Après moi, le déluge

 

Why is everyone surprised that Egypt has a new Pharaoh? And why are news interviewers shocked that President Mursi’s supporters can claim with straight faces that a greater, more stringent dictatorship will lead to a greater, freer, liberal and democratic Egypt.

Not only do we not learn from history; we don’t even learn from recent history.

Every revolution and coup in the Middle East in the last forty years has produced greater dictators than the ones ousted. One devil is cast out and seven more, even more evil, take his place. The Shah of Persian was replaced by the mullahs of Iran, paving the way for a beady-eyed, Holocaust-denying, Hitler wannabe who wants to finish what his German counterpart started. And no leftist liberal in the West thinks he means it when he says he will destroy the Zionist entity.

Hamas is the democratically elected government in Gaza, as we are reminded by Israel’s critics. But the last election in Gaza was seven years ago; when will the next election take place? Hamas has no political opponents to be afraid of; they killed them all off after their rise to absolute power. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt supports Mursi’s measures to safeguard the revolution, which means there will be no more elections in that country for the foreseeable future. In both Gaza and Egypt the persecution of Christians has increased since the two Islamic parties came to power.

After Sadam Hussein was ousted from power, the situation in Iraq went from bad to worse. And what will happen there will be the same that is happening in the Israel/’Palestine’; the Islamists will continue to terrorise until they achieve their totalitarian objective.

These countries were ruled by devils but were replaced by far worse devils.

It looks set to be the same in Syria. But Syria has stockpiles of chemical weapons and, according to some, Sadam’s weapons of mass destruction. At least the current regime in Syria made no attempt to deploy the barbaric instruments of warfare at their disposal against Israel but there is no guarantee that a rebel regime won’t.

What will it take to wake western leaders up to the fact that Muslim countries don’t think like we do? What will it take to make our leaders realise that these radical governments cannot be trusted. When will we remember that they are the heirs of the leaders of Arab nations who met in Khartoum in 1967 after the Six Day War to declare there would be no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel and no peace with Israel.

Hence, last week we witnessed the farce of Egypt, whose government has said it will unilaterally tear up the peace agreement with Israel it signed over thirty years ago, brokering a cease fire between Israel and Hamas. It should have come as no surprise, then, that Gaza continued to fire missiles at Israel after the cease-fire came into place.

What hope of peace is there? There can be no possible political solution but at least let’s remember what the situation really is and stop bullying Israel to ‘be serious about peace’. Israel is the only party in this conflict situation that can’t afford not to be serious about peace.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem 2

A caller on today’s Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 thought Israel was over-reacting to the ‘rockets’ fired from Gaza; he thought Hamas was making the area like England on November 5!

I’ve just spoken to my friend and colleague David Zadok in Israel. Today he was at a meeting in Jerusalem that was interrupted when missiles were fired from Gaza. The meeting hastily adjourned to a bomb shelter. David also made pastoral calls to Ashkelon, where elderly church members are living in terror.

The Embassy of Israel in the UK released this update today, Tuesday, 20th November.
MISSILES

More than 1,100 unguided missiles have been fired at Israel since Saturday 10th November of which 900+ were fired since the start of Operation Pillar of Defence (14 Nov.) The Iron Dome anti-missile defence system has intercepted over 300 missiles, preventing them from striking populated areas in Israel. 45 per cent of Israelis are within rocket range. In the last decade, over 12,800 missiles were fired from Gaza.



Forty-five per cent of Israelis are within rocket range - the equivalent of 28 million British civilians under the constant threat of missile launching.

CASUALTIES

Three Israeli civilians killed: Mirah Scharf, 25, Aharon Smadja, 49, and Itzik Amsalem, 24, four in critical condition, six in a moderate condition and 141 lightly injured. On Sunday 18th November, at least seven people were seriously injured in direct hits on a home in Ashkelon and a car in Ofakim. Yesterday, Monday 19th November, a Grad rocket exploded outside an elementary school in Ashkelon. No one was hurt as all schools within a 4o km radius of Gaza are currently closed. Ben Gurion University of the Negev, with 15,000 students, also remains closed.


Three Israeli civilians were killed on Thursday morning: Mirah Scharf, 25, Aharon Smadja, 49, and Itzik Amsalem, 24

MILITARY ACTIONS

Operation Pillar of Defence has obtained significant achievements, and the terrorist organisations of Gaza have been hit hard.

The Israel Air Force has significantly deteriorated the long-range Iran-made Fajr missile stores.

