‘n Ander Jesus (A different Jesus)

March 31, 2025

Vanaf ongeveer 1978 het dinge in die kerk begin gebeur soos die Woensdae bidure en Bybel studie groepe wat begin doodloop het. Dit was nie net as gevolg van sekere veranderinge nie maar ook as gevolg van die Heilige Gees wat besig is om die Kerk voor te berei vir die toekoms waar daar ‘n tyd gaan kom waar kerklike geboue ‘n probleem gaan raak. Dat die kerk weer gaan terug beweeg na ‘n ondergrondse beweging is ’n feit.


Baie mense raak bewus van die agteruitgang van die tradisionele Christen kerke die afgelope 25 jaar, wat ons sien is ’n teologiese, geestelike, morele en Skriftuurlike selfdood, ’n selfvernietiging.


As daar na kerklike verslae gekyk word dan sien jy ‘n algemene agteruitgang van kerk bywoning tot in die tradisionele Bybel streke, en al wat vandag basies oorgebly het is ‘n kulturele evangelisasie. Die Bybel Streek in die Verenigde State word in die algemeen gesien as die Suide. In Groot Brittanje is dit Noordelike Ierland, in Suid Afrika is dit die Oranje Vrystaat, die Afrikaanse mense en die Duits Hervormde Kerk, almal tipes van ‘n Bybel Streek met ‘n kulturele Evangelisasie.


Op papier mag dit wat hulle leer lyk na die Evangelie maar in terme van die Evangelie uit die oogpunt van persoonlike redding is dit iets heel anders, dis net op papier, ‘n kultuurlike evangelie wat die Skriftuurlike Evangelie vervang het. Daar is die algemene agteruitgang van baie dinge soos die veragtelike ketterse verdraagsaamheid teenoor homoseksuele en lesbian aanstellings op die kansels, dit is aan die orde van die dag. Denominasionele Christelikheid is oppad uit.


Die mega kerke is ‘n produk van die Jesus Beweging, die hippies. “Ons is jonk, ons het die getalle, ons het die mag en gesag, ons het die toekoms, ons kan maak wat ons wil.” Dit is wat hulle gedink het. Dit was dinge wat in die kerke ingekom het. “Ons het die getalle ons kan die wêreld verander.” Die hippie geslag het dit egter nie reg gekry nie, maar iets het verander maar nie ten goede nie.  Hulle het die een boosheid met ‘n ander boosheid vervang.


Dinge is besig om mee te gee, dinge kom en gaan maar nou begin ander dinge hulle kleure wys.


Daar is Schuller, (oorlede) met ‘n skuldlas van 55,000,000. Rick Warren het ‘n skuldlas van twee miljoen dollar. Benny Hinn soek dringend groot geld nadat sy vrou hom gelos het en as gevolg van die ekonomie. Dinge is besig om moeilik te raak vir hierdie mense, die krake is daar. Hierdie kerke het probleme.


As jy vermaaklikheid gebruik om mense te trek dan moet jy ook vermaaklikheid gebruik om hulle te behou maar uiteindelik gaan hulle nogtans na die volgende show stroom, na Toronto, Kansas City, van Toronto na Pensacola, na Lakeland, hierdie dinge kom en gaan, die show is verby. Die Jim Baker show is verby. Die Jimmy Swaggart show is verby.


George Barna wys iets wat besig is om te gebeur, mense verlaat kerke maar daar is iets wat Mnr. Barna en Mnr. Brierly nie kan bepaal nie, hulle kan statisties getalle bepaal deur wat mense doen, maar wat  God doen is vir hulle ‘n groot probleem. Mense gaan na huise toe, hulle kom al meer en meer bymekaar in klein sel groepe waar daar ‘n mate van gemeenskap is wat nie in die mega kerke gebeur nie. Hulle het nie probleme met geld, geboue en programme nie. Hulle kan meer geld bydra vir Evangelisasie en vir die behoeftiges onder hulle.


Christelike tuis opvoeding is ‘n volgende stap en so word die huiskerk ‘n gemeemskappie. Dit gaan om opleiding, gemeenskap, aanbidding en so gaan baie mense nie meer kerk toe nie en jy kan hulle nie kwalik neem nie.


Vandag as gevolg van TV evangeliste wat so kragtig deur Satan gebruik word om die geloofbaarheid van die Evangelie in twyfel te trek, wil hulle nie meer hoor nie en dit veroorsaak dat ongelowiges nie tot bekering kan kom nie. Maar jy kan mense na ‘n huis toe nooi, hulle sal nie na ‘n kerk toe wil kom nie, maar miskien na gewone huis toe –


    “Kom Sondag na ons plek toe, ons glo nie aan godsdiens nie, ons verkondig net Jesus.” Hierdie groepe het ‘n evangelisasie potensiaal.


    Oral in die wêreld kom mense bymekaar in huiskerke, en baie van hierdie mense is klaar met denominasie kerke. Hulle soek die Christendom, ware lering en nie mengsels van die waarheid en valsheid nie. Hulle soek nie godsdiens nie, hulle soek Jesus, hulle is deeglik daarvan bewus dat die kerk hulle gaan faal. Hulle soek gemeenskap, hulle soek die Handelinge Kerk. Van hierdie groepe het probleme. Een daarvan is dit word subjektief, hulle sit in kringe en hulle lees die Skrifte en sê: “Dit is wat dit vir my beteken.” Dit word baie subjektief. Die opjektiewe betekenis is nie daar nie omdat daar geen behoorlike be-oefening van die bedienings gawes in die liggaam is nie. Wie het die gawe van lering? Wie het die gawe van Evangelisasie? Wie is ‘n herder? Daar is probleme maar van hierdie groepe doen goed.


