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April 3, 2025
John 20:19-31: "When, therefore, it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst. And He said to them, 'Peace be with you,' and when He had said this, He showed Himself, both His hands and His side; and the disciples therefore rejoiced that they saw the Lord.


And Jesus therefore said to them, 'Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and He said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them, and if you retain the sins of any, their sins have been retained.'

 

But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. And the other disciples were therefore saying to him, 'We have seen the Lord!', but he said to them, 'Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.'
And after eight days again, His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. And Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, 'Peace be with you.' Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.'

[The verse now that the Jehovah's Witnesses do not like --] Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'
And Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.'
Many are the signs, therefore, that Jesus also performed in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that, believing, you might have life in His name."

"Show me! Let me see! Show me!" Thomas was not there. Jesus' body and His resurrection teach about what our bodies will be like in the Resurrection. His resurrection is our resurrection. During the Millennial Reign of Jesus, there will be two kinds of people on the earth: there will be those who are resurrected, or were raptured, and reign with Christ; and then there will be those people who are born during the Millennium. The bodies of the ones who are born during the Millennium will be slightly different -- they'll be like the bodies of antediluvian man; the way people were before the Flood. Just as people lived to be hundreds of years old before the Flood, so they will during the Millennium. People born during the Millennial Reign of Jesus will actually live to be centuries old. When someone dies at the age of 120, Isaiah tells us, it will be like a pediatric fatality; it will be like crib death. People will actually live, as Methuselah did, to be hundreds of years old.

The others, however, will be like Jesus. His body was recognizable, but not at first. He was able to do things such as walk through walls, etc. One of the reasons we see Him eating with the disciples after He rose from the dead is that the Holy Spirit knew that later there would be heretics who would come, denying that the resurrection of Jesus was literal and physical. In the ancient church, they were called Docetists, but today they are the Jehovah's Witnesses. They deny that the resurrection actually happened. That is why, in the New Testament, whenever you see someone being raised from the dead you always see Jesus eating with them, or you see them being instructed to eat. When He raised the little girl from the dead, he instructed her parents to give her something to eat. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He eats with him immediately after that in John 12. Spiritual bodies do not need to eat; physical ones do. This testifies that the resurrection was literal.

But Thomas wasn't there; and he says, "Show me. You want me to believe in Jesus, show me. Let me see this body that was crucified, and is now alive." Thomas is what theologians would call a corporate solidarity. Corporate solidarity is the term for when one person represents a larger group of people; when one person is a sort of spiritual picture of a larger group of people. Thomas is a corporate solidarity, and he represents three different kinds of people:

The first group of people which Thomas, the Twin, called Didymus, represents is his fellow Jews. He says, "I will not believe that Jesus rose from the dead until I see the wounds in His hands." Look at the book of Zechariah chapter 12. In it we are told this: when Jesus comes back in the last days of the Great Tribulation, in verse 10 of chapter 12, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication. So they will look upon Me whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." In the Great Tribulation at the end, the Jews will be gathered to Israel and to Jerusalem with the deception of the Antichrist, etc, and the nations will gather against Israel. Jesus comes back and saves them, they see the scars left by the nails in His hands, and then they believe.

If you know what's happening in the newspapers and on television concerning the quest for peace in Jerusalem, you have noticed that the issue is the final status of Jerusalem. That is what this chapter tells us would happen when Jesus comes back. "The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Jerusalem . . ." This chapter tells us in verse 2 that Jerusalem will be a heavy stone that causes reeling in all the people round about it, and all who lift it will hurt themselves grievously. The real issue in the Middle East will not be the final status of the Golan Heights or the West Bank or the Gaza Strip; it will be Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where Satan suffered his greatest defeat, and it is also where he will suffer his final defeat. There are tremendous spiritual forces at work in our world today, and the Middle East is increasingly going to be the center of it. Everything we see happening in Camp David and so on is becoming increasingly focused toward Zechariah 12. How will these events in the Middle East turn out? We know. We know what the State Department doesn't know, what the White House doesn't know, and what the United Nations doesn't know. We know that they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced, and the Jews will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.

That is the first corporate solidarity. Thomas is Twin, Didymus, with his fellow Jews. He mirrors them. "I won't believe until I see the One who is pierced."

The second corporate solidarity that Thomas is a picture of is the skepticism of all the apostles and disciples. He's the fall guy; he gets the rap. Even in English, we have the colloquialism, 'a doubting Thomas'. That, however, is not exactly fair or accurate, although the label is stuck. This is similar to how we always talk about Peter following at a distance, saying "Oh, how could Peter follow Jesus at a distance?" -- except that, apart from John, the other disciples weren't following at all. He doesn't get fair press, and neither does Thomas.

In Mark chapter 16, when we look at this synoptically, it says this (verse 11): "And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it." All the apostles were skeptical and doubting, but Thomas becomes the embodiment, the personification of their collective doubt.

