, by shedding his blood on a Roman cross. In doing this, we can receive forgiveness of sins. Our old life will then be buried with him, giving us new life with the hope of an eternal future of true peace, love and joy, with freedom from pain and tears. Why ignore such a great gift of salvation? If you do, your fate will be sealed for eternity in hell, which is a real place without God, and thus without love, to face only eternal consequences of punishment. We condemn ourselves to such a fate. REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! Jesus loves you and asks that you repent and believe in him. It would be the best and safest decision of your life! If you commit your life to him, he will give you a new heart, you will be a new person inside. You will also gain a new desire for all that is right and true. And his Holy Spirit will give you an ability to discern the lies of the age we are living in. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave us his only son, that whosoever believes in him, will not perish, but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) FINALLY, A RECOMMENDATION  All that is described in this leaflet has been open, in the light for millennia. On the other hand, the theory of extra-terrestrial life has been hidden in darkness, awaiting ‘Disclosure Day’. Which would you prefer to believe, the Word of God, or the word of Stephen Spielberg? I made my choice years ago, and have never regretted it! If this message has spoken to you, just call upon Jesus in a short prayer. Confess to him that you are a sinner in need of salvation. Ask him in sincerity to forgive you and to fill you with his Holy Spirit. You will then become what the Bible describes as being ‘born again’. (John 3 v 7) Then you need to seek a Bible believing church where you can be baptised and become part of a group of believers who can help you get to know Jesus more and more fully. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8 v 32)

Prayer request for Teerth Sond

By David Passmore • June 20, 2026
Prayer request for Teerth Sond Petitioned Prayer-Supplication/Personal Prayer/ Collective Prayer/Thanks Giving Prayer Our Dear brethren in Yeshua, my family & myself Teerth request your prayers in The Spirit that the latest drugs Ramicirumab & Pacilitaxel will destroy the cancer cell in the Authority Of The Lord Yeshua in The Power of The Holy Spirit. Targeted Petition: Please stand with us in prayer & fasting; The Lord will target the 2cm legion & that it will be cast out of my Liver in the love (agape), compassion, kindness, grace, mercy of God. I do not deserve it because of me- but By His Stripes we are healed for His Glory. This will allow the main operation to go ahead (which should have been done 18 months ago). Step by Step in the leading of The Holy Spirit and the in the Lord Step by Step, as our beautiful sister Beryl said, has worked on my Spiritual man- thank you Lord for waking me up. Lord raise me up for your glory forever because of your love to me, the family & fellowship- an unworthy sinner saved by your grace & love. Email sent to my Oncologist & my Local MP: Greetings Natasha & Dr Mano Joseph Hope All Is Well Thank you for our meeting today. At our meeting we discussed my MRI & CT scans which were done in May 2026. We discussed the operation on my oesophagus which I believe is the best option. (This should have been done 18 months ago). My Kidney operation will be done- non evasive- Lord willing within the next month. Will you be talking to Mr Chacravaty about this? The liver must be targeted first- this is wisdom and the latest radiotherapy treatments available- proton therapy-radiotherapy atezolizumab and bevacizumab sorafenib lenvatinib regorafenib cabozantinib durvalumab and tremelimumab At the meeting we discussed the next CT & MRI scans to be held end off July. Wouldn't it be to better to have them in August so by then I've had 4 full treatments on the latest medication. Also we have Zolbetuximab on compassionate usage- all glory to The Lord. After all the past wrongs I have no doubt now Dr Joseph you will pursue the best for me and family. Dear brethren- King Manasseh, David, Hannah, The Church For Peter, James, The Lord Jesus Christ for example made petitions onto the Lord. We pray as one body to cast off the illness in the Power of The Holy & The Authority Of Yeshua. The Great Physician who came for the ill. To lay out raised hands 🙌🏽 upon the head of our Lord. ABBA/Daddy/Lord in your mercy have mercy on us. Love you all in Yeshua our Lord & God. Teerth, Family & Fellowship

The End of an Extended Honeymoon – Are Trump and Netanyahu Parting Ways?

