This Generation - Afrikaans

April 1, 2025

Hierdie Geslag!

Mat. 24:34‐: “Voorwaar Ek sê vir julle, hierdie geslag sal sekerlik nie verbygaan voordat al hierdie dinge gebeur het nie.”

Hierdie vers en die woorde: “Hierdie Geslag” uit die Olyfberg rede het al tot baie spekulasies, misverstande, profetiese uitlatings en voorspellings aanleiding gegee wat nie gewerk het nie.

Die word aangeneem uit die verhaal van die Eksodus dat die geslag wat in die woestyn omgekom het veertig jaar geduur het, dit sou beteken dat ‘n Bybelse geslag dan veertig jaar moet wees.

Hierdie idee was deur Hal Lindsey in sy groot verkoopstuk “The Late Great Planet Earth,” uitgedra waar hy gespekuleer het dat iets apokalipties in ‘n veertig jaar siklus vanaf die geboorte van Israel moet gebeur.

Die Gees van Waarheid en die gees van dwaling

Daar is twee weergawes van die foutiewe verklaring van die woord “hierdie geslag”? Die eerste gaan oor ‘n beweging met hulle Post Millennialisme siening en hulle moderne volgelinge, die Koninkryk Nou en die Oorwinnaars bewegings (Die dwaling dat die Kerk die wêreld moet oorwin voordat Christus kom om Sy Koninkryk op te rig, Christus sal kom vir ‘n triomferende kerk.) Dit is egter ‘n direkte teenoorgestelde wat die Woord van die Here leer. Jesus kom nie VIR ‘n triomferende kerk nie maar MET ‘n triomferende kerk, ‘n Kerk wat weg geraap is. Dit is die SAAD van die vrou wat die slang se kop verbrysel en nie die vrou, die Kerk nie. Romeine 16:20: “En die [God van vrede] sal die Satan spoedig onder julle voete verbrysel.?” Dit is die Wederkoms van Jesus wat die finale oorwinning ‘n finale oorwinning maak.

Post? Millennialiste vergeet dat die vroeë Apostoliese kerk voor die Raad van Nicia byna almal pre millennialiste was. Daar was ketters soos Soirthis, wat ‘n pre millennium volger was, maar daar is geen indikasie dat die apostoliese kerk geglo het aan enigiets anders as dat daar ‘n letterlike Millennium regering van die Here Jesus sal wees nie.

Nadat Konstantyn die Romeinse Ryk verchristen het en die kerk deur Augustinus van Hippo geplatoniseer is om die sogenaamde verchristening van die Roomse Ryk te akkomodeer, het hulle ‘n nuwe Eskatologie nodig gehad; ‘n nuwe leer basis om die Laaste Dae te verklaar. Terwyl Jesus gesê het dat Sy Koninkryk nie van hierdie wêreld is nie het die “Christendom” gesê o’ ja dit is! Dit is die oorsprong en die basis van die dwase denkrigting van die post millennialisme.

Inderdaad sal die sagmoediges die aarde beërwe, maar as daar nie ‘n aarde is nie hoe sal hulle dit beërwe? En vir die idee dat die kerk die aarde gaan oorneem, en dat Satan alreeds vir ‘n duisend jaar gebind is, moet daar gevra word: Wanneer het die duisend jaar van vrede dan begin?

Diegene wat Augustinus volg glo nie aan die Y2K nie maar aan Y1K? die dwaling dat Christus sou teruggekeer het aan die einde van die eerste Millennium. Met die aanbreek van 999 n.C. het mense begin om hulle grond, geld en kastele, ens. aan die Pous en die kerk te gee. Ons weet egter dat Jesus nie in 999 n.C. onder Pous Sylvester gekom het nie, en niemand het hulle geld terug gekry nie! Dieselfde mense, soos Gary North in Amerika, het begin om die idee van Y2K aan te blaas met wilde dwase spekulasies oor die wederkoms van Christus. Daar was mense soos Brae in Amerika, en ander wat probeer het om te beweer dat die gebeure van die Olyfberg rede totaal in vervulling gekom het in 70 n.C. met die verwoesting van Jerusalem.

Hulle het beweer dat “ Hierdie geslag” moet diegene insluit wat in die lewe was toe Christus op die aarde was en wat die vernietiging van die Tempel gesien het. Dit sou ongeveer 40 jaar later gewees het wat hulle sou gepas het. Maar in vers 21 sê Jesus dat daar ‘n Verdrukking sal wees wat van die fondasie van die wêreld af nie sal wees nie en ook nie weer sal wees nie.

