The Death of Absalom

April 3, 2025
Civil War

2 Samuel 18:1:

“David numbered the men who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 

And David sent the people out, one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, ‘I myself will also go out with you.’ But the people said to him, ‘No, you should not go out, for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us – even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us, therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.’”

This was a terrible situation: Hebrew was not fighting Philistine, Hebrew was not fighting Canaanite, Hebrew was not fighting Amalekite – Hebrew was fighting Hebrew. There was the war between Israel and Judah, and the war in the last chapter of the book of Judges, which was a civil war, that broke out when a man’s concubine was gang-raped and her body hacked up and sent throughout the nation. (Judges 19) That was the worst of all the wars in Judges. Here we see it happening again.

In the same manner, the worst battles that we as Christians will have to fight will not be against unbelievers; rather, they will be part of civil war. The worst battles are against your own kind where believer, as it were, raises his sword against believer. Now, I am of course not referring to a physical sword like the Puritans used, but rather to the spiritual sword, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Fighting Canaanites, Philistines, no problem; fighting Moslems, Freemasons, Roman Catholics, no problem. But what happens when brother fights brother – or, in this case, when father fights son.

Rebellion in the Camp

Jesus said plainly that he came to bring division, to turn parents against their children. (Luke 12:41-53) This certainly happens when someone from an unbelieving family becomes a believer. It happens to an extreme point among Jewish families, Moslem families, and sometimes Catholic and Gypsy families. However, it also happens in this case with people who theoretically already did believe, but went into rebellion. We live in an age and in a time when there is a major rebellion in the camp of the Lord and families are divided. For example, look at the division brought by the Toronto phenomenon.

The rightful leadership which God appointed was usurped by Absalom and an awful lot of people – in fact, in some places most of the people – followed Absalom. I will not go into it at great depth now, but Absalom is one of the people in Scripture who typify the Antichrist. In the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem is the alleged place of Absalom’s Pillar (though the archaeologists are by no means convinced that it is the actual Pillar of Absalom), and to this day you can see Orthodox Jews throwing stones at it. (2 Samuel 18:18) 

A Counterfeit Christ

A division has occurred in the camp. Verse 9:

“Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David, for Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak.”

If you can follow the typology, the fact that he is riding on a mule indicates that he is counterfeiting Christ.

“And his head caught fast in the oak, so that he was left hanging between heaven and earth,”

He was hanging on a tree; do you see here how he counterfeits Jesus?

“While the mule that was under him kept going. And when a certain man saw him, he told Joab, and said, ‘Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.’ Then Joab said to the man who told him this, ‘Behold, you saw him; why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt!’ And the man said to Joab, ‘Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Protect for me the man Absalom.” Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life – and there is nothing hidden from the king’”

David here is a type of the true Christ – “nothing hidden from the King”.

“’Then you yourself would have stood aloof.’ Then Joab said, ‘I will not waste time here with you.’ So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.”

“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Gal 3:13) – Absalom’s death was one thing; but the manner in which he died would have carried a particular connotation for the Jews because of that quote from the Torah. Haman was hanged from a tree, and in the same way the Messiah was cursed for our sin and hung on a tree. So, Absalom is pierced through while he is hanging on a tree. Again, whom does this look like? He is a counterfeit of Jesus.

The Worst Crisis

Let me tell you about the most difficult thing that you will ever face as a Christian if you have not faced it already. It is the most difficult thing that I have ever faced as a Christian. There is no trial, no crisis, nothing in your Christian life that will be more difficult than this: the death of an unsaved loved one. Nothing is more difficult to face up to than the death of an unsaved loved one.

I get anguished letters from women with unsaved husbands. I have never known a Christian woman with an unsaved husband who was happily married – even if he’s a good guy, I have never met a single Christian woman who is not miserable over it and whom it does not torment every day. Any Christian who gets married to an unsaved person is simply out of his or her mind; it is begging for trouble.