Eenmaal ‘n maand kan groepe bymekaarkom om te luister na predikers soos Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, of Jacob Prasch, Roger Oakland ens. Dit is ‘n kerk wat nie deur mense gebou word nie maar deur God, dit is ‘n kerk wat sal bly staan in moeilike en sosiale tye. Dit is ‘n kerk wat sal staan gedurende vervolging. Dit is ‘n kerk wat anders is, iets wat deur God gebou word en nie deur mense nie. Tande kry en groei probleme sal daar wees, van hierdie groepe sal van die pad af wees maar van hulle gaan goed wees, ’n gemengde groep, maar wat belangrik is dit gebeur en mense kan dit nie verklaar nie. Dit is wat gebeur het in Handelinge en dit gaan al meer gebeur voor Jesus se koms.


Van hierdie gevestigde kerke pleeg self moord en die ander het probleme. Wat gaan gebeur as daar ‘n wetgeleerde kom wat sê; “Jou gebou is nie meer belasting vry nie omdat jy nie ‘n lesbiese of homoseksuele pastoor erken nie, dit is diskriminasie op die basis van seksuele oriëntasie. Daarom kwalifiseer jy meer om ‘n lid van ‘n belasting vrye organisasie te wees nie.”


Vandag het ons hoë geregshof regters wat dink hulle is goddelike wesens, ons weet wie hulle is en ons weet waarheen hulle oppad is. God spot met hierdie mense. Hulle gaan voor Hom staan. “Julle het my uit die klaskamer gejaag maar God gaan julle uit die Hemel ban.” Hierdie regters en politikusse is arrogant, maar ons wag op Jesus se koms. Hierdie kerke sal of moet toegee of saam met die stroom swem. Hulle sal wettig, sosiaal en finansieel onder druk geplaas word, of hulle verloën dit wat God gesê het boos is, of hulle verloor alles, of hulle gaan ondergronds. Dit is al kans wat hulle het.


Dit beteken nie ons mag nie opstaan vir ons regte nie, om ons te beroep op die Keisers is Bybels, ek glo daaraan, ons moet opstaan vir die waarheid maar ons moet ook besef dat aan die einde van die pad gaan dit op ‘n sekere manier eindig. Gedeeltelik waarom dit op ‘n sekere mense oes gaan eindig is nie wat die regters doen nie of wat militante homoseksuele doen nie, dit gaan terug na die feit dat kerke self besig is om self moord te pleeg. Wie is verantwoordelik vir die agteruitgang van die Metodiste? Die Metodiste. Wie is verantwoordelik vir die agteruitgang in die groot kerke? Hulleself!


Nou, in al hierdie bewegings is daar mense wat gewaarsku het wat in die volgende 10 tot 20 jaar sal gebeur het. 50 tot 60 jaar terug het Tozer dinge gesien wat nou besig s om te gebeur. Daar is dinge wat Charles Spurgeon and J.C. Ryle voorspel het van nou gebeur, ‘n 100 jaar terug. Ons kan nie sê dat ons nie gewaarsku is nie. Nie net wat gebeur nie maar ook die pas waarteen dit gebeur, en die mense wat ons vertrou en gerespekteer het wat saam met die wêreld begin loop het, dis ondenkbaar. Daar gaan ‘n tyd kom wanneer hierdie “ander kerke” nie meer in staat gaan wees om te bly staan nie hulle sal of moet komprimeer of hulle gaan vou.


Maar daar is ‘n ander dimensie, die kerke wat komprimeer is die kerke wat teen die kerke gaan draai wat dit nie wil doen nie. Daar is die geval van ‘n pro Islamitiese “Christen prediker” wat ‘n gevangenis gedagvaar het omdat hulle toegelaat het dat die Evangelie daar gepreek was. So dit is reg om Islam te akkommodeer maar nie die Evangelie nie en hierdie pro- Islamitiese “Christen prediker” sê dit is sy bediening.


    Ons moet die ware gevaar verstaan. Ja, hierdie regters is boos, en net so ook hierdie politikusse, bose mense.


Die Anti- Christen houding wat ons in Hollywood media sien is die werk van die duiwel, hulle is in sy mag, maar die ware kanker, die rot in die spens is die mense binne in die kerk. Nie net die liberale nie, of die mense wat openlik antiteties is teen wat die Woord van God leer, en ook mense wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hulle evangeliste is terwyl hulle in kompromie staan.


Ons moet weet waar ons staan, hoe ons daar gekom het, hoekom God ons daar geplaas het en waarheen ons oppad is. Ons moet verstaan wat die toekoms vir ons gaan inhou, ons is hier vir ‘n rede, ons is onder die wat oorleef het, nie soos in ‘n bunker mentaliteit soos in die geval van Dawid Koresh nie. Ons moet hierdie kerke wat in kompromie gegaan het verstaan, hulle gaan nie oorleef nie, nie in getalle nie, nie ekonomies nie en ook nie wetlik nie, hulle verdien dit ook nie. Hulle is besig om dood te gaan omdat hulle dit oor hulleself gebring het. Maar wat van ons?