Daar was ander verdrukkinge vir beide die Jode en die kerk wat baie swaarder was as dit wat in 70 n.C gebeur het toe die Romeine die tempel verwoes het, so het hierdie verklaring deur die toets van die geskiedenis gefaal. By dit alles is die Olyfberg rede nie net Mat. 24 nie maar Mat. 24 en 25. In 70 n.C. het Jesus nie die bokke van die skape geskei nie ook het die Here nie aan die mense hulle ewige beloning gegee wat gebaseer word op dit wat hulle met hulle talente gedoen het nie.

Wat seker is? is dat die dinge wat in 70 n.C. gebeur het ‘n voorspel, ‘n skaduwee was van dinge wat in die laaste dae gaan gebeur daarom is dit belangrik om dit te bestudeer.

In 70 n.C. was die kerk uit Jerusalem gered onder die leierskap van Simeon, ‘n neef van Jesus wat Pastoor was van Jerusalem nadat die Apostel Jakobus gemartel was. Hulle het gevlug na ‘n plek met die naam van Pella wat ook ‘n tipe was van die wegraping, net soos wat dit gebeur het op Pinksterdag is dit ‘n voorbeeld wat in die laaste dae gaan gebeur. Maar nie dit wat Joel gesê het en dit wat ons lees in Handelinge 2, ook nie dit wat ons lees in Mat. 24:29 het in 70 n.C. gebeur nie: ??“die son verduister word, en die maan sal sy glans nie gee nie??” dit het net gedeeltelik in vervulling gekom. Daar was ook nie ‘n unieke Groot Verdrukking voor of na 70 n.C. nie, dit is dinge wat nog gaan kom wat gebaseer is op die gebeure van 70 n.C. met die uiteindelike vervulling met die Wederkoms van Jesus.

Die gelykenis van die vyeboom en die ander bome

Die ander misverstand met betrekking tot “hierdie geslag” is die pre? millennialiste wat besef dat dit ook ‘n toekomstige betekenis het en hulle gebruik dit om datums te bepaal. Hulle glo met reg dat daar ‘n toekomstige vervulling van die Olyfberg rede gaan wees, dat daar ‘n Antichris sal wees, ‘n terugkeer van die Jode na Israel, en ‘n toekomstige 1000 jaar regering van Jesus op die aarde.

Hulle neem die gelykenis van die Vyeboom in Mat. 24:32?34 “??? Wanneer sy tak al sag word en sy blare uitbot, weet julle dat die somer naby is. So weet julle ook, wanneer julle ál hierdie dinge sien, dat dit naby is, voor die deur. Voorwaar Ek sê vir julle, hierdie geslag sal sekerlik nie verbygaan voordat al hierdie dinge gebeur het nie.” En hulle gebruik die veertig jaar konsep in die Eksodus vir ‘n geslag as basis en die feit dat Israel in Mei 1948 weer ‘n volk geword het en dan bereken hulle: 1948 na ‘58 na ‘68 na ‘78 na 1988 en kom tot die gevolgtrekking van ‘n datum vir die Wederkoms. ‘n Persoon met die naam van Edgar Whisenant het ‘n boek geskryf: “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988.”

In 1987 op Yom Kippur, die Joodse dag van Ootmoediging was daar ‘n Baptiste fundamentalis prediker van Amerika wat op Speakers Corner in Londen gestaan het en vir Moslems vertel het dat hy binne 48 uur weg sal wees, en natuurlik was hy na die datum nog daar, hy het ‘n openbare gek van homself gemaak en vernederd die land verlaat. Maar die volgende jaar het dieselfde man weer na vore gekom met nog ‘n datum, hy het gesê: “Dit was nie in 1987 nie maar 1988” Hierdie mense was nie hierdie hiper charismate nie, hulle was fundamentele Baptiste! Hulle het gekke van hulleself gemaak deur om datums vir die Wederkoms te bepaal wat nie gewerk het nie en daarmee het hulle ook ‘n bespotting van Bybelse Profesie gemaak.

Baie mense verstaan dat die hergeboorte van Israel die Vyeboom is wat begin bot, maar is dit?

Daar is geen twyfel dat die terugkeer van die Jode na die nasie Israel ‘n profetiese merkwaardigheid is nie; die verhoog word opgestel vir die Groot Verdrukking ? ha tekufot tsorat Yacov – soos wat Jeremia die profeet sê: “? 'n tyd van benoudheid vir Jakob? (Jer. 30:7) Daar is geen twyfel dat Israel deur die Antichris mislei gaan word nie. Daar is ook geen twyfel dat Israel weer terug gekeer het vir wat Daniël sê die 70 ste Week nie, daar is geen twyfel dat hierdie dinge besig is om te gebeur nie. Maar is hierdie dinge die enigste betekenis van die vyeboom? Het hierdie beeldspraak dalk ‘n ander betekenis?

Wanneer die Heilige Gees ons ’n meervoudige weergawe gee van dinge dan moet ons dit deeglik ondersoek, biddend en ons moet alles bestudeer in die lig van vergelyking van al die weergawes.