My father died, as far as I know, unsaved. To the extent of my knowledge, my father is in Hell; no hope, no way out. Ultimately, only God knows what transpires in that fleeting moment between life and death; yet in the entire Bible – the entire New Testament – there is only one deathbed conversion, so to speak: the good thief that was crucified with Jesus. What could be worse than having unsaved or backslidden children? Nothing.

The worst situation that you or I or any Christian will ever face will be when we have unbelieving loved ones who die. They die in rebellion.

Loved Ones: Saved and Unsaved

My mother is unsaved. She has had two heart attacks and one stroke. She has cataracts and is battling cancer in both extremities and she was recently diagnosed with arthritis though she is only 62 years old. I am quite concerned because I love my mother and I desperately want her to be saved; but the fact is she is not saved. She has been witnessed to many times and it only ends in arguments. Anything that my sister or I could say to her has been said to her. She sees the change in my life – she knows that when I got saved I stopped sleeping around and taking cocaine, but she is still not saved. I think about this every day and all that I can do is pray for her. Do you have an unsaved mother, father, husband, wife, or child? What is it that you think about every day and what is your worst fear? We must be honest.

You may go to churches where they sing the hymns and bring in the guest speakers who hype people up, claiming victory and all that – that’s rubbish. This is reality. All the hype and froth is not going to see you through this kind of a crisis when you are confronted with it.

It is a wonderful thing when you have a physical relative who is also a believer in Jesus – thank God for my wife, for my son, for my daughter, for my sister. I thank God for these people who are physically related to me, who will also be with me forever in eternity. It’s wonderful, but then there are the others: the ones whom I love no less, and whom Jesus loves no less. My wife’s parents are Holocaust survivors and ex-Refuseniks. My children witness to their grandparents; they went through so much with so-called Christians telling the Gestapo where they were hiding and having a grandfather machine-gunned in the street – terrible, terrible things. What could be worse? Only one thing: if they did not get saved at the end of it all. There is nothing worse than that.

Let’s face the facts for what they are: we all have unsaved loved ones. People we love and care about deeply – may God in His mercy save every one of them, but the fact is that the likelihood is that some of them will not be saved.  God is willing; I only wish that they were. Moreover, it is nothing but God’s grace that makes me any different.

The Two Messengers

Let us continue in verse 15:

“And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom, and killed him.”

It is interesting that the basic contingent of Roman legionnaires was ten men. I think it probable that it was one of these basic contingents of ten who escorted Jesus to the Cross and there crucified Him.

“Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people.”

The entire north of Israel went out against David with Absalom.

“And they took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest; and erected over him a very great heap of stones, and all Israel fled, each to his tent.”

Their hero came to nothing; a horrible story.

“Now Absalom had in his lifetime taken and set up for himself a pillar, which is in the Kings’ Valley, for he said, ‘I have no son to preserve my name.’ So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day. Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, ‘Please let me run and bring the king news, that the Lord has freed him from the hand of his enemies!’ But Joab said, ‘You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day. However, you shall carry no news today, because the king’s son is dead.’ Then Joab said to the Cushite,”

– a “Cushite” in Hebrew is a person of black skin, basically an Ethiopian –

“’Go, tell the king what you have seen.’ So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.”

The first non-Jew, it is worth noting, was a Cushite – an Ethiopian. The first person to embrace the Christian faith was a black man.

“Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, ‘But whatever happens, please, let me also run after the Cushite!’ And Joab said, ‘Why would you run, my son, since you will have no reward for going?’ ‘But whatever happens,’ he said, ‘I will run!’ So he said to him, ‘Run.’ Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite.”

Boy, he must have had one good pair of trainers to outrun a soul brother! They win all the medals at the Olympics.

“Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate of the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself. And the watchman called and told the king, and the king said, ‘If he is by himself, there is good news in his mouth!’ And he came nearer and nearer.”