Over the course of the morning (Tuesday 20th November), the IDF targeted eleven terrorist squads who were involved in promoting terrorist activity including the planting of explosive devices and the firing of rockets towards southern Israel. In addition, the IDF targeted 30 underground rocket launchers, as well as a senior terror operative’s hiding place which was used to store weapons and ammunition. As a result, severe damage was inflicted upon the rocket launching capabilities and weapon storage facilities owned by terror organisations operating in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, tank shells and artillery fire were used.

Israel has no interest and no ambition in conquering land, but we have to stop Hamas firing at our citizens.

It must be noted that Israel disengaged unilaterally and completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The result of Israel’s disengagement is that Gaza has become a giant ammunition depot. In addition, it provides a breeding ground for terrorist groups to organize and to operate. All this is done under the rule, responsibility and sponsorship of Hamas.

Israel, as any other state, has the right under international law, and a moral obligation, to act in self-defence, to defend its population and to protect its territory when under attack, as well as to take military action against the terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Hamas’ actions are in clear violation of the most fundamental principles of international law, including the principle of distinction, which requires Hamas and other terrorist organizations not only to refrain from directing its attacks at Israeli civilians, but also to clearly distinguish itself from its own civilian population.

These terrorist organisations consciously and deliberately violate these principles in a repeated manner, by deploying weapons and command centres in densely populated areas, operating from residential areas, and exploiting the civilian population by exposing them to serious harm. They also deliberately direct their fire at the civilian population of Israel. These acts constitute a double war crime.

Israel directs its actions against the military targets of Hamas and other terrorist organisations. It goes to great lengths to minimise harm to civilians. Israel regrets any injury to civilians and places responsibility squarely on Hamas, which uses the residents of Gaza as human shields. Israel does everything possible to prevent harm to Palestinian civilians. Hamas does everything possible to put Palestinian civilians in harm’s way.

It should be noted that the IDF made tens of thousands of phone calls to Gaza residents to warn them about the military operation.

The IAF dropped flyers throughout the Gaza Strip calling for people to distance themselves from known terrorists, weapons stores and launching sites




In addition, the IDF has called off airstrikes when pilots spotted civilians – even when missiles launched by terrorists were speeding toward their target


HUMANITARIAN AID

Israel is making a major effort to maintain the fabric of civilian life in Gaza, despite the situation of current hostilities.

Sunday 18 November

Kerem Shalom crossing was open for movement of food, medicine and other goods from Israel despite the ongoing missile attacks on the Israeli population and previous attacks on the crossing.

The Erez crossing was open, as on every other day of Operation Pillar of Defence. Seventy foreign journalists entered Gaza today by way of Erez, 26 Gazans entered Israel for medical treatment, and 23 foreign nationals, representing NGOs who until now had been prevented by Hamas from leaving the Gaza Strip, departed.

Tuesday 20 November

The Kerem Shalom crossing opened on Tuesday morning (20 Nov) to allow the transfer of 120 trucks of humanitarian aid. However, when it was targeted by missile fire from Gaza, the IDF was forced to close the crossing to ensure the safety of all those working at the crossing and passing through it. Only 24 trucks of humanitarian aid managed to make it through the crossings prior to the missile strikes.

Click here to watch the video

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

Latest news from Israel.

Fourteen rockets were fired from Gaza at the Bnei Shimon Regional Council area, Beersheba, the Eshkol Regional Council area and the Merhavim Regional Council area in one hour. No injuries or damage were reported.

Magen David Adom treated 20 Israelis on Friday, bringing the total number of people treated by MDA to 74 since the beginning of 'Operation Pillar of Defence' on Wednesday. Of the 20 people tended up to last night Friday, five were lightly injured and 15 were suffering from shock.

Yesterday, the third day of 'Operation Pillar of Defence,' the Israel Air Force struck 238 targets in the Gaza Strip. A total of 105 rockets struck Israel yesterday, while the 'Iron Dome' missile defense system shot down an additional 99 rockets and also destroyed a bomb-laden smuggling tunnel.

The Israeli cabinet has approved Defence Minister Ehud Barak's request for 75,000 reserve troops in preparation for a possible ground operation in Gaza. On Thursday, the cabinet approved 30,000 reserve troops, 16,000 of whom the IDF mobilized on Friday.

Terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula launched rockets into Israel last night. The missiles fell near an Israeli village on the southern border, causing some damage but no injuries.

Two rockets were fired at Jerusalem from Gaza at the start of the Sabbath yesterday. Police reported there was 'no indication' that rockets landed in the city, stating that 'most likely, the rockets landed in an open area outside of Jerusalem.' Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming to have shot 'an improved Kassam,' which it called an M-75 towards Jerusalem. The launch represents the first Hamas rocket attack aimed at Jerusalem.