2 Korinte 11:3-4: [Paulus skryf vir die Kerk in Korinte]. “Maar ek vrees dat- [lest]” Die Griekse woord wat hier gebruik word is “lest” wat te doen het met ‘n aangevoegde- gemoed; dit beteken ‘n teoretiese moontlikheid. Dit is iets wat nie sommer gebeur nie en dit sal nie met die getroues gebeur, maar as ons nie aandag gee op wat hy sê nie dan word die teoretiese moontlikheid ‘n praktiese een.


“Maar ek vrees dat…net soos die slang Eva deur sy listigheid bedrieg het, julle sinne so miskien bedorwe kan raak, vervreemd van die opregtheid teenoor Christus.”


Dieselfde Satan wat Eva bedrieg het, wat bestaan as ‘n letterlike persoon maar wat ook ’n metafoor is van Israel of van die Kerk, is ook besig om ons korporaatlik en persoonlik te probeer mislei. Hy probeer dinge in ons denkes plant; Om ons deur sy listigheid te bedrieg sodat ons sinne bedorwe kan raak dat ons verkeerd begin dink.


Wat beteken “dat ons sinne bedorwe kan raak, ‘n verkeerde denke? Dit is om iets te bedink wat nie volgens die leer van die Skrifte, die Woord van God is nie. Wanneer die eenvoudigheid en die reinheid van ons geloof in Jesus aangetas word, dan raak dinge moeilik. Dit is nou nie om te sê dat daar nie komplekse teologiese en leerstellige struikelblokke is nie, maar die verhouding is nie kompleks nie. Daar is mense wat betrokke raak in huweliks probleme en baie ou koeie word opgegrawe maar as mense verlief is dan is dit eenvoudig, hulle is verlief, dit is wanneer mense ophou om mekaar lief te hê wanneer al die ander dinge na vore begin kom. “Sy laat my dink aan my ma.” Of wat ook al.


Paulus gaan verder en hy sê: “Want as iemand kom en 'n ander Jesus verkondig as wat ons verkondig het, of as julle 'n ander gees ontvang as wat julle ontvang het, of 'n ander evangelie as wat julle aangeneem het, laat julle jul dit goed geval.” (2Kor 11:4)


Hier word van drie dinge gepraat: ‘n Ander Jesus, ‘n ander gees en ‘n ander Evangelie.


Wanneer Satan mislei en die Kerk begin dinge onbybels te bedink dan is die eind doel altyd ‘n ander Jesus, ‘n ander gees en ‘n ander evangelie. Paulus praat van: ‘hulle laat dit hulle goed geval’, hulle hou daarvan. Romeine 16:17 sê ons moet ‘n persoon wat faksies veroorsaak merk en vermy. Hier word gepraat van ‘n persoon wat afwyk van die Apostoliese leer van die Nuwe Testament wat skeiding bring. Dit is die mense wat sê jy bring skeiding as jy hulle werke in die lig bring.  ”O jy is teen Toronto, jy glo nie aan die ekumenies beweging nie, jy glo nie aan eenheid nie, jy is die oorsaak van skeiding in die gemeente!” Maar wie is die een wat in God se Oë afwyk van die Bybelse leer? 1 Kor 11:19- praat van partyskappe -faksies : “Want daar moet ook partyskappe onder julle wees, sodat die beproefdes onder julle openbaar kan word.”


Faksies is bedoel om skeiding te bring; ware Bybelse leer verenig ware gelowiges. Dit wat Paulus verkondig bring skeiding tussen ware en valse gelowiges, dit is bedoel om die afvallige Kerk van die ware kerk te skei. Paulus se probleem met Korinte gemeente is, hulle verdra dit en die manier wat hulle dit verdra is normaalweg met hulle godsdienstige dwaasheid, vandag is dit dieselfde, dit is nie ‘n nuwe probleem nie.


     O’ ons moet liefhê, ons moenie kritiseer nie en ook nie oordeel nie…”  En weereens, as die Woord van God sê iets is reg of verkeerd of waar, dan is dit nie ons wat oordeel nie, ons doen maar net wat God sê. Dit is God wat oordeel, nie ons nie. Maar vir hierdie mense gaan dit nie oor wat die Skrifte sê nie.


Jesus sê vir ons iets wat Paulus sê, hy praat van ‘n ander Christus, ‘n ander gees en ‘n ander evangelie. Dit begin by Satan wat kom in die karakter van die slang, die verleier. Paulus praat van misleiers. 2 Kor 11:13: “Want sulke mense is valse apostels, bedrieglike arbeiders wat hulleself verander in apostels van Christus.” Hy praat van mense wat openlike misleiers is, wat dinge leer wat die Bybel sê vals en boos is, hulle kom soos engele van ‘n lig, Paulus se probleem was dat die Christene van Korinte dit hartlik aanvaar het.


Daar kan volgens wat hierdie manne preek en skryf bewys word dat hulle boodskappers van Satan is. Die “Purpose Driven” is van die duiwel, mense soos Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren en Chuck Colson preek deur die duiwel, die god van die wêreld, hulle het ‘n agenda om die uitverkorenes doelbewus of onwetend te mislei; God sal hulle oordeel. Petrus het nie geweet dat Satan deur hom gepraat het nie. Dieselfde met hierdie mense wat sê dit is reg om te glo aan ‘n ander Christus, ‘n ander Evangelie en ‘n ander gees.