The term in Hebrew for “good news” is “bissorah”; its Greek equivalent is “evangelion”. What does it mean? It means “gospel”. “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings bissorah – the gospel of peace.” (Is 52:7)

“Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, ‘Behold, another man running by himself!’ And the king said, ‘This man also is bringing bissorah – good news.’ And the watchman said, ‘I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.’ And the king said, ‘This is a good man, and he comes with good news.’ And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, ‘All is well!’ and he prostrated himself before the king, with his face to the ground, and he said, ‘Blessed is the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hands against my lord the King!’ And the king said, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And Ahimaaz answered, ‘When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was.’ Then the king said, ‘Turn aside and stand here,’ so he turned aside and stood still.”

Ahimaaz knew very well what had happened, but he only wanted to give the good news. He did not want to bring the bad news, only the good. However: if you do not know the bad news, you won’t know how good the good news is. We have a tape on the Law; on it we explain that unless you know you are condemned, you cannot understand what good news the Gospel really is. What makes the good news so good? The bad news.

Grace: Cheap or Priceless?

“You know, there’s a cure for your ailment!”

“Oh, I didn’t know I was sick.”

“Well, here’s the x-ray of your chest; there’s the bad news that makes the good news so good.”

We live in an age when what is being preached most of the time is cheap grace. The Bible says, “Buy without price,” because it is free to us. However, that does not mean it is free altogether: it cost God everything when He gave His only Son. There is no price, but it will cost us our lives in this world, and it cost God His Son’s life.

“Just put your hand up and accept Jesus . . .” “God loves you . . .” “The Lord is here tonight to bless you . . .” “The four spiritual laws . . .” “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life . . .” Did Peter ever preach this way? It’s no wonder Bill Bright has signed up with the Roman Church, taking Campus Crusade down the tubes. “God loves you and wants to bless you; put your hand up and accept Jesus into your heart”. Is that not what we have normally heard over the past twenty, thirty years? Look at the book of Acts – did Peter preach that way? No – it was “Save yourself from this accursed generation!” Read Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, D.L. Moody, George Whitefield – the people whom God used to bring revival to Britain. Did they preach that way? No! Today, however, it’s all about positive thinking and pop psychology. We want a positive image, so we have everything from smoke machines to strobe lights to rock bands in order to look just like the world. This is cheap grace.

Love and Justice

Look at the Charismatic “renewal” – what was it? “Oh, the love of Jesus, the love of God, the love of Christ”. Unless you understand the justice of Jesus you cannot understand just how much love it actually took for Him to go to that Cross for us. God became a man to take the rap for what I did - ?!!? Wow. But today we have churches that want a positive thrust that reject justice and God’s wrath as being too negative.

Any number of people will run with the good news – “God loves you!” “There’s victory, there’s blessing, there’s salvation!” – no problem. But my son, my mother, my father are dead without Christ? I don’t want to tell people that. This is what you get very often in Jewish evangelism. Often a Jewish person will say something like this: “My grandfather was a holy Jewish man, a rabbi – and when you Christians arrested him and put him into an oven in the name of Jesus Christ, do you know what he was saying in Auschwitz as he died in the name of Christianity? “Sh’ma Yisra’el Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad” – those were his last words and you want to tell me that because he would not accept this Christ in whose name he was murdered he is now in Hell?” It sounds difficult, does it not?

Yes, we must tell them that about their Jewish grandfather, but we must also say it about our Polish, Italian, or Irish grandfathers, or anyone who died rejecting Jesus Christ. A good response to this protest from a Jew is this: “There is only one God – the God of the Jews; there is only one salvation – the Messiah of the Jews. Gentiles must accept your God and your Messiah; if you reject your own God and your own Messiah, you must face the consequences just as they must.”

The First Messenger: No Reward

But we only want to give people the good news; no one wants to bear ill news. But what happens to those who only want to give the good news? What does it say? Verse 22:

“’You will have no reward’”.

In other words, why bother? The wise man delivers souls. (Prov 11:30) Those who turn many to righteousness, Scripture tells us, will flicker in eternity with glory. (Dan 12:3) This does not include cheap grace, however. If you are preaching cheap grace, you are preaching no grace. They will have no reward no matter how many altar calls or celebration praise meetings they have. Those who preach such a message will have no reward. Thank God by His grace He saved me. Why, I have no idea, and I do not expect I will ever know, at least on this side of eternity. I had friends who were less crazy than I was who are dead without Christ. Why me instead of them? I don’t know. I do know that it has nothing to do with me; whatever the answer is, it will not be found in me. But the good news is that I am saved. The bad news is that so many people whom I love and care about are not.

