The Scarlet Cord

April 3, 2025
“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18) 

Every year, on the Day of Atonement before the Temple was destroyed, the High Priest would put on a special white tunic with a red sash wrapped around his waist. He would wear this only once a year. He would take the two scapegoats (called seir la’azazel in Hebrew) and bring them through the streets of Jerusalem, foreshadowing Christ where people would spit on them, kick them, hit them with stones and curse them for their sin. One would be sacrificed; the other would be taken into the wilderness and pushed from a precipice. But before that, the High Priest would take the scarlet sash and cut it in half into two cords; one he would tie between the horns of the seir la’azazel released into the wilderness, the other he would hang before the “Qodesh Qodeshim”—the Holy of Holies in the Temple. 

The Jews believed that if their sin was forgiven on the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur—the scarlet cord would turn white. We are told in the Mishnah (Jewish history) that for the forty years before the Temple was destroyed—in other words, from the time Yeshua was rejected as Messiah until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, which both Jesus and Daniel predicted—it never turned white. Talmudic Judaism itself admits that the sins of the Jewish people were no longer forgiven on the Day of Atonement once Yeshua was rejected. 

We need to understand Old Testament atonement, or Yom Kippur. If the Hebrews had real faith and real repentance, the blood of the scapegoats would cover their sin until the Messiah came and removed them; it was a temporary provision.

It Speaks of Salvation

“…your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow” speaks of salvation. Consistently throughout Scripture we have the scarlet cord speaking about salvation.

‘The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer. (Numbers 19:6)

Notice that the scarlet cord—the scarlet fabric—is thrown into the fire with hyssop. Hyssop is paschal. When the Passover lamb was sacrificed they would dip hyssop into the towel and take the paschal blood and make the bloody doorposts and lintels in the form of a cross. David, in his Psalm of penitence said, “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51:7). We have the hyssop, the blood, the cedar (which is the wood from which the cross may have been made) and the scarlet cord.

“…then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds…

(As there are two goats there are two birds.)

“…and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed.…As for the live bird, he shall take it together with the cedar wood and the scarlet string and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slain over the running water. (Leviticus 14:4, 6) 

The running water is a picture of washing with the blood, but we also have the hyssop and the scarlet.

Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again. It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

(This almost certainly had to be an act of providence or divine intervention in itself. Christian and Jewish obstetricians who have looked at this have said that normally this would not happen.)

But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah. (Genesis 38:26-30) 

Notice that only the second born has the scarlet thread; only the second born has salvation. But the hand came out first. I am not a Calvinist, nonetheless the Scriptures are clear: “those whom He foreknew” (Rom. 8:29; 11:2). The Lord knows who is going to get saved even before we get saved. No place, however, is this scarlet cord more prominent or important than in the narrative of Rahab the harlot.

…unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. (Joshua 2:18)
There is the scarlet cord; only those who have it will be rescued. The rescue narratives of Scripture such as the Exodus, Noah, Lot, the events of AD 70 and in this case Rahab, each of these prefigures the Rapture of the Church. We do not base doctrine on typology or symbolism, but we do use the typology and symbolism to illustrate and illuminate doctrine on a deeper level. It shows us what is going to happen.

Scriptures from a Hebraic Viewpoint

If a Jewish believer at the end of the first century was reading the Book of Revelation (there would have been no chapter divisions at that time) during the persecution of the Emperor Domitian, they would have read it quite differently than we do with a Western, Hellenistic mind. (Unfortunately, the patristic church fathers Hellenized a Hebraic faith. They took a Jewish Christianity and turned it into a Greek one.) They would have read it midrashically. They would have seen it as a midrash on the Book of Joshua. 

In the Book of Joshua is found seven days of marching around Jericho, but on the seventh day there was a subset of seven. Coming out of the seventh seven, they had to do it seven times. So, in Revelation, we have the same pattern with seven seals, but out of the seventh seven there is a subset of seven trumpets. 

When they marched around Jericho there had to be total silence (Josh. 6:10). And so, in Revelation 8:1, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” How time is applied to eternity is another matter, but there it is. There are the two spies who come into play in Joshua (Josh. 2). They prefigure the two witnesses (Rev. 11).