Die Eukaristiese Christus is nie die Christus van die Bybel nie. Pouslike onfeilbaarheid is nie die leiding van die Heilige Gees nie, die pous is nie onfeilbaar nie. ‘n Evangelie wat gebaseer word op sakramente, werke en vergunnings, is nie die Bybelse Evangelie nie. Dis altyd ‘n ander Christus, ‘n ander gees en ‘n ander evangelie. Die Bybel praat van werkers wat hulle self vermom as apostels van Christus, mense wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hulle op ‘n manier deur die Here gestuur is.


Jesus het die gemeente van Efese aanbeveel omdat hulle hierdie bose mense verwerp het, hulle het hierdie mense op die proef gestel. Op.2:2: “Ek ken jou werke en jou arbeid en jou lydsaamheid, en dat jy slegte mense nie kan verdra nie; en dat jy dié op die proef gestel het wat sê dat hulle apostels is en dit nie is nie, en hulle leuenaars bevind het;..”


Mense soos Brian McLaren en Benny is bose mense. Hulle is nie net mislei nie, hulle is mense soos wat 2 Timoteus sê (3:13) goddelose mense wat verlei en verlei word en hulle weet hulle is mislei. Hinn het ‘n Eucharis broodjie in die lug opgesteek en gesê dit is Jesus Christus. ‘n Ander Christus, ‘n ander Jesus. Die vrug van die Gees is ‘egkrateia,’-self-beheersing. Hy het mense oorreed om allerhande vreemde dinge te doen—buite beheer, ‘n ander gees, altyd dieselfde drie dinge.


Dit begin met Satan wat deur dwaalleraars werk, false apostels wat aanspraak op ‘n leerstellige gesag wat hulle van God sou ontvang het en hulleself op gelyke voet stel as die Skrifte. Die woord wat Paulus gebruik is hupernium, waar ons die woord hipper vandaan kry, dit is die mense teen wie Paulus gestaan het.


Paulus, Petrus en Johannes het rondgegaan en die waarheid geleer. Hupernia, het  rondgegaan en ‘n valse leer verkondig en aanspraak gemaak op ‘n geestelike gesag, Paulus waarsku ons teen hierdie mense. Wanneer jy vir die dode bid dan sondig jy, dit is towery. Wanneer jy voor of vir ‘n gesnede beeld of ikone bid, kerse brand, is dit afgodery. “O’ ons bid nie eintlik vir beelde nie, dit herinner ons net…”  “Jy mag vir jou geen gesnede beeld van enigiets maak nie.”


In die Hebreeus teks is dit dieselfde woord, hishtachbyon, jy buig voor ‘n afgod, in Grieks is dit dieselfde woord- proscuneo. God noem dit afgodery. Hulle bid nie regtig vir die valse Jesus nie en wat ‘n feit is, van hulle bid nie eers vir die ware Jesus nie, hulle bid vir Maria maar dit is ook nie die Maria van die Bybel nie. Hulle het ‘n ander Jesus ’n ander Maria.  ‘n Ander Christus, ‘n ander gees en ‘n ander Evangelie.


Iemand wat ‘n ander Christus of ‘n ander gees of ‘n ander evangelie het, is altyd uitkenbaar. Die Mormoon Jesus is die geestelike broer van Satan. Mormone het ‘n ander reddings leer en ‘n ander siening van enige iets, dis hoekom hulle ‘n ander Jesus het.


    Die Eucharistiese Christus is heel duidelik ‘n ander Jesus. Die ware Jesus sê Hy sal nie fisies terugkeer as dit nie sal wees soos wat Hy gegaan het nie. Hy sal terug keer via die Berg Seir, sy voete sal op die Olyfberg staan. Maar as enige iemand beweer Hy het al terugkom dan moet jy fisies wegkom van hom af. Hierdie Christus is heel duidelik ‘n ander Jesus. Die ware Christus sê Hy sal nie fisies terugkeer behalwe as dit gebeur soos wat Hy opgevaar het nie.


Die Roomse Katolieke Kerk sê deur die gebruik van die Mis dat Jesus fisies gekom het en daarmee aanbid hulle die brood en die wyn as Jesus wat fisies in die vlees gekom het en hulle verdraai die Skrif Teks in Johannes 6  Vers. 53  “--as julle nie die vlees van die Seun van die mens eet en sy bloed drink nie, het julle geen lewe in julleself nie.-”  Maar ‘n paar verse verder lees ons vers 63: ‘--die vlees is van geen nut nie’--  Maar hiervan word niks gesê nie. Dis ‘n ander Jesus.


Dis duidelik, die Mormone het ‘n ander Jesus, die Roomse Kerk het ‘n Eucharistiese Jesus, ‘n ander Jesus. Die New Age het Maitreya, die kosmiese Christus, dis ‘n ander Jesus. Die JW’s sê Jesus is Migael die Aards Engel en nie God nie- ’n Ander Jesus. Islam het ‘n Jesus wat ‘n profeet is wat onderdanig is aan Mohammad. Al die kultusse en valse godsdienste het ‘n ander Jesus. Maar iets het in die laaste 10 jaar begin gebeur, spesifiek die laaste 5 jaar en nog meer spesifiek die laaste 2 jaar wat verstommend en skrikwekkend is.