The Second Messenger

Along comes the black man – he’s a lot more honest, straightforward, and down-to-earth. He does not play games or mince words or try to finagle his way out of giving the bad news along with the good. Verse 31:

“Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, ‘Let my lord the king receive good news, for the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.’ And the king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And the Cushite answered, ‘Let the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be as that young man.’ And the king was deeply moved, and he went up to the chamber over the gate and he wept. And thus he said as he walked: ‘Oh, my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!’”

In the Hebrew text David’s words are much more emotive: “Oi, Avshalom, beni beni Avshalom, beni!” “’Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’”

King David/King Jesus

“I wish it was me hanging on that tree, who was pierced through, instead of you, my son.” We must understand once more the typology here: King David could only wish that he could have hung on the cross and been pierced through in place of someone he loved; but praise God, Jesus the Son of David could actually do that. What King David could not do, King Jesus did. When King Jesus hung on that tree and was pierced through, He was pierced through for me and He was pierced through for you, if you are saved. If you are not saved, you need to get saved.

This illustrates the difference between the two covenants of Law and Grace. The Law could point us to our need for salvation, but it could not step in and save us; only the Messiah could save us. What the Law could not do, the Messiah did. What the first Davidic king could not do – die in the place of those he loved – the second Davidic king, Jesus, actually did.

In Deep Mourning

“Then it was told to Joab, ‘Behold, the king is weeping, and he mourns for Absalom.’”

David mourned as so many of us have mourned: My son died in sin, he is dead in rebellion, unsaved. “Yeah, but he broke your heart,: the reply comes. “He went astray; you brought him up in the truth, and he knew God’s ways from the earliest days of his youth and he rebelled against God as well as against you, and he became a reprobate!” Yes, but he is still my son. “But he tried to kill you!” He is still my little boy; that’s my little boy in that tree. David did not love him any less.

This is no day of victory; it is one of mourning. Oh, I will give you the good news, but I will also give you the bad news.

“So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle.”

In other words, they had won, but they behaved as if they had lost. Oh, thank God I have been saved and thank God for the victory in Jesus that He gives us! That’s the good news. I praise God and thank Him for my salvation every day, but I also mourn the death of those whom I love who did not gain the victory, who did not gain salvation.

“And the king covered his face, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Absalom, my son! My son, my son Absalom!

Oi, Avshalom, beni! Beni, beni, Avshalom, beni!

Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, ‘Today you have covered with disgrace the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your concubines, by loving those who hate you and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you, for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today you would be well pleased.’”

There is a truth in that: at least when saved people die they do not go to Hell. I would always rather see saved people die than unsaved people die. That is the sentiment: it is right, yet wrong, wrong, yet right. It’s ambiguous, is it not? There is a tension.

But Joab continues:

“’Now, therefore, arise; go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.’ So the king arose and sat down in the gate, and when they told all the people, saying, ‘Behold, the king is sitting in the gate,’ all the people came before the king.”

Once again, it is a wonderful thing when your loved ones and mine are saved. However, the fact is that there are people I have never known who will read this, some of you whose faces I have never seen who, if you are born again and you love Jesus, I am closer to in the eternal sense than I am to my own mother. Although I am closer to her in the physical and emotional sense, I am closer to you in the ultimate sense. The good news, and the bad news.