When the last trumpet—the last shofar, is blown in the Book of Joshua, “This city has been given to us by the Lord” (Josh. 6:16), and so when the last trumpet is blown in Revelation, “This world has become the Kingdom of our God and His Messiah” (Rev. 11:15). 

If we want to know the future, look at the past. The Book of Joshua—the rescue of Rahab, is just like the rescue of Lot in that it is not just simply a past event, it is a future one. The rescue of Noah is not just a past event, it is a future event. If we do not know what did happen, we are never going to know what is going to happen. That is how a Jewish believer at the end of the first century would have read the Book of Revelation. We need to read it with the mind of the original first century Christians, not with the mind of the sixteenth-century Reformers or fourth-century “church fathers.”

Rahab the Harlot

Rahab is quite a figure who is mentioned with favor three times in the New Testament (Mt. 1:5; Heb. 11:3; James 2:25). Why Rahab? Why is she given such favorable mention? She is the great-great-grandmother of King David. The royal line of David—the Messianic line through whom the Messiah the Savior would come, has Rahab as one of his direct ancestors; a Gentile prostitute. We have to understand that Abraham is a Gentile whom God converted to Judaism. There are two Gentile women in the genealogy of Jesus dating back to the line of David in Ruth and Rahab. Why is this? It is simply because the Messiah would be Savior of both Jew and Gentile.

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. (Matthew 1:5)

This, of course, picks up where the Book of Ruth ends. The genealogy of Jesus actually begins in the closing verses of the fourth chapter of Ruth. The great-great-grandmother of the Messiah would be Rahab, this Gentile prostitute. She marries into a Jewish family after converting to belief in the true God.

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Hebrews 11:31) 

Here in the index of the faithful she is a role model. Why does God make this Gentile prostitute a role model of faith? 

In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? (James 2:25) 

The previous verse tells us…

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24) 

Martin Luther began well, but he ended very badly. During the Peasants’ Revolt he said the peasants should be murdered. He said every Jew should be cornered into a corral and forced to confess Christ at the point of a knife. “We, the German nation, are to blame if we do not enslave these Jews to prove we are Christians.” (This is quoted extensively by Hitler in Mein Kampf.) Not only that, he ended his life a complete heretic. He denied the canonicity of the Book of Revelation and also the canonicity of the Epistle of James. He said it was not part of the New Testament canon because he disagreed with it. He did not understand the difference between “works of the Law” and “works.” Because he was reacting against medieval Catholicism—salvation by works, by sacraments, by indulgences, etc., he could not handle what James was saying because he really did not understand it. What James is saying is simply this: Christians do not do good works to get saved, they do good works because they have been saved. We are saved by grace through faith, but what do we mean by “faith”? The problem had to do with the English and Latin languages.

Faith & Faithfulness

In Hebrew, the word for “faith” is “emunah” from which we get the word “amen”; in Hebrew the word for “faithfulness” is “emunah.” It is the same word, like from the Book of Lamentations: “Great is Thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:23) The Hebrew language makes no distinction between “faith” and “faithfulness,” and neither, technically, does the Greek—“pistis.” There may be a difference in the case endings, but the word for “faith” and the word for “faithfulness” is the same. In other words, if somebody’s faith is genuine, they are going to be faithful.

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

A saving faith is not a mere, intellectual faith. Satan has an intellectual faith; Satan knows it is true. If it is a saving faith, there will be faithfulness. The problem is that instead of following the Hebrew or Greek, our translations generally follow the Latin Vulgate of Jerome. “Faith” and “faithfulness” are different in Latin. Hence, in English, we get the wrong perspective. If it is a saving faith, we will be faithful. 

The righteous will live by “faith” (Hab. 2:4)? The righteous will live by “faithfulness.” We are saved by grace through “faith” (Eph. 2:8)? We are saved by grace through “faithfulness.” (Commencing, of course, by the faithfulness of Jesus). Without “faith” it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6)? Without “faithfulness” it is impossible to please God. We make a distinction between “faith” and “faithfulness” because of translational complications we should not be making.