Ons het nie net belangrike evangeliese figure nie maar ook belangrike evangeliese geleerdes, akademici, teoloë van verskeie seminariums, mense wat ons sal dink van beter moes geweet het, bekende mense soos Ravi Zacharias, Richard Mouw van die Fuller Seminarium, Craig Hazen van Biola wat voetjie voetjie begin speel met die Mormone. Hulle gee voor dat hulle dieselfde Jesus as ons het terwyl hulle ‘n totale ander Jesus, ander evangelie en ‘n totale ander gees het. Daar is ‘n boek “Ecumenical Jihad” wat deur Chuck Colson en J.I Packer onderskryf en deur Peter Kreeft geskryf is: “Ons het ekumeniese eenheid met Islam nodig om gemeenskappe moreel te bevry.”


Dit is mense wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hulle gered is wat hierdie dinge goedkeur. Hulle heul met mense met ‘n ander Jesus, ander evangelie, wat se gees is dit? Waar kry ons dit? Nou het ons nie net gewone mense maar ook ‘n ander Jesus, mense wat aanspraak maak dat hulle weergebore Christene is wat kragte saam span en hierdie dinge ondersteun, dit is ‘n ander evangelie!


Die outeur van die Shack sê openlik:  “Enige God wat van sy seun verwag om as ‘n soenoffer vir sonde te sterf- bestaan nie.” William Young is nie ‘n Christen nie en hy glo nie aan God nie. Hy glo aan “‘n god” en nie God nie. Hy glo nie aan die God van die Bybel nie, God van die Skrifte bestaan nie. Hy het ‘n mensagtige God volgens sy eie ontwerp wat verpersoonlik word deur ‘n verwagtende swart vrou, dit is in sy boek. Met dit alles is daar baie geredde Christene, of mense wat voorgee dat hulle Christene is, wat hulle geld in die boek belê het.


Ons kla oor Satan, ons weet dit kom van hom af, hy het Eva verlei, hy verander mense se denkes en hy mislei hulle en hulle begin onbybels dink. Dit kom van die duiwel af en dit begin deur om die manier waarop mense dink aan te tas, en dan kry hy mense in kerke wat daarop aanspraak maak dat dit van God afkom, om die Kerk te mislei. Dit is waar, maar waar kom dit werklik vandaan, waar kom die synsleer- verstandelike kennis – ontologie vandaan? Waar kom dit andersins vandaan as van Satan homself af? Ons sal nie hierdie leiers in ons kerke gehad het as daar nie ’n mark vir hulle produk is nie. Paulus waarsku ons oor hierdie dinge. Mense wat hulle ore laat streel en vir hulle ’n menigte leraars bymekaarmaak volgens hulle eie begeertes. Misleiers soos Chuck Colson, Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, and Bill Hybels, as daar nie mark vir hulle produkte was nie. Maar hoekom is daar ’n mark? ’n Ander Jesus, ander evangelie en ’n ander gees?


Om te verstaan wat Paulus vir die Korintiërs, en vir ons sê, kyk na 2 Kor.4:1-3:


“Daarom, aangesien ons hierdie bediening het volgens die barmhartigheid wat ons ontvang het, gee ons nie moed op nie. [Dit is maklik om ontmoedig te word] Maar ons het van die heimlike dinge wat skandelik [oneervol] is,- afstand gedoen, en ons wandel nie in listigheid of vervals die woord van God nie; maar deur die waarheid aan die lig te bring, beveel ons ons by elke menslike gewete voor God aan.”


Dit is die soort oneer wat ‘n dief sal ondervind wanneer hy op heterdaad betrap word.


Ons het afstand gedoen van die geheime skandelike dinge as gevolg van hierdie spesifieke soort oneer. Iemand is verontreinig omdat hy gevang is waar hy iets oneervol gedoen het.


“ons wandel nie in listigheid of vervals die woord van God nie- [Nou, hierdie listigheid in Grieks is dieselfde term wat in die Skrifte gebruik word as die wyse waarop Satan Eva mislei het, Paulus gebruik dieselfde term. Dit wat die god van die wêreld doen kan mense ook doen, hulle doen dinge op ‘n listige wyse. Ons doen dit nie net om ander te mislei nie maar ook onsself, ons kan heel listig te werk gaan om onsself te mislei en sonde self is ‘n misleiding. Sonde self word verpersoonlik, sonde het ‘n ingebore krag om te mislei, sonde self is ‘n misleier.]


“--  of vervals die woord van God nie;--” [Die Griekse woord is doloo, dit beteken om te mishandel, te vervals met ‘n slinkse voorneme. Wanneer mense begin om dinge te doen wat hulle eens op ’n tyd verwerp het, en dit dan weer in die geheim begin doen, dan doen hulle dit omdat hulle eerloos is en hulle kan listig raak. Hulle probeer om met hulleself te onderhandel om ‘n manier te kry om dinge te doen wat hulle nie mag doen nie en dan begin hulle speletjies speel met die Skrifte. Hulle begin om die Woord van God te mishandel om hulle dinge te regverdig. Dit is die gevaar wat onsself in die gesig staar. Wanneer dit wat mense verkondig skipbreuk ly dan is dit omdat hulle moraliteit agteruit gaan. Die een is ‘n simptome van die ander en wanneer mense moreel versleg dan is dit byna onafwendbaar dat hulle leerstellig afvallig gaan raak om dit te probeer regverdig.


Daar is geen Skriftuurlike regverdiging vir Jimmy Swaggart om voort te gaan in die bediening nie. As hy werklik tot bekering gekom het dan kon hy by ‘n gemeenskap inskakel maar hy kan nie terugkeer na ‘n bediening nie, maar hy het in die bediening gebly. Wel, wat het hy gedoen? Hy het listig geraak, hy het begin om dinge te rasionaliseer, hoe hy iets kan doen om dinge te laat werk. Hy was gevang om iets te doen wat oneervol was.