By David Passmore • June 19, 2026
The End of an Extended Honeymoon – Are Trump and Netanyahu Parting Ways? Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM  The Israeli public had high hopes for Trump. Unlike his predecessors, he consistently endorsed Israeli measures of self-defence in the different theatres of conflict in which it had to contend. Further to these ends Trump shared in Netanyahu’s determined agenda of preventing the Iranians from pursuing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. During Trump's first term he tore up Obama's negotiated settlement with the Iranians concerning enriched Uranium, echoing Netanyahu’s position that it didn't go far enough. Now in his second term Trump partnered with Israel in a war with Iran that turned out to lack clearly defined goals. The campaign required resolve on the part of America that it wasn't willing to commit. After an initial lightning blitzkrieg that decapitated the Iranian leadership, the Persians dug in and the conflict became a protracted war of attrition hinging on Iran's stranglehold on the straits of Hormuz that could only be realistically lifted by placing boots on the ground or an intensified air war directed against Iranian coastal positions and the destruction of Kharg island, or at least the viable threat to obliterate Kharg island if Iran did not acquiesce. It transpired that Trump and Netanyahu underestimated the resilience of the Iranian regime, thinking that it had already received a near mortal blow during the prior popular demonstrations. So now we are left with a situation where Trump is exasperated with this protracted endeavour and appears to be aiming his frustration towards Netenyahu. A sticking point is Israel's continued occupation of Southern Lebanon. Iran is insistent that Israel withdraw its forces from there as a precursor to fully committing itself to a final status agreement with the U.S. to put an end to its nuclear aspirations. With the midterm elections looming Trump seems to be desperate for an exit strategy from this war. From Israel's perspective the fight against Hizbollah is an inextricable part of the Iranian equation. The IDF has invested massive resources and personnel in the hopes of quashing the Iranian proxy once and for all. Netanyahu is determined to build on the momentum achieved after the spectacular pager attack in 2024. After the catastrophic Hamas massacres of October 7th, the majority of the Israeli public is unwilling to tolerate a capable hostile force on its borders. Trump's proposed solution to this dilemma unrealistically suggests that Syria should take on the role of disarming and removing Hizbollah from Lebanon. In the ultimate reckoning of international relations, America doesn't have iron clad allies, but rather interests like any other nation. If, (as appears to be occurring now) U.S. and Israeli interests fail to align the two countries will cease to act in unison and there may be a rupture in relations on the not-too-distant horizon. Trump has indicated that Israel owes him big time. He has asserted that were it not for his decisive actions they would have been obliterated by Iran's missiles. This is nothing to say of the robust diplomatic support Trump has lent Israel in such forums as the United Nations Security Council and sanctioning officials of the International Criminal Court. Netanyahu is acutely aware of what may be next after Trump. The way public opinion is turning against Israel it is unlikely that the next administration is going to be any way near as friendly as Trump has been thus far to Israel. Trump too of course is mindful of this turning tide opposing Israel. The Iran war has been unpopular to his domestic audience, and the President has been caricatured as Netanyahu’s stooge doing Israel's bidding. Another major consideration for Trump is the colossal impact that the war has had on his other major regional allies: the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia. They have received the brunt of the Iranian backlash that has effectively targeted their energy infrastructure and trading routes. They, along with the Europeans have been exerting pressure on Trump to end the conflict and reopen the Straits of Hormuz regardless of whether the most favourable terms of Iranian capitulation are achieved. Israel, however important a strategic asset and technological powerhouse will not override these broader concerns that are endangering global energy markets. An unspoken factor is Trump's propensity for a belligerent severing of his relationship with allies in the political sphere. His public displays of hostility with former political allies such Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Ron Santos and Elon Musk demonstrate a temperament that the same kind of falling out could invoke with strategic allies as well as those political. Both Trump and Netanyahu are approaching the sunset of their political careers and are naturally inclined to deeply consider the legacies they will leave behind. In the international sphere Trump projected himself as a peacemaker from a position of strength. But as many commentators have pointed out, the war with Iran demonstrated the limits of U.S. power. Trump appraised Iran as low hanging fruit that could be swiftly toppled like Venezuela. However, when push came to shove and the only prospect of landing a decisive blow demanded a massive ground offensive on the scale of the Iraq war, he bottled out and sued for a premature peace that will leave Netanyahu in the cold. Netanyahu is anxious to rehabilitate the injury inflicted on his reputation of the greatest disaster to have occurred in Israel's history having happened on his watch. Eliminating Iran as the great regional adversary pulling the strings of its proxies would have done much in this regard. Neither leader is able to craft their legacies as they would have wanted. Trump is choosing the perceived option of mitigating the damage done to his legacy in foreign affairs. He is trying hard to sell his Iran deal as being more than what Obama bargained in terms of guaranteeing a nuclear free Iran. But as further details of his proposal are leaked this is becoming a tall order. Netanyahu is faced with October elections and he may decide to stay the course in Lebanon as otherwise he will seem weak to most voters. Should this happen, we will be in uncharted waters as it will thwart Trump's designs for an immediate end to this affair.