Lying to Hide the Spies

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Hebrews 11:31)

Rahab is commended because she hid these spies. Theologians are divided asking, “Did she lie?” “Was it right for her to lie?” But she is commended for what she did. I do not personally see it as a lie, but that she changed sides during a military conflict. I see it as military disinformation. Others may disagree, but I will relate a true story. 

I knew a lovely lady named Loki Nussenbaum, a Jewish lady. She and one brother lived in New York, but she has since gone to the Lord. I knew her in Israel. She became a believer at the age of fourteen and after becoming educated she became a missionary to the Bantu tribe in Angola. She was a remarkable woman who could speak Portuguese, French, Hebrew, Yiddish and German, but she could also speak Bantu, the native language of the bushmen to whom she was a missionary for many years until the communists took over Angola and kicked the missionaries out. Loki was incredible. 

Most of her family was murdered by the Nazis, including her father, mother, little sister and little brother. Loki and one brother escaped. They were smuggled by Christians from Belgium to Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of thirteen, and a year later she became a believer. 

There were Christians in Switzerland who told her to look at Romans 13, their interpretation being that since politicians are God’s ministers, Adolph Hitler was a minister of God. They added that since lying was a sin, those who had lied to the Gestapo to smuggle her out had sinned. They told her since she now had a Christian testimony, she needed to go back and give herself over to the Gestapo even though they would put her in an oven. They actually told her this! These were people who were too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. (I guess they did not like James’ epistle either.) At the age of fourteen she was very confused and actually contemplated doing it. Thank God someone with some sense got to her before she did so. 

Rahab is spoken of very highly. She is a role model for all of us. Let us see why King David’s great-great grandmother is spoken of so highly in the New Testament—this Gentile who married into a Jewish family after coming to believe in the Jewish God and was one of the people who was in the lineage of David and in the pedigree of the Messiah Himself, bringing salvation to all of us.

Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

This was a smart move, really. Who would ever think of looking for a couple of nice Jewish boys in a whorehouse?

It was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. “It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark…

(Shutting the gate, it is getting dark—these are eschatological nuances.)

…that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate. Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (Joshua 2:1-11) 

(This pagan woman came to believe in the true God.)

She Knew What She Was


Who is going to be saved? If we are here at the time, who is going to be raptured? Only people who know what they are. 

 

Nobody has to tell a prostitute she is a hooker. I was a cocaine addict in my teenage years; no one had to tell me I was strung out and dealing drugs. Nobody has to tell a pimp he is a pimp; people like that know what they are. The most difficult people to get saved, of course, are religious people. Nobody has ever gone to heaven because of religion, but many people—countless people, have gone to hell because of religion. 

Rahab knew what she was. All have sinned, all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). If we do not know we are morally bankrupt and spiritually abject before a holy and perfect God, we cannot be saved. Unless we know that we are no good, we will not know how good He is; unless we know that we cannot save ourselves and desperately need Him to save us, we cannot get saved. Remember, the enemy gets more people into hell with religion than all the immorality, all the covetousness and all the substance abuse put together. She knew what she was.

She Knew Joshua Was Coming


She was not like Rick Warren who tells us to avoid end-time prophecy. Fortunately she listened to the Word of God; she did not read the “Purpose Driven Lie.” She knew Joshua was coming. 

 

Even unsaved people have a sense that human history is coming to some kind of apocalyptic, catastrophic end. The Late, Great Planet Earth was a superficial book doctrinally, but many people were saved through that book in the 1970s. Why? Because it did what Jesus said by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom (Mt. 24:14); it used end-time prophecy to present the Gospel. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). John the Baptist preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. In Matthew’s Gospel, He spoke three times as much about hell as He did heaven. When we use end-time prophecy, Yeshua says the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached. It is the same Gospel of salvation, but it is presented in a certain eschatological character; it is prophecy used to engage unsaved people. 

Why are they going to fortune tellers, the occult, horoscopes and all this garbage? They want to know the future. Well, we know the future. Use prophecy evangelistically. That is the only way to successfully evangelize a post-Christian, neo-pagan, post-modern world; not the Emergent garbage, not the Purpose Driven garbage, not the Rob Bell garbage—the Word of God. Do what Jesus said—use prophecy to engage unsaved people evangelistically.