Nou, sy seksuele sonde was nie sy oneer nie. Almal het ‘n probleem met seksuele sonde. Is dit verkeerd? Is dit is ernstig? Natuurlik is dit verkeerd en ernstig, maar die eintlike probleem is, hy het ander mense in die openbaar gehang vir iets wat hyself gedoen het. Ek is absoluut seker daarvan dat God hom oorwinning kon gee oor sy seksuele dinge, maar om ander mense soos Gorman en Jim Baker in die media te hang vir dinge wat hyself gedoen het, dit is te ver. Glo vir my, daar is baie ander dinge verkeerd met Jim Baker, maar waarom het hy hom spesifiek oor dinge aangevat wat hy self besig was om te doen? Dit is te ver, dit is oneervol.


Om iemand te hang vir iets wat jy ook besig is om te doen is te ver. Seksuele sonde is verkeerd maar om iemand te hang vir dinge wat jy ook besig is om te doen is absoluut verregaande. Romeine sê jy doen dieselfde dinge. Maar jy word al slimmer en om dit te laat lyk asof dit Bybels en Skriftuurlik is begin jy dinge doen wat geken word as “doloo”. Jy hanteer die Skrifte met minagting.


Maar daar word gepraat van vervalsing, "doloo" van die Woord van God, Logos. Jesus is die Logos. Hy is die Woord wat Vlees geword het. Ons begin nie net om die Skrifte dinge te laat sê wat die Skrifte nie sê of beteken nie maar ons raak ook besig om ‘n ander Jesus op te rig.


“Maar deur die waarheid aan die lig te bring,” (sunistem) wat beteken om dinge aan ander voor te stel met ‘n aanbeveling. “-beveel ons ons by elke menslike gewete voor God aan. (suneidesis’-morele gewete) Wanneer iemand begin om die Woord van God te vervals deur om ‘n valse Skriftelike argument te vind wat hulle kunstig saamgeflans het, dan mislei hulle hulle self en hulle eindig met ‘n ander Jesus.


     As jy eindig met ‘n ander Logos, dan eindig jy met ‘n ander Jesus. Jy skep vir jouself ‘n ander Jesus. Jy doen dinge wat die outeur van die Shack gedoen het. In plaas van ‘n theopomorfiese man en vrou- eindig ons met ‘n theopomorfiese God en nie ‘n antropomorfiese God nie. In plaas daarvan dat ons na die Beeld en gelykenis van God geskape is skep ons Hom na ons beeld gelykenis. Ons doen presies dieselfde wat die Mormone, Katolieke die Moslems en die New Agers doen, ons skep vir ons ‘n ander Christus volgens ons eie idees.


Wanneer jy begin om vir jou ‘n ander Christus volgens jou eie idees te skep en iemand begin om so ‘n Christus te preek, een wat jy wil glo en wil hoor, dan word jy een van hulle. Dit is waarom hierdie soort boeke die soort aan trekkings krag het wat hulle het. Dit is waarom mense dinge soos die Godchasers, die Shack, en die gebed van Jabez lees. Hulle het alreeds begin om in hulle eie denke af te wyk van die waarheid af.


Daar moet ‘n mark wees vir die produk anders sal dit nie verkoop nie. As die mark nie daar was nie sou die produk nie verkoop het nie. As iemand iets wil hê, kyk wat bied die mark. Dit maak nie saak wat dit is nie, al is dit iets onwettig, immoreel of iets gevaarlik. As iemand iets wil koop dan sal daar altyd iemand wees wat gewillig is om te verkoop, daar is ‘n mark.


Ja ek kan sekerlik die duiwel blameer, ons almal blameer hom, sy skuldigheid kan nie onderskat word nie. Dit is eindeloos. Ja ons kan die valse apostels blameer, en ons moet die doen, die Skrifte doen dit, God ook. Maar eerstens moet ons onsself blameer, ons almal. Kom ek begin by myself.


Wat gebeur wanneer die Heilige Gees ons aankla- “Dit is verkeerd, hou op om so te dink, stop dit.” Maar wat gebeur as die Heilige Gees ons aankla en ons luister nie, wat gebeur dan? Wel dan ontvang ons ‘n ander gees, ons kry ‘n ander Jesus. So hulle ontvang ‘n ander gees. Weereens, die vrug van die Gees is selfbeheersing.


Wat in Lakeland, Toronto, en Pensacola gebeur het kon sekerlik nie die gees van Jesus gewees het nie. Die gees van Jesus is die Gees van profesie en nie van valse profesie nie. Met ander woorde mense soos Rick Joyner en ander met al hulle valse profesie het ‘n ander gees wat nie die Gees van Jesus is nie.


So wanneer jy ‘n valse Jesus ontvang het dan ontvang jy ook ‘n valse Vikaris van Christus. Die ware Vicar van Christus is die Heilige Gees. En daar is nog een, die Pous. “O hy spreek uit die hemel en is onfeilbaar.” Hy het ‘n ander gees.


Rom. 8:13-15: “--want as julle na die vlees lewe, sal julle sterwe, maar as julle deur die Gees die werke van die liggaam doodmaak, sal julle lewe. Want almal wat deur die Gees van God gelei word, dié is kinders van God. Want julle het nie ontvang 'n gees van slawerny om weer te vrees nie, maar julle het ontvang die Gees van aanneming tot kinders, deur wie ons roep: Abba, Vader!”