Biblical Hatred

The Gospel uses the Greek word “miso”, and I suppose that Jesus might have used the Hebrew-Aramaic word “sina”: If you don’t hate your parents, and even your own life in this world, you are not worthy of the Lord. (Luke 14:26) The word in Greek here is what our word “misogyny” is derived from; it is a strong word meaning “hate”. This does not simply mean that you are using the term “hate” as relative to your love for God because your love for God is so great as to make your love for all else seem like hate. That is some of the explanation, yet not all of it. The word is indeed “hate”. The key here is “life in this world”. I love my mother; but because I love her, I hate her life in this world. My wife’s parents are nice Jewish people whom I love; but I hate their lives in this world. I even hate my own natural life in this world. You cannot love people who have cancer if you do not hate cancer. In the same way, you cannot love people who are on their way to Hell because of sin if you do not hate the sin.

There is nothing but the grace of God that gives us a position any different or any better. There is only one verse in the Bible that I disagree with, and that is where Paul claims to be the chief of sinners; he’s muscling in on my racket there.

Good News and Bad News

Let us continue: the good news and the bad news. Romans 1:16: 

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation to everyone who believes – to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Is that not good news? The gospel is the power of salvation to everyone – Jews and non-Jews alike. Since my family is a mixture, I get it both ways. That is the good news; now let’s look at the bad news: Romans 2:9 

“There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Since the Gospel is available to the Jew first because of covenant, the consequences of rejecting it are upon them first also. Deuteronomy 18 states that God would raise up a prophet like Moses and put His words in His mouth, and whoever did not listen, God would require it of him. In John 5 Jesus said that if the Jews had believed Moses, they would believe Him also. As I have said many times: the issue is not that Jews reject Jesus; that is not their problem. It is the result and the consequence of their problem. Their problem is that they reject Moses and the Torah.

Yet the fact remains that there is bad news as well as good. God loves Israel, Jesus loves Israel – that is true. But they are under the curse of the Law – Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28. Why the Holocaust? Why the Inquisition? Why the Pogroms? Because of the Curse of the Law – either Yeshua takes the curse and becomes the curse on the tree or they are still under it.

My wife will tell you that it was a tragedy when the pogromists pulled the trigger and killed her grandfather in Romania, but she will tell you that it was an even bigger tragedy that he did not know Yeshua as his Messiah when they did it. The good news? Yes, salvation is for the Jew first, and God loves Israel. The bad news? The consequences for rejecting Him are also on the Jew first, says Rabbi Shaul of Tarsus under inspiration of God in His Word.

Christian Anti-Semitism in Its Worst Form

It is something like this: There is salvation in no other name under heaven save Jesus. (Acts 4:12) I have stood and stood and stood against anti-Semitism perpetrated in the name of Christianity. I did a video in Northern Ireland against British Israelism. I knew what that was and how ludicrous it was, but I had no idea how anti-Semitic in character it is. When Elim began teaching that Jesus Christ had no Jewish blood I hit the roof and have been banned from Elim ever since. I am someone who has stood time and time again at the expense of my own ministry and livelihood against anti-Semitism in the church. But the worst form of anti-Semitism is to tell a Jew the good news without the bad.

Jewish rejection of Jesus precedes Christian anti-Semitism. In the book of Acts, the Jewish establishment was persecuting Messianic Jews before any Christian ever persecuted a Jew. Jews were persecuting Jewish believers before there was any Christian anti-Semitism. In the 2nd Century, during the time of Justin Martyr, the rabbis were even going so far as to incite the Roman authorities against Gentile believers in Jesus.

I received a tape from Israel along with a number of phone calls and letters which were unbelievable. I and all those who heard it with me were shocked – this tape says that Jews who died in the Holocaust do not go to Hell even though they rejected Jesus. Rather, because God loves them and they were persecuted, they went to Heaven without Jesus. The Bible says, however, that there is salvation in no other name. 9Acts 4:12) I don’t like to think of Jews being in Hell – I don’t like to think of anybody being in Hell. But the fact remains.

This tape goes on to say that the Bible does not mean now what it meant when it was originally written. So although Paul says that their blood will be required of your hands if you do not preach the Gospel to the Jews, because of anti-Semitism that is no longer true. It was true only for the 1st Century. Because of the anti-Semitism that has occurred since then, this tape claims, we no longer have the right to preach the Gospel to the Jews.