She Knew God’s Divine Plan for Israel


Thirdly, Rahab did not pay attention to people like John Piper; she did not adhere to Replacement Theology. She knew God had a divine plan for Israel. She knew that God’s prophetic agenda depended on His prophetic agenda for Israel and the Jews. 

 

Israel is a litmus test. If somebody is right about Israel, it does not prove that they are right about other things; there are plenty of crazy people who understand that God has a prophetic purpose for Israel. We have people who lift up “Jewishness” instead of “Jesus-ness” in the Messianic Movement, putting Gentiles under the Law and all kind of craziness. There are people like John Hagee and International Christian Embassy (ICE) saying Jews do not have to be evangelized. If somebody is right about Israel, that does not prove that they are right about other things; it is not that kind of a litmus test. It is not a litmus test for orthodoxy, but it is, however, a litmus test for heterodoxy. 

I have never found a single preacher, author, or theologian who is wrong about Israel who is not wrong about other things. If they deny the prophetic significance for Israel and the Jews, we can bet our boots they have other seriously wrong doctrine. Being right about Israel does not prove they are kosher, but being wrong about Israel proves they are not kosher. Do not pay any attention to them as they have nothing to say that is worth listening to that cannot be obtained elsewhere. 

It is no wonder John Piper is pushing Rick Warren; he was never any good. How can an endorsement be given to someone who says we must unite with Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists to bring in global peace? How can one promote someone with an antichrist agenda unless they are out to lunch to begin with? No one does something so crazy overnight. It proves something was always wrong. If they are wrong about Israel, they are wrong about other things.

The Temporal Work of Redemption


Rahab knew the divine plan, she also knew the signs of the times, but she knew something else, that redemption was not only eternal, but temporal. When Jesus died, He did die to save us from hell, and he did die to bring us to heaven, but He also redeemed us to do something in this life and thisworld. It does not matter what she did or what she was, it does not matter what we did or what we were. 

 

Before I emigrated to Israel, my church in New York had a rescue mission to street people, homeless people, alcoholics, drug addicts and teenaged prostitutes; we would rescue them. I never met a prostitute who was not a professional liar. They lie to their clients to pretend they like them—all they see is green. They lie to their pimps about how much they made (or not), and above all they lie to themselves. One has to be a liar to be a prostitute. So look at what Rahab did. When the authorities came looking for the two Israelite spies, her human skills were redeemed and transformed to be used for God’s purpose. 

When Bibles were not legal in China, I used to smuggle them in. When Bibles were not legal in Vietnam, I used to smuggle Bibles from Bangkok, Thailand into Vietnam, and before that from Hong Kong into China. Why? Because before I met Jesus I used to smuggle hashish from Toronto into Amsterdam. 

It does not matter what we did, it does not matter what we are; it only matters if we have been redeemed. God redeems the whole person. It could be a professional skill in medicine or law, it could be something from the humanities like writing or music—it could be anything, even something sinister like a prostitute or a drug dealer from the East Side of Manhattan. It does not matter what we did; it only matters if we have been redeemed. Whatever it is, the Lord is going to crucify the whole person. He is going to take it to the cross, then He is going to raise it up and use it for His glory. 

That is the total meaning of “redemption.” Remember that in Matthew 25, the gifts are given in proportion to the talents. That was some talent to have, but God used it. Rahab understood redemption.

The Victory is Already Assured


“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

 

(As we see in the Exodus narrative, as we see in the Lot narrative, as we see in the Noah narrative, God is in the business of saving whole families.)

So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.

(Sounds like Paul in Damascus, does it not?)

She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” She said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

(Notice that twice it is reiterated, “Do not betray us” (Josh. 2:17, 20), and twice it is reiterated, “Tie the scarlet cord” (Josh. 2:18, 21). It becomes emphatic when it is repeated.)