Sal jy jou kind seermaak? Sal jy hom of haar onterf as hy iets verkeerd doen? Nee! Jy sal hom teregwys maar jy sal hom nie onterf nie. Dit is die soort familie verhoudings wat God skep om vir ons te wys hoe Hy verwant is aan ons. Maar as daar in jou ou mens iets goeds is dan sal hy doen wat nodig is om jou te bewaar van wat sleg is. Maar as jy nie jou ou mens se gesag erken nie dan het jy ‘n probleem. As jy nie bang is dat jou vader ‘n lyn gaan trek nie dan het jy probleem. Maar as jy in die Gees wandel dan het jy nie ‘n probleem nie, maar as jy ophou om in die Gees te wandel dan is daar net twee oplossings; kom tot bekering of kry vir jou ‘n ander gees en dan ‘n ander evangelie.


Gal. 6:7-8:  “Ek verwonder my dat julle so gou afvallig word van hom wat julle deur die genade van Christus geroep het, na 'n ander evangelie toe,-- [Let op wanneer jy die Bybelse evangelie verwerp dan verwerp jy ook die ware Christus. ‘n Ander Christus en ‘n ander evangelie gaan hand aan hand, hulle is twee aspekte van dieselfde ding] --terwyl daar geen ander is nie; behalwe dat daar sommige mense is wat julle in die war bring en die evangelie van Christus wil verdraai.”


    [Met ander woorde wanneer jy die mense wat in hierdie dinge gevang is vra: “Glo jy dat Jesus Christus vir jou sonde gesterf het en dat Hy uit die dood opgestaan het om vir jou die ewige lewe te gee?” Dan is die antwoord: “O ja ons glo in dit.” Hulle sal nie ontken dat hulle dit altyd geglo het nie terwyl dit wat hulle glo so verdraai is dat dit ‘n ander evangelie geword het. Hulle kan dit net nie sien nie. Dit gaan verder, hulle moet ‘n ander evangelie kry terwyl hulle nie besef dat as jy ‘n ander evangelie ontvang het dan is jy deur God vervloek.]


2Kor. 5: 5: “Maar Hy wat ons juis hiervoor toeberei het, is God, wat ons ook die Gees as onderpand gegee het.”


2Kor 3:17: “Die Here is die Gees, en waar die Gees van die Here is, daar is vryheid.”


Let op vers 17 bevestig eerstens die Godheid van die Heilige Gees. Maar ‘waar die Gees van God is daar is vrede,’ - wat beteken dit? Beteken dit vryheid van ‘n godsdienstige en wettiese gebondenheid? Ja. Maar dit beteken ook vryheid van die Wet, watter wet? Die wet van sonde en dood.  Jy is nie langer ‘n slaaf van sonde nie.


Hierdie kerk het begin omdat ‘n pastoor en sy vrou, belydende Christene, geskei het omdat dit nie gegaan het oor onbelyde hoerery nie, hulle het getrou en gedink dit was heel aanvaarbaar om aan te gaan in die bediening terwyl die Nuwe Testament, Jesus sê so ‘n huwelik is ‘n hoerery. “Wel ek kan haar nie nou verlaat nie”- hulle is in ‘n gebondenheid. Hulle het hulself in ‘n gebondenheid gebring waaruit hulle nie kan kom nie; ons het kinders, ’n familie, ja maar as hulle deur die Gees van die Here gely was sou hulle nie in hierdie gebondenheid beland het nie. Wel jy het ‘n ander gees en die Evangelie vra van jou om sonde belydenis te doen. Jy het ‘n ander evangelie, en so beland ons in die moeilikheid. Die volgende wat gebeur is die kerk beweeg met die lyn af na die volgende program.


2Kor. 5:10:”Want ons moet almal voor die regterstoel van Christus verskyn, sodat elkeen kan ontvang wat hy deur die liggaam verrig het, volgens wat hy gedoen het, of dit goed is of kwaad.”


As ‘n kind iets baie verkeerd doen dan beteken dit nie sy ou mens gaan hom laat vrykom nie, hy moet nog steeds verantwoording doen. Dit beteken sy vader is nog steeds sy vader en hy sal nie ophou om hom lief te hê nie, maar as gevolg van dat die ou mens nog lief is vir die kind, gaan die ou mens sekere toepaslike aksie neem. Nou, God gaan nie in die wêreld wat kom met ons sonde deel nie, Hy deel nou met ons sonde. God oordeel die sonde van die ongelowiges in die wêreld wat kom. Nietemin, daar sal ‘n dag van oordeel wees wat gaan bepaal wat ons ewige loon gaan wees, of nie gaan wees nie. Daar is mense wat ons vertel dat ons hemel toe gaan as gevolg van wat Jesus gedoen het, maar hulle werke gaan verbrand; dit wat hulle in die vlees doen, die slegte dinge wat hulle gedoen het is in die vlees, tensy hierdie dinge bely is anders gaan dit teen hulle tel in die dag van oordeel.


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? Want julle is die tempel van die lewende God,-”


Roomse Katolisisme is afgodery, hoe kan jy pro- ekumenies wees? Hoe kan jy deel wees van ‘n denominasie wat beide gelowige en ongelowige leiers het? “O’ ons vikaris is weergebore, hy is waarlik gered.” “Ja maar die vikaris in die ander gemeente is ‘n homoseksueel, hoekom is jy deel van hulle?” Hoe werk jy dit uit?