In hierdie geval het ons nie net Mat. 24 en 25 nie maar ook Lukas 17, 21 en Mark 13. Jesus het nie gesê: “Wanneer julle die vyeboom sien”? punt? nie! Hy wys vir ons: Leer die gelykenis van die

vyeboom EN die ander bome, nie net die vyeboom nie. Die gelykenis van die vyeboom en die ander bome kom van uit Boek Rigters 8?9.

Die seuns van Gideon, 70 van hulle, was deur Abimeleg uitgewis en net Jotam, wat die gelykenis van die vyeboom en die ander bome geken het? het die bedrieër herken.

“Toe sê al die bome vir die steekdoring: Kom jy, wees koning oor ons!” (Rigt. 9:14) Die Steekdoring wou omdat die olyfboom dit nie wou doen nie omdat die wingerdstok dit nie wou doen nie. Aan die einde maak die ongeloof en ontrouheid van God se mense die ‘n pad oop vir die bewind van die Antichris. Dit is die uiteindelike betekenis van die vyeboom.

In Judaïsme is die vyeboom ‘n metafoor van die boom van die lewe ? Eytz Hayim? dit wat ons sien in ‘n millennium konteks van Esegiël 47 en die skeppings verhaal in Genesis, en dit wat ons sien in die einde van die Boek Openbaring. “En die blare van die boom is vir die genesing van die nasies.” In die Bybel is vyeblare ‘n metafoor vir goeie werke. Ongeredde mense sal altyd probeer om hulleself te regverdig deur hulle goeie werke.

Elke “godsdiens” is vasgestel op ‘n werke gebaseerde regverdigheid. Die regverdigheid van die Evangelie is nie gebaseer op werke nie, Christene doen nie goeie werke om gered te word nie, hulle doen goeie werke omdat hulle gered is.

Daar is meer aan die vyeboom as die nasie van Israel maar die hoof aspek van Israel met betrekking tot die Vyeboom is dat Jesus die vyeboom vervloek het. Hoekom? Omdat hy blare gehad het maar nie vrugte nie. Israel het die werke maar nie die vrugte van die Heilige Gees nie.

Die blare verskyn gewoonlik dieselfde tyd as die vrugte. In die Midde Ooste sal die son die vrugte verbrand as die blare hulle nie beskerm nie. Geloof sonder die werke is dood. Maar dit was nie die seisoen vir vye toe Jesus gekom het nie! Die Seun van die Mens kom op ‘n tyd dat niemand dit verwag nie.

Maar die dag en die uur weet niemand nie

Jy kan nie die Wederkoms van die Here bereken op die basis van ‘n geslag van 40 jaar nie, ook kan jy nie die dag bepaal op die basis van die hergeboorte van Israel nie. Ons kan ook nie spekuleer dat dit net Jerusalem beteken nie en begin bereken vanaf die tyd dat die nasies nie meer Jerusalem sal vertrap nie. In 1967 het die Jode beheer gehad oor die Tempelberg, dus vanaf 67?77, na 87 na 97? dus sal dit in 2007 wees en sal Jesus terug wees omdat Jerusalem nie meer deur die Nasies vertrap is nie.

Maar Jesus het gesê totdat die tye van die nasies vervul is, maar Jerusalem is nog steeds onder die voete van die Heidene. Die Israeli Generaal Moshe Dayan het ‘n eensydige beheer oor die Tempelberg aan die Moslems gegee. Die Moskee van Omar, met ‘n opskrif uit die Koran wat sê:

“God het nie ‘n Seun nie”? is op die Tempelberg, net so die Moskee van Al?Aqsa. Dit is nog steeds onder die voete van die Heidene, die tye van die nasie is besig om uit te loop? maar dit is nog nie verby nie.

Na hulle Soort

Dit is nooit wys om te spekuleer oor die Wederkoms van Christus nie en die korrekte verklaring oor “hierdie geslag” het komplikasies. Ons het die Hebreeuse woord Dor en Min?Dor la Dor? “van geslag tot geslag.” Dor is ‘n biologiese geslag; Min is? “van ’n soort” soos verwys na die Boek Genesis.

God het die spesies na hulle soorte geskape? let op die onmoontlikheid van Darwinisme.

Daar is absoluut geen bewyse dat ‘n hersaamgestelde DNS oor die genus grens in die natuurlike omgewing verander nie, en nou dat die Mens begin het om betrokke te raak in biogenetiese ingenieurswese en die oordrag van DNS oor die genus grens? loop ons die gevaar om monsters te ontwikkel. Dinge kan baie maklik verkeerd loop en alle dinge wat die gevalle mens vir boosheid kan gebruik? sal hy gebruik!