They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them. Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.” (Joshua 2:12-24)

Notice how the war is won even before the battle is fought. In Christ, the victory is already assured; the outcome is fixed in eternity. Even Luther realized that truth before he went off his rocker. He composed, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”—“Christ Jesus is He and He must win the battle.” There is no other possibility. Yes, things are tough and they are going to get tougher, dark and getting darker, but do not worry, I read the end of the Book, and in the end, because of Jesus, we win. There is no other possible outcome. The only question is whose side we want to be on. If we turn away from Jericho and turn toward the God of Israel, He will bring us into His family, and bring us into His people, and bring us into the lineage of the Messiah the same as He did with Rahab. We either perish with the kingdom that is fading, or we become a patriarch or matriarch in the Kingdom that is coming.

She Desired the Salvation of Her Family


I suppose that because prostitutes see the dark side of human nature for what it really is, and they see the dark side of themselves for what they really are, they know the depravity and depths to which a person can sink. Perhaps that engenders strong family values. Despite what she was and what she did, she desperately desired the salvation of her family. 

 

After our own relationship with the Lord, there is nothing more important in our lives than the salvation of our loved ones. It is more important than our own biological lives. Rahab desired the salvation of her family, and God desires the salvation of our families. May they repent and believe.

She Switched Allegiances


Then she switched allegiances and joined the other side. 

 

Yes, things are getting very unpleasant for Christians in the world, and I speak in places where the Church is persecuted. I was just with the Hmong people in Vietnam. They are impoverished—and I mean really poor. They are persecuted, and for the most part they do not have any Bibles, yet their churches are growing! They have nothing to hope in, nothing to trust in except Jesus. Their only hope for a better life and better world is the coming one. Remember, it was Smyrna who was really rich (Rev.2:9), and it was Laodicea, although materially and financially rich, who was broke (Rev. 3:17). The Hmong people are Smyrna; we are Laodicea. 

Rahab desired the salvation of her family and she switched allegiances. Someone who has switched allegiances and become part of the invading army has no problem. It is like Kaddafi, who was deposed as dictator of Libya. Who wanted to fight for him? He couldn’t win. But it is specified, “Do not go out” (Josh. 2:19). Just as it was with Lot, it is an application of, “Forsake not the fellowshipping together, one with another, especially as you see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

She Was Told Not to Go Out & Not to Betray


If we have a Bible-based church that is centered on Christ with decent leadership, we are very fortunate. But there are many Christians in America, Australia, Britain and elsewhere who do not have this. I find more and more people meeting in homes and small groups simply because they can no longer find a biblically-based church where they live. It does not matter if someone meets in a tent out in the middle of a field, they must be in fellowship. If people are out of fellowship with other believers, it is because they are out of fellowship with the Lord. If they are in prison for the faith in Saudi Arabia, that is something different; God will take care of them. But the norm?

 

He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom. (Proverbs 18:1) 

When we see people who are chronically out of fellowship with other believers, they are actually out of fellowship with the Lord. Some claim they do not go because the church is filled with hypocrites. Well then, they ought to fit right in. No matter what they say, they quarrel against all sound wisdom. They are really seeking the desire of their own nature. They say, “I don’t need the church, I have Jesus!” If that was true, they would want to be in fellowship with other believers. They are quarreling against all sound wisdom; they seek their own desire—they lack sense. People who are out of fellowship in the last days put themselves in a situation of tremendous peril. If we cannot stand together, we will never stand alone. “Do not go out!”

When people leave the church (I am not saying a given congregation, but out of fellowship) they are going to backslide if they have not done so already. And twice it is reiterated, “Do not betray.” What did Jesus say was going to happen? “Many will fall away and betray one another” (Mt. 24:10). This is happening already, but it is going to happen big time. 

Just to begin with, let me tell you who is going to betray us tomorrow: the ones who tune into the idiot box and listen to Benny, Kenny and Joyce today. Those listening to the money preachers and their false promise, “You don’t have to suffer! You’re a King’s Kid! God wants you rich! Blab-it-and-grab-it! Just confess the victory and you won’t suffer!” When opposition and trials come, they are going to be the first ones to fall away, these people who listen to those religious liars who have a lying spirit. These money-preaching televangelists are at the forefront of the false prophets Jesus warned would come to deceive the elect in the last days (Mt. 24:24). Do not pay attention to any of them.