Witness vs. Vision

This tape then goes on to say that although many Jews are being saved, they are not being saved through the witness of Christians – we should not be preaching or witnessing to them. I am expected to believe that Jews for Jesus and Helen Shapiro and CWI and OM are all wrong. This tape claims that the vast numbers of Jews that have been saved were saved because Jesus appeared to them personally or because they had a vision. I have been an evangelist to the Jews for over twenty years. By the grace of God, I have led dozens of Jews to Christ in many countries. I have heard or read the testimonies of hundreds of Jewish believers. I know exactly one – a guy in New York whose name is Jay Edelstein – who was saved because of a personal appearance of Jesus.

So the odd one did have a vision, but this vision was in collaboration or in connection with people bearing witness of the truth to him. Most Jews were saved in the way that Helen Shapiro or Stan Telchin were saved. Moriel sells four books of testimonies of Jewish believers in Jesus. According to what is on this tape, most of those people had to have been saved because they had a vision of Jesus. But not one of those testimonies actually claimed a personal apparition of Jesus to the people involved.

Feminist theologians and women pastors are among those who want to say that the Bible does not mean now what it meant then, along with homosexuals who are trying to justify the gay clergy. Liberals and heretics are the ones claiming that the Bible no longer means what it did when it was written. The idea that we should not witness to Jews, but rather just pray to the Lord to save them by granting them a vision, is a lie.

The good news and the bad news. The bad news is that anybody who does not accept Jesus is damned to eternal judgment; the good news is, many people – including many Jews – are hearing the good news with the bad news, repenting, and accepting Jesus as their Messiah. I will tell you all the news – the good and the bad.

The king’s son is dead; my wife’s grandfather was shot dead by the Nazis; her family perished in the Holocaust. Yet I can show you Holocaust survivors who accept Jesus and who have been saved – why? Not because true Christians were afraid or ashamed to witness to them because of what false Christians did in the name of Christ, but because true Christians loved them enough to tell them that those persecutors were not Christians.

The Danger of Seeking Solitude

Let us continue: “’Something worse will befall you,’” the king is told. “If you stay up here and mourn continually by yourself, something worse will befall you.” There is one thing that is worse than the death of an unsaved loved one – only one thing. What is it? It is getting into a closet to suffer by yourself. What does the Lord say in this situation? Let’s look at Matthew 12: 46-48 

“While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and His brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.’ But He answered the one who was telling Him this, and said, ‘Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother, behold My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.’”

I hope that my mother comes to the Lord. I hope my brother gets saved and I hope that my wife’s parents accept Jesus. I hope your parents and unsaved husband and loved ones get saved. But if they don’t, you and I will find ourselves in the situation in which David was. Jesus spoke directly of many falling away and betraying one another, did He not? (Math 24:10) He said that in the Last Days that would happen within families. I can promise you this: It will hurt now, and that pain is something that you and I must live with. But there will be a time when it will not hurt anymore; as impossible as it is for us to fathom’ the Lord can take that pain and loss away. God can do anything.

Revelation 21:4:

“He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away.”

If you have recently lost a loved one who was unsaved, you have my condolences; a time will come when it will no longer hurt.

Conclusion

In the meantime, there is good news and there is bad news. We know the bad news, but this is the good news. There is something I must face as I think of my sick mother. There is something you have to face as you think of your unsaved aging parents, or your unsaved husband, or your unsaved wife: what is the way to cope with this? What did Jesus say? All I can say is what He said: You are my mother, you are my sister, my brother; he or she who does the will of my Father. (Math 12:48-50) You are not alone in what you are going through.

Let us take a few minutes to pray for the salvation of our unsaved loved ones – there is nothing more important. 

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.