Wel hulle kan dit nie Bybels uitwerk nie, so hulle werk dit listig uit.


Eers kom die duiwel om te mislei maar dan mislei hulle hulleself. Hulle verdraai die Woord van God en hul eindig met ‘n ander Jesus. Wanneer jy die Woord van God, die Logos verdraai “Doloo” dan eindig jy met ‘n ander Jesus, en wanneer jy vir jou ‘n ander Jesus opgestel het dan kry jy ‘n ander gees van Jesus, en dan moet jy ook ‘n ander evangelie kry. Die JW’s het ‘n ander Jesus, die Mormone het ‘n ander Jesus, die Katolieke het ‘n ander Jesus.


     Daar mense wat sê hulle is weergebore maar hulle spring in die bed saam met Mormone of Katolieke en tot met Moslems wat ook ‘n ander Jesus het. Wat se gemeenskap het die lig met die duisternis?


Hulle kan in die bed spring met mense wat ‘n ander Jesus het omdat hulle self ‘n ander Jesus het.


Ek is net so in staat om ‘n ander Jesus te ontvang en al wat ek moet doen is om listig te werk te gaan met dit, en wanneer listigheid intree dan begin ek die Woord van God verdraai om dinge te regverdig, en as ek die Woord van God, Jesus is die Woord, verdraai het dan het ek ‘n ander Jesus en dan kom die ander gees en ‘n ander evangelie. Alles is baie eenvoudig, dit klink ondenkbaar maar dit gebeur. Prediker na prediker, leier na leier het al in die bed gespring met mense wat heel duidelik ‘n ander Christus het.


Maar wat van ons? Wat van my? Het ek altyd die ware Christus of het ek somtyds my eie Jesus? My eie Jesus kan baie soos die ware Jesus lyk, behalwe dat my eie Jesus vir my knik as ek sondig.


Omdat die oordeel van God nie altyd dadelik val vir dinge wat verkeerd is nie word my eie Jesus ‘n Jesus wat my laat wegkom met sonde wat dan die idee skep dat daar geen nagevolge gaan wees nie. Die nagevolge egter is Hy het aan die kruis gehang om te betaal vir wat ek gedoen het. Jy kan nie voordeel trek nie maar jy is baie goed om ‘n voordeel daaruit te trek. Ons skep ons eie Jesus en ons trek voordeel uit hom. Wanneer dit gebeur, dan kry ons ons eie Heilige Gees. Hy is nie langer meer die Heilige Gees wat jou aankla oor jou sonde nie, hy is die Heilige Gees wat ons net laat goed voel oor onsself. Of soos in  2Korinte, Paulus sê die Heilige Gees laat ons sleg voel oor onsself sodat Hy miskien ons kan laat goed voel oor onsself. En dan ‘n ander evangelie.


Elke keer wanneer ek of jy te ver gaan dan moet ons net die spyker onthou wat in Jesus se gewrig in geslaan was. Jy dink dit kom sonder ‘n prys? Kom ek wys jou wat het dit gekos. Dit is die ware Jesus, dit is hoe ernstig dit is wat jy nou net gedoen het. Moenie jou eie Jesus skep nie, kom ek wys jou die ware Jesus.


Daar is Hy aan die kruis, sien jy Hom? Hy het nie net vir ons almal gesterf nie, Hy het vir elkeen van ons gesterf. O’ ek kan my eie Jesus skep, ek kan listig te werk gaan met my eie Jesus. Wel ek het gesien wat gebeur wanneer mense hulle eie Jesus skep. Of hulle bekeer hulle en maak dit reg of hulle eindig in die afvallige kerk, of hulle eindig in die bed saam met die Mormone of met Rome, of met Belial. Dit is wat gebeur as ons ‘n ander Jesus skep.


‘n Duidelike ander Jesus is die Katolieke een, of die Mormone of die Moslem een, maar dit is nie die ander Jesus wat my pla nie, die ander Jesus wat my die meeste pla is die een wat ek uitgevind het. Dink daaraan-- daardie listigheid van Satan is besig om in almal van ons te werk. Ons kan net so listig wees soos hy.


Dit is ‘n goed dat jou gemeente die afvalligheid van die kerk insien vir wat dit is. Dit is ‘n goeie ding dat jou gemeente vir Mormone, Jode en Katolieke getuig. Almal van hulle het ‘n ander Evangelie, of ‘n ander wat ook al, ons weet dit. Ons sien hulle probleme, hulle ander gees en hulle ander Jesus, en ons sien hulle ander Evangelie. Ek wens net ek kan my eie sien.


Jacob Prasch / Moriel / vertaal--A different Jesus.


Groete in Jesus

Staying the course amidst isolation

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).

Signs of the Times - Tony Pearce

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. ‍ ‍

Trumps visit with Xi

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).

Prayer request for Phil Malone

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.”

Please Pray for Joanne Rizzetto, Pastor Dave Rizzetto's wife

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.

Will Lebanon miss its golden opportunity?

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).

Pastor John Angliss

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

We made it this far: Israel at 78

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).

Council attempts to shut down and censor local church’s evangelism efforts.

By David Passmore • April 23, 2026
Please click this link:https://mailchi.mp/christianconcern.com/action-alert-street-preaching-22-04-26?e=f1df30be3f

A critical juncture in NATO's future

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).