Jesus revealed Himself to women first; you will always find this. But anything that God intends for good, the devil will twist to use for evil. Because of the fall of humanity, men have become insensitive and women have become hypersensitive. Women were always more sensitive than men, but because of the fall, the difference has sharply increased. Men are reliant on female sensitivity, and women are reliant on male protection. For instance, when a husband and wife get saved, most of the time it is the wife who gets saved first. When a husband is saved and his wife is not a believer, usually -- not always, but usually -- the wife will become a believer; water takes the shape of its container. However, when the boots are on the other feet and a woman has an unbelieving husband, it is much more difficult. Why is it easier for women to get saved? The reason is they are more sensitive and impressionable, traits that can be either assets or liabilities. It is easier for the Lord to reveal Himself to women, because of their sensitivity. So, too, when a husband and wife pray together in seeking direction from the Lord, usually the wife will hear from the Lord first. Men are reliant on female sensitivity, because since the fall, men have become insensitive.

On the other hand, anything that God intends for good, the devil will use for evil. Because women are more sensitive, they are also more vulnerable to spiritual seduction, to being misled in hearing the voice of a counterfeit spirit and thinking it to be the voice of the Holy Spirit or to being led by their feelings. Male authority in the Bible is not based on bigger muscles; it's based on protection. The serpent beguiled the woman; Satan beguiles and seduces, and women are more vulnerable to his seduction. Thus, just as men are reliant on female sensitivity, women are reliant on male protection. That is why the leadership in a church must be male, and why the husband and father must be the spiritual head of the family.

Jesus revealed Himself to women first; the others doubted. So Thomas represents the skepticism of the other apostles.
The third corporate solidarity that Thomas represents is the one we've all encountered: he personifies human skepticism. How many times have we witnessed to somebody -- a friend, a neighbor, a relative, somebody you met on the street, someone you gave a tract to -- and had them say basically the same thing Thomas said: "Show me. Where is He? I can't see Him. You tell me this Jesus was crucified to take away my sin, He rose from the dead, and is now alive. You say that this crucified body is alive; well, show me. Where is He? I can't see Him. Show me this body; then I'll believe. Why should I believe your Jesus instead of Mohammad, or Buddha, or Hare Krishna? Why should I believe your Book, the Bible, instead of the Bhagavad-Gita, or the Book of Mormon, or the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Koran? What makes your Book different? What makes your Jesus different? Why should I believe you? Show me! Let me see! Then I'll believe."

In trying to present the Gospel to modern society, even in the American Bible Belt, we're up against two things: Western rationalism, and Eastern irrationalism. Let's look first at Eastern irrationalism:

The churches in India are growing very quickly; I was in India recently. These Christians are impoverished, but their churches are growing.

Simply stated, Hinduism is not rational. When I was in India, I saw a heap of rubbish -- garbage -- with birds of prey pecking at the vermin crawling around in it. On top of it was a wooden frame -- not a bed, but a wooden frame with some rope on it -- and a baby boy, probably less than two years old, covered with lice and filth, probably HIV positive, lying on top of it and slowly dying of malnutrition. Right up the road, beautifully groomed cows are overfed. The life of a cow is valued more highly than the life of a baby. That is their religion. "That's OK; that's his karma, because of what he did in his last life." It is not rational, but it's their religion. It's not rational for a human being to drink cow urine, but they do it. It is not rational to take water from the Ganges River and, because you believe it to be sacred, give it to an infant who dies of cholera as a result. This is not rational; you cannot tell them that the water is rife with microorganisms and bacteria, because they believe it to be sacred. There is no reason in their religion.

It's no wonder people in India are turning from it towards Christ! As the New Testament says, our faith is rational and reasonable. It says in the book of Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18, "Come, let us reason together, says the Lord." I am not saying that our faith is intellectual; it is not intellectual, but it is intellectually defensible. There is an apologetic for it -- it is rational and plausible, and there is evidence for it. Hinduism is a blind faith. Yet what is very strange to me is that when I get on a plane from India and go home to England or come to the United States, I see people in the West turning from Christianity to gurus, to transcendental meditation, to New Age, to Eastern religion. Look at what those religions have done to India.
There is a church in the American South, which includes people of different racial backgrounds. The pastor has adopted children of other color. A few generations ago in the South, that would not have been socially acceptable. At least where you had a Judeo-Christian ethic, at least where you had a Biblical premise, people understood that bigotry was morally wrong and that social injustice shouldn't exist. In India, however, that's their religion. "That's his karma." 

Social injustice is therefore socially acceptable; it is the natural order. There is no sense of it being wrong. At least in the South there was an awareness that it was wrong and needed to be corrected, because people are all made in God's image and likeness, and Jesus died for the sin of others just as much as for ours. Not in India. Yet you see people in the West embracing these Eastern religions. I got the book "Death of a Guru", about a guru who got saved, to George Harrison of the Beatles, who is a Hindu. 