She Hangs a Scarlet Cord


But there, finally, hanging in the window of the room where Rahab gathered together her family, the scarlet cord is found. And here we are, all together where the scarlet cord is. Our sins are like scarlet, but they shall be white as snow (Is. 1:18)—the blood of the paschal lamb. 

 

In the house where I live in England, near the suburbs of London, there is on the door a “mezuzah”—the way the Torah is put on the doorposts of a Jewish family’s house. Then there is a sticker on the garage, “Jehovah’s Witnesses Welcome Here.” (I have a great time when they come over, though I have reason to believe I have been put on their black list and they tell their people to avoid me now.) But there is a third thing I still have to get: I want to hang a scarlet cord in the window. I have the sticker, I have the mezuzah, but I must get a scarlet cord. We all need a scarlet cord. 

How did Rahab get rescued? Why was she saved? Why did God bless her and use her so much? Why did she become a matriarch and a role model of faith and faithfulness? How did she become memorialized for all time in the Word of God and an ancestor to Jesus the Messiah Himself? How did a Gentile prostitute reach this stature? She was not just a shiksa, but a hooker to boot! It is not how low we have been, but how high we can go in Christ. She knew what she was.

Conclusion


If you have never trusted Jesus for your salvation, it is quite simple. Believe me, you are not the only person who has sinned. But even if you were, you are so important to God and He loves you so much that He would have come and been nailed to that cross just for you alone personally. Jesus did not die just for all of us, He died for each of us; that is how important you are to God. The price has already been paid. You are either going to repent and ask Him to forgive you, or you will spend eternity wishing you did. 

 

Rahab knew what she was, that she was no good. In and of myself, I am no good, and I do not know who you are, but take my word for it, the Scriptures say you are no good. Once you realize that, we can get someplace. In other words, if you want to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, a place prepared for Satan and his angels (Rev. 20:10; 21:8), you do not have to be an upstanding member of society, you do not have to be a priest, a rabbi or a liberal minister, you do not have to be a member of the professional or business community, you do not have to be an outstanding citizen to go to hell, but it helps. 

On the other hand, if you want to be saved, you do not have to be a hooker like Rahab, you do not have to be swindler or crook, a cocaine addict like me or a drunk, you do not have to be immoral, you do not have to be a fornicator, you do not have to be debauched or a gambler in order to go to heaven, but it helps because at least you know what you are. All have sinned, all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Rahab knew what she was.

Rahab knew Joshua was coming, and, believe me, Joshua is coming! We can call Him “Joshua,” we can call Him “Yehoshua,” we can call Him “Yeshua,” we can call Him “Jesus,” but He is coming. She knew that His coming depended on God’s plan for Israel. Wise Christians still know that. She knew the signs of the time and we should know the signs of the time as well. 

Her redemption was not just eternal, it was temporal. Whatever we are, whatever our background, God wants to turn it around and use it for His purpose and our blessing in the salvation of others. He takes all of us to the cross and crucifies our good points as well as our bad. On the other hand, He saves all of us; He saves our good points and bad and uses it all for His purpose and redemption. 

Rahab desired the salvation of her family. Every day and every time we think of it, we need to be praying for the repentance and salvation of our loved ones. There is nothing more important than our own walk with the Lord.

Rahab switched allegiances. We cannot trust in this world and the world that is coming. We cannot trust in this fallen kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom that is coming soon to replace it. We have to make a decision—to which kingdom does our allegiance belong? 

“Do not go out!” Stay in fellowship with others who believe the truth. One way to think of a church that holds to the Word of God is a lifeboat on a Titanic that is sinking. Remember, this is not a social club for nice people; it is a rehab center for sinners. 

“Do not betray!” Many will fall away and betray one another (Mt. 24:10). Be wary of those who follow false doctrines; they cannot be trusted. They may be Christians, they may say they are born again, they may be nice people, but if they are believing false doctrines, following false teachers, do not trust them. 

But above all, get ahold of that scarlet cord and hang it in the window. Though our sins are like scarlet, in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be white as snow. God bless.

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).