Kan kernkrag energie vir ‘n goeie doel gebruik word? Ja, maar die gevalle mens sal dit ook vir verkeerde dinge gebruik, dieselfde met biogenetiese ingenieurswese. Die wêreld is in die hande van die Bose.

As hulle spesies kan kloon of nuwes kan uitvind gebaseer op verkillende DNS vermengings dan kan ons nie langer seker wees dat die monsters waarvan ons lees in Openbaring net simbole is nie maar ook ‘n werklikheid! God het hulle gemaak na hulle soort of? “Min” in die Hebreeuse Teks, en nie basters nie.

Daar is nou rotte wat al 1% menslike breins het as gevolg van biogenetiese veranderinge. Kan u dink wat gaan rotte doen met ‘n menslike denke? Die teoretiese moontlikhede kan nie buite rekening gelaat word nie. Min is ‘n soort van en is ook die wortel van die Hebreeuse term vir seks en seksuele reproduksie? minee. Maar, geslag? dor? is ‘n heel ander Hebreeuse woord. Die probleem kom wanneer ons hierdie Hebreeuse term in Grieks weergee.

Die woord gennao in Grieks is baie naby aan min. Jesus is die monogenes? “die eniggeborene.”

Gennao beteken “begotten? eniggebore.” Dit is ook die wortel van die woord Genesis. Maar die woord wat in Mat. 24 gebruik word is genne[ a ] en nie genna[ o ] nie. Die konteks en sy aansluitings bepaal wat dit beteken.

Daar kan twee moontlike betekenisse wees. Dink aan die Engelse woord “blue.” Dink aan ‘n blou beker, dit is duidelik hy is blou, dit verwys na die kleur. Maar “blue” in Engels is ook ‘n metafoor om sleg te voel. Daar is ook ‘n soort musiek wat deur die swart Amerikaners uitgevind is naamlik die “Blues.” Rhythm & Blues is ook ‘n soort Joodse musiek, dit is beide opgewek en ook terneergedruk.

Wat beteken blue dan? Is dit ‘n kleur of is dit ‘n metafoor vir om sleg te voel? Wel, die omstandighede sal dit verklaar. So is dit in die geval van gennea. Gennea kan byna ‘n sinoniem wees vir gennao, wat van die selfde soort beteken omdat dit betrekking het op die gemeenskaplike afstamming. Om gebore te word uit dieselfde oorsprong kan byna ‘n sinoniem wees vir gennao, of dit kan ‘n bestek van tyd beteken of dit kan ‘n metafoor soos “blue” wees.

Byvoorbeeld: Daar is ‘n vliegtuig wat 747 genoem word. Hulle word al vanaf 1960 gemonteer.

Die volgende generasie (geslag) sal die 787 wees, ‘n vliegtuig wat aanmekaar vanaf Rio de Janeiro na Tokyo kan vlieg, dit is die volgende generasie. (geslag) As ons ‘n 747 neem wat in 1968 gemonteer is en 20 jaar terug geskroot is, en ons neem een wat in 1995 gemonteer is en wat nog vlieg, dan is hulle nog steeds van dieselfde generasie / geslag, hulle is van “dieselfde soort.” Dit is die 787’s wat die volgende generasie / geslag is. Op dieselfde manier kan die betekenis van gennea vasgestel word, deur die woord verband.

In Mat. 24:34 beteken dit “van ‘n soort” omdat ons ‘n geslag van Jesus is. Hy is die monogenes? die Eniggeborene van die Vader? en die Kerk is saamgestel deur hulle wat wedergebore is. Ons is gebore in ‘n geestelike opset, ons is gebore uit dieselfde soort, wedergebore uit die Gees, en ons is van dieselfde soort. Wat Mat. 24 vir ons sê is dat die Kerk nie sal nie verbygaan nie, diegene van hierdie soort wat uit Jesus gebore is sal nie verbygaan totdat al hierdie dinge gebeur het nie.

Hierdie gebeure sal hulleself herhaal maar op ‘n baie groter skaal as dit wat in 70 n.C. gebeur het.

Dit is wat die pre millennialiste nog altyd geglo het, maar die post millennialiste kan dit nie begryp nie.

Die oordele oor Egipte en die gebeure wat plaasgevind het in die Boek Eksodus is ‘n beeld van wat met die hele planeet in die Laaste Dae gaan gebeur. Dit is ‘n herhaling, maar dit beteken nie ‘n geslag van veertig jaar nie.

Wie het ons Boodskap geglo?

Hierdie dinge het tot groot verwarring aanleiding gegee wat veroorsaak het dat Christene, ware gelowiges geminag is. Hulle het geëindig waar die seun geëindig het wat wolf, wolf uitgeroep het, in hierdie fabel het hy so baie wolf? wolf uitgeroep dat toe die wolf regtig daar was het

niemand hom geglo nie. Netso sal Satan as hy nie mense kan mislei nie, sal hy hulle in dinge soos die Y2K of die wegraping in 1982 / 1993 laat deel neem. Hoe meer Satan valse alarms kan uitstuur hoe meer sal mense dit nie glo wanneer die ware alarms begin weerklank nie.