He builds temples for the Hare Krishna all over England, and he was so angered by the book that he threw it. I said, "Look, do you think that if you had been born in the slums of Calcutta instead of in the slums of Liverpool you would be living in that castle today? Look at what that religion has done to that country." A few weeks later, he was stabbed in the heart in that castle. Look at what it's done! Eastern irrationalism: it is not rational, but people believe it.

So this is what we're up against: Eastern irrationalism. The Western democracies, American society included, are post-Christian and neo-pagan. People are turning to New Age religion, even in the South. The stuff that began in California, in England and up north, is now in the South as well. I saw Vice-President Gore, who is from Arkansas, on television with Buddhist monks.

"Show me! Why should I believe your Jesus instead of Buddhism? Why should I believe your Bible instead of the Bhagavad-Gita, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Koran? Why should I believe your Jesus instead of Mohammad, instead of Joseph Smith? (The Mormons have a different Jesus entirely, who is not the Jesus of the Bible.) Why should I believe your Jesus instead of the one spoken of by Joseph Smith, the Jesus who is a half-brother of the devil?"
Is the answer to this because Christians are more moral? Friends, there are Protestant denominations ordaining homosexuals; Mormons won't do that. Moslems won't do that. Is it because we have such a wonderful testimony for Jesus that they'll believe us? I wish that were true. When I turn on the idiot box, I see the so-called Christian television -- those con artists twisting the Gospel to con money out of people, perverting the Christian message. Their god is Mammon, not the true God. They are teaching the sin of covetousness and calling it 'faith'. They have faith in 'faith', not faith in Jesus. If I were not by the grace of God saved already and I turned on the television to see those con men, those heretics from hell, who are the false prophets whom Jesus warned would come in the last days -- if that's what I saw, I would not want to become a Christian. I would think that being born-again was a con job. Why should the world believe us? That is what they see.

"Why should I believe? What, these con men? No. Show me, then I'll believe. I've seen the TV." I've seen the so-called Christian President from Arkansas in a so-called evangelical church in Chicago -- and noticed that his position on homosexuality and abortion-on-demand never came up. If Isaiah or Jeremiah had interviewed a king, those are the very issues they would have aimed for.

"Show me! I've heard the talk, I've seen the TV, I've seen what your born-again is, and I don't want to hear any more. Now; show me. Show me why I should believe this instead of the Mormons." There is a reason Mormonism is growing; despite the fact that what they believe is crazy, there is a reason for their growth. I have seen how Islam has grown in England. It is already beginning to grow in America. It begins in the black community -- ironic, considering the fact that Islam is a religion which has never done anything but enslave black people -- and right as we speak, black Christians are being murdered in the Sudan and in Nigeria by Moslems.
"Show me."

In Israel we had our son's Bar Mitzvah in April, and while there we had a Jewish lady speak to us. She had been born in the Ukraine, in a Jewish community with 7,000 people. And of the 7,000, when the Nazis invaded, three survived. Herself, her baby brother, and one other escaped miraculously. The Nazis killed the rest of the Jews; all 7,000, including her parents, her brothers and her sisters. Not only did they kill them, however; they killed them in the name of Jesus Christ. My wife's parents are Holocaust survivors; Jews from Romania. If you were to ask my wife's mother what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, she will tell you: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Jewish children being put into an oven in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It is difficult to explain to them the difference between a saved Christian and what they think of as Christian.

Yet this Jewish woman at my son's Bar Mitzvah became a believer in Jesus. How did she become a believer in Jesus when her whole family was murdered in His name? She told us the story: She met true Christians who were willing to risk their lives to save hers.
When I go to Hong Kong, I go and I pick up Bibles, and pack them very carefully. I don't get my laundry done for weeks -- socks, underwear, and sweaty T-shirts are the best -- and I wrap the Bibles in my laundry. If a Communist customs agent opens my suitcases, he will not want to search too diligently. (Before I was saved, I smuggled hashish.) When I go through to China with the Bibles, those people are hungry. They'll all take a Bible. They will listen to anything you have to say, if they know English. As a matter of fact, in some cases they'll risk their lives to take a Bible. They can be arrested for taking a Bible from a Westerner.

I know people who know a Chinese pastor who spent 34 years in prison under Mao. When the Communists took over China in the late 1940's, there were no more than one million born-again believers known of in China. Going back to the time of Hudson Taylor, who began the first modern missions to China, never more than a million Christians; that's not a lot, for a country with a population the size of China's even then. Of course when the Communists took over, they thought that was the end. All of the missionaries were deported back to America, Australia, and Britain, Bibles were outlawed, and all the indigenous Chinese leaders, such as Watchman Nee, were arrested. Many were killed and people thought that was the end of Christianity in China.

Until the Bamboo Curtain lifted just a little bit; and we found out that now the average Christian's name is not 'Smith' or 'Jones', or even 'Lieberwitz'; it is Ping. Nobody knows how many tens of millions of Christians there are in China, but they know that the churches grew under the Cultural Revolution.

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.