The Battle for Israel's Reputation

By David Passmore • June 17, 2026
The Battlefield for Israel's Reputation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Israel has enjoyed strong U.S. support since its founding. Within eleven minutes of Israel's Declaration of Independence Truman recognized the Jewish State. Under the Kennedy administration the Pentagon sold advanced missile systems to Israel. However, it was the 1970 attempted PLO takeover of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that demonstrated to the U.S. Israel's regional prowess and indispensability for implementing Washington's agenda. During Arafat's attempted Coup Syria mobilized its forces on the Jordanian border in support of the PLO's bid to dislodge the ruling Hashemite dynasty. Upon Washington's direction the IDF also mobilized its army upon its border with Jordan, thereby deterring the Syrians from taking further action. From then, the Pentagon and U.S. military planners invested heavily in promoting Israel's defence. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War disaster Nixon's massive air lift came to Israel's aid. For decades U.S. diplomatic and military support for Israel was a non-partisan issue. Both Democrat and Republican members of Congress voted nearly unanimously in support of measures concerning Israel. However, in the mid 2010's this began to change. To the extent that now 80% of Democrats hold views in opposition to Israel and this is reflected in how their representatives are acting. It is difficult to praise an exact moment when this turning point occurred. For years Democrat grassroots activist groups across the nation were lobbying their local representatives about their attitudes to Palestine and the mass student protest movements following the Gaza war built upon this momentum. The dual standards by the academic establishment were riddled with hypocrisy as if by the same criteria Israel is condemned for its responsive self-defence counter attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, Britain and America would be similarly indicted for what they did to Dresden, Hamburg and Berlin in response to Hitler. This is facilitated by the funding of Western Universities by Qatar and other Islamic interests associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. There is alienation between Israelis and the traditional left-centre Jewish Diaspora in the U.S. with a third of New York Jews voting for Mandani a vehement anti-Zionist in the New York Mayoral election. This is counterbalanced by a growing Jewish Right in America led by Ben Shapiro, David Ruben, Dennis Prager, Mark Levin and Trump advisor Steven Miller who are in political harmony with the Evangelical Right. The Republicans are also approaching a crossroads. Just as the Democrats have been hijacked by the Woke Left there has emerged a virulently anti-Zionist Woke Right led by Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owen who are also attempting to hijack the Republicans. What is alarming here, is the fact that the majority of young Republicans under forty now hold an unfavourable view of Israel. So, it is very much a matter of fighting for the future of the Republican Party. The growing populist movements in Britain and Europe may counter the anti-Zionist and anti- Semitic political activities of the Muslim vote and their left-wing allies. In any eventuality, even if the least favourable trajectory of U.S. public opinion were to further materialize it is unlikely to dismantle the massive military and intelligence sharing cooperation between the U.S. and Israel. The Pentagon views Israel as far too big of a strategic asset in a volatile region to cut ties with. (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).

Urgent prayer request - India

By David Passmore • June 10, 2026
MAJOR PRAYER REQUEST - STEVE MITCHELL MORIEL ORPHANAGE (Andar Pradesh, INDIA) Please read the enclosed missions report from Moriel Missions Branch India: Our children need us and we put a lot of money into buying and then expanding the Moriel orphanage to take in more children. These precious orphan children are coming to Christ and the devil is angry. Until now we had opposition from radical Sheikhs at the Moriel Horeb church we built in Punjab, but the Hindu Authorities in Andar Pradesh have largely until now left us alone. The BJP government is however as wicked as Hamas or Hezbollah - only Hindu (I was in India when radical Hindus burned the Australian missionary family alive in their car; these are the ones who wanted to murder Steve Mitchell when Moriel helped to quickly get him out of the country some years ago). Some pastors have been murdered again in West Bengal. (Samuel, who oversees the Moriel orphanage went to Bible College with one of them). Because our orphan children are Dalet (treated as subhuman 'out casts' by the Hindu caste system), or from Muslim backgrounds, we have largely been been left alone and some of the local officials liked us. This is obviously not a good situation. Prayer is urgently requested. Please pray for Mark Masih particularly that they will not cancel his visa. They are now forbidding us from bringing any more bibles into the country. What would happen if Britain, Australia, or America outlawed Hindus from bringing the Bhagavad Gita into England, Oz, or the USA? MARANATHA Come Quickly Lord Jesus  "You Will Be Hated By Men For My Name's Sake" Matthew 10:22

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).