Hierdie dinge word nie noodwendig deur mense met verkeerde motiewe gedoen nie, maar deur Christene wat graag die regte dinge wil doen. Maar in plaas daarvan om die regte klanke uit te stuur blaas hulle ‘n valse basuin soos wat Paulus in Korinte waarsku en wanneer dit kom by die ware basuine gaan niemand luister nie.

Ons het nou gekom by ‘n punt waar onmoontlike dinge begin gebeur. In ons moderne media aangedrewe samelewing kyk die wêreld vandag na Hollywood inplaas van na die Kerk. Daar is flieks soos die “End of Days” met Arnold Schwarzenegger, mense kry hulle eskatologie daarvan!

Mense sal dink: “Wel dit kan nie die Antichris wees nie.” “Dit kan nie van ‘n profetiese belang wees nie; die prent was nie so nie.” Moet nie dink dat mense nie so sal reageer nie, daar is baie mense wat so gaan dink.

Wat erger is as die wêreld wat na Hollywood kyk, is dat wedergebore Evangeliese Christene hierdie dinge omhels soos die onbybelse film: “The Passion of the Christ.” Hierdie prent was deur ‘n man gemaak wat ‘n self erkende tradisionele Katoliek is, wat erken het dat die prent nie net op die Evangelies gebaseer is nie maar ook op die openbaringe van ‘n Rooms Katolieke mistieke vrou Anne Catherine Emmerich. In hierdie prent dryf Mel Gibson met sy eie hande die spykers deur die metacarpus van Jesus inplaas van die radius, wat natuurlik inpas by die RKK superstisie van die stigmata.

Mel glo ook nie dat dit nodig is om in Jesus Christus te glo vir redding nie. (Dit is heel duidelik dat hy nog nooit tot redding en bekering gekom nie.) In sy onderhoud met Diane Sawyer, Maandag, die 18 de Februarie 2004 was dit soos volg: Diane: “ Toe ons met Gibson en sy akteurs gepraat het? het ons gewonder, sou dit beteken dat met sy (Gibson) se tradisionele siening, dat die deur na die Hemel geslote is vir Jode, Protestante, Moslems?

Mel Gibson: ??“Dit is glad en geheel nie die geval nie. Dit is moontlik vir mense wat nie eens Christene is nie om in die Koninkryk van die Hemel in te gaan, dit is net makliker? ek moet dit sê want dit is wat ek glo.”

Diane Sawyer:?? “Ons het ‘n geen stop kaartjie?”

Mel Gibson:???“Wel, ja, ek sê dit is ‘n makliker rit van waar ek is en ek moet dit glo.”

In Augustus 2004 was daar deur ‘n Australiaanse koerant man ondersoek gedoen na wat se impak die film “The Passion” op Mel se lewe gehad het, hy het gesê: “Ek het nou baie meer geld as wat ek ooit gehad het en ek het nie nou meer nodig om sulke vrae te antwoord nie.” Met

ander woorde hy het die fliek gemaak om geld te maak? ‘n Bybelse en historiese onakkurate film. Die Evangelie sê: ? “want as julle nie glo dat dit Ek is nie, sal julle in jul sondes sterwe.” (Joh. 8:24) As iemand nie wedergebore is nie kan hy nie in die Koninkryk van Hemel ingaan nie.

By dit alles sê “wedergebore” Evangliese predikers dat hierdie prent baie goeie Evangelisasie materiaal is? As die Kerk na Hollywood toe gaan vir haar Evangelie hoekom sal ongeredde mense nie Hollywood hardloop vir hulle eskatologie nie?

Wanneer die ware dinge begin gebeur, wie gaan dit glo? Die tekens van die tye en wêreld gebeure toon duidelik dat Christus se Wederkoms baie naby is. Afval en misleiding in die kerk is ‘n baie duidelike teken. Dit is merkwaardig hoe vinnig die ekumeniese beweging, gelei deur agente van Lucifer soos Chuck Colson, wedergebore Christene se voete onder hulle uit geslaan het met die idee dat die Roomse kerk Bybels is.

My moeder se familie is Katoliek, maar jy moet wedergebore wees; redding is nie deur sakramente nie, nie deur ‘n ex opera operato ritueel nie. Om vir die dooies te bid is die sonde van towery, transubstansiasie is kannibalisme en afgodery. Die Apostels het die drink of eet van bloed verbied, maar as geredde Christene nie deur ‘n Chuck Colson kan sien nie, wat gaan gebeur as die ware misleiding kom? As geredde Christene nie deur hierdie valse akteurs en geld predikers, mammon aanbidders wat hebsug ‘n deugsaamheid noem, op die TV kan sien nie, wat gaan hulle doen wanneer die ware vervalser kom?

Die Hebreeuse profete vertel vir ons dat een van die dinge wat ons in die Laaste Dae moet doen is om die basuin na ons mond toe bring, soos wat ons lees In Joel 2: Blaas die basuin op Sion, blaas die basuin op my heilige berg.

In hierdie boodskap se historiese opset het dit te doen met die inval van Nebukadnezar, die Babiloniese leër, die sprinkane is ‘n beeld van die Babiloniese inval. In Openbaring 9 sien ons ook die demoniese leërmag van die Antichris. In die Vineyard beweging en hulle denominasies soos die Holy Trinity Brompton in London? spring hulle rond en sing:

“They run on the city, they run on the walls, great is the army who carries His Word.” Hulle sing oor die Babiloniese leërmag van Satan en die Antichris en hulle dink hulle sing oor hulleself? Die Kerk triomfeer!? Uitvindsels van mense onder die inspirasie van Satan.

Want ons is almal ook deur een Gees gedoop tot een liggaam

Dit is waar, hierdie geslag sal nie verbygaan totdat al hierdie dinge gebeur het nie. Wel hierdie dinge is besig om te gebeur. Ons is hierdie geslag, wat beteken dit?

Beteken dit dat dit ‘n waarborg is dat jy in die lewe sal wees wanneer Jesus kom? Nee, miskien kan jy, miskien ek ook, miskien ook nie? maar dit sal diegene wees wat uit God gebore is, hulle wat wedergebore is, die gennao? wat van “die soort is,” dit is hulle wat hier sal wees wanneer dit gaan gebeur wanneer Hy kom, en Hy kom!

As Hy nie gou gaan kom nie sou Satan nie so vasberade gewees het om so intensief misleiding te versprei nie, en wat van al die vele valse leraars en profete in hierdie geslag?

Daar is geen Bybelse logika vir wederkoms datums in die jaar 2000 of in die jaar 1000 of in 1988 nie. Netso om te beweer dat Jesus se Wederkoms in die Jaar 2007 moet wees.

Ware Christene moet hierdie dwalende spekulasies oorlaat aan kultus leiers soos die JW’s, wat dit verdien om gekke in die openbaar van hulleself te maak deur die bepalings van datums.

Die enigste ding wat ons verseker kan weet is dat Hy verseker binnekort gaan kom!

Maranata? kom gou Here Jesus! †††

How AI is transforming defensive capabilities against drones

October 12, 2026
Written by - Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Examples abound in history of how the responses to innovations in technology that disrupted and transformed the nature of warfare have taken a delayed time to be adapted. Chain mail and armour had to be altered and bolstered to repel arrows from the English Longbow in Medieval Europe, but this didn't occur in time to the dismay of the French at Agincourt. It took the Spanish decades to redesign their cumbersome Galleons that lay prey to the swifter English ships. Napoleonic era field tactics were still being employed during the American Civil War, with mass charges mowed down by the Gatling barrel machine gun. Trench warfare was only later embraced during WWI. With the cheap manufacture of drones and the advances in AI a new chapter has opened in how war is waged in our own time. The conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have demonstrated how asymmetric warfare has become as much an economic calculation as a game of cat and mouse. Drones (and relatively cheaply manufactured ballistic missiles by Iran) are being shot down at great expense. AI which has been extensively deployed for target identification in Gaza is also proving to be a vital tool in hunting incoming drones. But as in the delayed development of military countermeasures historically, drones are ahead of AI in the battlefield. This is reflected in the enormity of Russian military casualties that have fallen victim to Ukrainian drones. AI is able to cut through the 'background noise' of distracting projectiles, birds and other debris to home in efforts to eliminate the actual drone target. The magic formula is speed and precision. Humans can detect and assess a threat, but AI can process radar, cameras and other sensors almost instantly, and with increasing accuracy predict where a drone intends to strike. When swamped with a wave drone attack, AI acts to identify and track the multiple threats. AI can also help decide how to respond. Depending on the system, the response could involve electronic warfare, an interceptor drone, a missile or a gun-based system. Ukraine has installed automated machine gun turrets instructed by AI to protect Kiev. In some cases, humans still make the final decision to engage, while AI handles the calculations and tracking required to make that decision quickly. More broadly, drone warfare is becoming a contest between autonomous systems. The challenge is no longer simply building a better missile or a better drone. It is building a system that can see the threat first, understand it quickly and respond before the drone reaches its target. In that sense, AI is becoming a critical part of air defence. The advantage may increasingly belong to whoever can make the fastest and most accurate decisions—not necessarily whoever manufactures the most expensive weapons. AI's pace of progress is exponential. It is beyond comprehension what capacity could be realized in even the next 2-3 years. The combination of drones, robotics and AI may render the traditional military hardware of tanks, frigates and fighter jets almost functionally obsolete. The development of AI's course of military application will be largely directed by the conflicts where it is deployed. In the pre-AI world of 1987, the black Friday market crash during the Reagan Administration saw a dangerous drop in the Dow, where computer analysis issued sell orders against a background of Reagan's massive budget deficits. Amidst Reagan's budget deficits this created an environment where social security was looted to fund defence spending. A supposed conservative President ran a fiscal policy with simultaneous increases in the Pentagon budget, coupled with tax cuts. The computer generated sell off was beyond the functional control of brokers and market makers, while the Soviets attempted to engineer market irregularities affecting the American economy which had further global ramifications due to massive American trade deficits with Japan under Reagan. The current Securities exchange environment is at best no less complex now. Given the spectre of what transpired in 1987 with computerised over control of stock exchange trading, and a shadow hanging over the bond market we are left to ponder could another such scenario be triggered in the age of AI? And even more illuminous prospect over shadows us now with the question can AI gain a decision-making operational capacity over command-and-control decisions. Certainly, for tactical weapons systems or even a doomsday scenario with Russia, China, India or Pakistan placing nuclear launch control in the hands of AI that could result in an exchange that either the US, Britain, France or Israel would be forced to react to. Without scaremongering it is necessary for strategic planners to prevent the nuclear powers that be from arriving at the precipice of such an abyss.

Interconnected Conflicts: The Risk of a New Thirty Years' War. By Rubin Rothler - LLB, MLB

September 21, 2026
The interlinked nature of third-party involvement in the ongoing conflicts in Iran and Ukraine has increasingly come to the fore in recent weeks. It emerged that China has not only been providing Iran with radar systems, navigation tools, and electronic warfare technology, but also high-resolution satellite imagery and geospatial data to direct its rockets. The same great-power relationships that are shaping the Middle East are affecting the conduct and constraints of the war in Ukraine. It is apparent that a reciprocation in kind is dictating Russia's conduct towards the US in Iran. Intelligence and targeting support mirror similar U.S. assistance to Ukraine. But this picture becomes murkier when considering the backroom accommodations Trump is willing to give Putin. Recently, Trump pressured Zelensky to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were causing a shortage of the fuel that is "hurting the world." The U.S. national average price for diesel, which is used by trucks, trains, ships, and farm equipment, rose above six dollars a gallon for the first time last Thursday. Such interventions demonstrate how developments on the battlefield in Ukraine can no longer be considered independently of wider economic and geopolitical calculations. China has been using tankers that are already at sea, when that runs out the American blockade will create shortage problems for the Chinese economy, as China no longer gets Venezuelan oil and is reliant on Iran and international spot market prices. The war with Iran is now spreading to Yemen, with the Houthis attempting to replicate the Iranian chokehold model perfected in the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic importance of controlling or threatening critical maritime chokepoints is central to the wider contest. What happens in the Gulf can therefore have consequences for shipping, energy markets, and military calculations far beyond the immediate theatre. So far, the US has declined Saudi requests to slow the Houthi advance. Neither Turkey nor Egypt seems inclined to come to Saudi Arabia's aid. This is despite the signing of a very recent mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. More developments can happen in these conflicts on an average day than can be afforded mention, but they should be increasingly understood as interconnected parts of a wider geopolitical confrontation. Assistance in one theatre triggers reciprocal action in another. Consequently, these cease to be discrete, containable conflicts and are extending into prolonged multinational conflicts. There is a distinct possibility that these may become frozen conflicts over time. A more terrifying eventuality is something more akin to the Thirty Years' War, which was fought in the first half of the 17th century in Europe. It is important to remember that this calamity, which ravaged Europe, began as a localized rebellion that gradually drew in more and more powers. The initial religious nature of the fighting gave way to political struggles. The mechanism by which a localized conflict becomes a multinational struggle offers a historical warning worth considering. The danger today is that a collection of individually distinct conflicts could become sufficiently interconnected that containing any one of them becomes increasingly difficult. Iran, Ukraine, Russia, China, the United States, and the conflict involving the Houthis are already linked by military assistance, intelligence, energy, trade, and strategic competition. The question, therefore, is no longer simply how any one of these conflicts ends. It is whether they can remain separate conflicts at all.  (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).

Prayer Request

By David Passmore • September 12, 2026
Moriel & Jacob Prasch request prayer for our sister in Jesus - Wendy Blomkamp, widow of Brother Fred Blomkamp (now with The Lord), the founder of Moriel South Africa Branch (not to be confused with Moriel's Ebyown Aids Children's Mission in South Africa founded by David Royle). Wendy, (an equestrian rider of all things) is originally from West Yorkshire, England but has lived most of her life in South Africa and is currently in retirement in the USA. Unfortunately, Wendy is diagnosed with inoperable pre terminal cancer with cardio pullmonary complications. The Lord will either intervene supernaturally or call her home. We request prayer for Wendy and her beloved family and wisdom for her physicians. In Christ, All at Moriel

What would happen to Israel if the House is controlled by Democrats, and if the Republicans lose control of the Senate?

By David Passmore • September 7, 2026
The US midterm elections are around the corner and the results could have profound effects on US foreign policy concerning Israel. Much has been said about this vote being a referendum on Trump's unpopular war with Iran. But it can equally be said to be about Trump's other foreign policy engagements that are viewed rather more favourably like the overthrow of Maduro in Venezuela and his replacement with a pro-American regime. With Israel the picture is less clear. It used to be a given that Israel enjoyed bipartisan support on the Hill. You could count on the fingers of one hand the number of politicians opposed to supporting Israel - the occasional fringe Democrat representing a singular Michigan constituency with a high Arab origin demographic, or a rare odd ball Republican preaching strict isolationism. This dynamic has shifted quickly in the last decade. The Democrats have all but abandoned any inclination of a pro-Israel position. Even establishment figures like Chuck Schumer have been pressured to side with the Party's radical left wing. With 60-80% of Democrats now anti-Israel, Israel can no longer rely on Jewish Democrats to oppose anti-Zionism or antisemitism. The most outspoken Democratic member of the Senate advocating a pro-Israel position, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is being pressured to resign and leave the party even by Pennsylvania's Jewish Governor Shapiro and Soros sponsored Philadelphia Prosecutor Krasner. This is happening concurrently with mass endorsement from 170 leading Hollywood Jewish actors writing a letter of support for Mark Ruffallo - despite his antisemitic comments naming Jewish investors supporting a Hollywood studio mega merger as being associated with apartheid genocide. However most shocking, were the comments by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel who stood before an audience of Jewish Democrats last weekend telling them they may need to sacrifice the safety, and even the future, of their own people in exchange for saving the rest of humanity. Such rhetoric is contrary to basic human instincts of survival and self-preservation. If any other nation were suggested this course of action, I wonder what their response would be? On the Republican side the foreboding sense of an altering course towards Israel no longer seems so distant. The anti-Israel faction in the Republican party led by Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes are now being supported by Vice President Vance. Jewish kingpins in the Trump Administration such as Witkoff and Kushner have been tied to business dealings in N.Y. with the Muslim Brotherhood controlled Qatari government through its business holdings. Should Republicans lose control of the Senate while Democrats take the House, Israel could find itself having to drastically re-access its relationship with Washington. We wouldn't see an immediate break in ties. American military, intelligence, technological and strategic cooperation with Israel is too integrated into the core of US institutions and corporations that would take a protracted period to dismantle. However, the power of Congress is in no way feeble. Congress controls funding, foreign-assistance legislation, sanctions, arms-related legislation and, perhaps most importantly, the political milieu in which an administration operates. A Democratic House combined with a Senate no longer controlled by Republicans could place enormous pressure on Trump to alter his attitude towards Israel. Practically this could entail demanding further accountability from Israel over military operations in Gaza, and the West Bank Settlers causing civilian casualties and property damage. Military aid could face more conditions or restrictions, but an immediate cutoff is unlikely. Israel has historically depended upon the presumption that regardless of who was President, there would be a robust enough bipartisan coalition in Congress to prevent a major deterioration in the relationship. Now the opposite appears true. Israel is taking the gamble of solely relying on a friendly President like Trump getting elected to maintain cordial relations. With the erosion of even much of Jewish American support for Israel and the hijacking of the Democratic party by a pro Islamist socialist left seen in Mamdani and others, Israel is forced to confront the inescapable reality that the last strong bastion of support for it is the Republican Party's evangelical base. But even younger voters in this key demographic are beginning to question support for Israel. The hostility displayed by the Haredim in Jerusalem and elsewhere against Christians including evangelicals, is to say the least counter-productive to the national interest. To attack the one friend Israel has left with a proven track record of loyalty and is vital to pro-Zionism internationally, is particularly detrimental to the national interest. It is Iran with its Mahdiist interpretations of jihad and sharia as a religious ideology that drives its hatred of Israel and the USA, and The West, to the detriment of the interests of the majority of the Iranian populace who want non hostile co-existence.  Such religious fanaticism and ideologically fuelled hatred ought not be given place in Israeli Judaism. It too, will generate adverse consequences for the majority of Israelis, including religious moderates, who desire an ongoing friendship with Evangelical Christians whose theology is not one of anti Semitism, but of proven Philo-Semitism and pro Zionism.

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

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

The tide has Changed

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

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

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

Circling the Wagons

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

A Divided Nation

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

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

By David Passmore • June 29, 2026