A friend in Israel mailed me to say: 'Your prayers are greatly appreciated. Last night, for the first time, a siren was sounded in Jerusalem. Our girls were so frightened (after some of their older friends told them that someone was trying to bomb them) that they could not sleep properly last night. Even today all they can talk about is the 'bad people' trying to kill us. Pray for wisdom in knowing how to quieten them and give them the Peace of the Lord.'

Genuine imitation wife

Last night as I listened to a news report about the wife of Jesus while I was driving from the airport, I wondered whether I’d passed through a time warp to a future April 1st.

The BBC’s Robin Lustig was asking a Vatican spokesman what effect a 4th century fragment of a papyrus scroll would have on the Roman Catholic Church if it proved to be ‘genuine’ and ‘authentic’. What did Lustig (and the Vatican ‘expert’ for that matter) mean by ‘genuine’ and ‘authentic’?

A genuine 4th century fragment, perhaps? An authentic piece of papyrus with Jesus making a cryptic reference to his ‘wife’ maybe?

Let’s have a sense of proportion about this shall we? A fragment of a papyrus manuscript that resembles a passage in the Gospel of Thomas and written some three centuries after the New Testament was completed is discovered. It seems to suggest that Jesus was married. So what? So what?

What would the scholar say if in some old house a scrap from a nineteenth century book was discovered in which Queen Elizabeth1 referred to her husband. Not a lot, I expect. It would be ignored. There would be no discussion. There would be no mention on the TV news and the Net would not be awash with reports.

Imagine some archaeologist digging up a mouldy copy of The Da Vinci Code in a couple of thousand years and announcing he had found conclusive proof that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene!

All this ‘discovery’ goes to show is that within the scholarly community there is a great desire to find some evidence – however flimsy – that the New Testament in general and the Gospels in particular are unreliable.

Now why would they want to do that?

Read Simon Gathercole's take on the discovery here.

A Walk for Life

An hour ago, my brother Kevin who is 50 set out on a 50 mile walk from Hull City’s KC Stadium to Eland Road Stadium in Leeds to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and Support (BTRS) across Yorkshire.

Six years ago, my wife and I lost our daughter (Kev's niece) Samantha to a brain tumour. Doctors know little more about brain tumours today than they knew in the 1960s, and BTRS was set up to provide a network of resources to patients and their families across Yorkshire. Formerly known as Andrea's Gift, BTRS also funds pioneering brain tumour research at the Leeds Institute for Molecular Medicine.

Kev is a great Hull City fan and he decided to make the walk from the KC Stadium to Eland Road in Leeds, where BTRS is based. It would be a great encouragement to my brother, who deserves to be given the ‘Nicest Bloke on the Planet’ award, if you would make a donation to BTRS. 

You can donate online or by sending a cheque made out to BTRS to Kevin Moore, 50 East Grove, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU4 6NS. 

Searching the Scroll

There are times when I think Isaiah 53 has been overworked as a messianic proof text. And yet I still meet people who are totally ignorant of it and instinctively recognise it to be about Jesus when confronted with it.

Searching the Scroll is a new site that has  been set up to generate debate about Isaiah 53.

Take a look at it, leave a comment, pass the word around and make the site work by getting involved in the discussions.

Jhan Moskowitz 1948 - 2012

I just heard from David Brickner a message on my Facebook page that Jhan Moskowitz has died. I didn't know Jhan well. I saw him in a street in Finland nine years ago and recognised him instantly. When I crossed the street to say hello, he was immensely friendly and I liked him immediately. We exchanged emails a couple of times and that was it. But when I heard the news of his death a few minutes ago, I was truly shocked. I felt as though I had lost a friend.

Here is Jhan telling how he came to Jesus.

Dan Wooding writes:

Jhan Moskowitz, 64, one of the founders of Jews for Jesus has died after a fall on a subway in New York City.

Moskowitz fell and hit his head in the subway on Tuesday, September 4th. His injury caused hemorrhaging in his brain which led to him being put on life support.

According to one report, his family made the difficult decision of removing him from that life support on Wednesday, September 5th.

In a message to supporters, David Brickner, the head of Jews for Jesus since 1996, said, ‘We had hoped to report a miracle today but that has not been the case. As of early afternoon the doctors began the process of determining whether Jhan would be able to survive on his own. With no brain activity since yesterday afternoon, the result was a formal declaration of death. The medical explanation was herniation as a result of intracranial hemorrhage.’

Jhan Moskowitz was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. His parents were refugees from Nazi Germany and spent four and a half years in a concentration camp.

‘I learned at an early age what it means to be a Jew and to be loyal to my heritage and my people,’ says Jhan. He was disenchanted with religion in his teens, but was committed to the survival of his people and became a short-term volunteer on a kibbutz (communal farm) in Israel.

‘When I went to Israel I was an atheist,’ said Moskowitz, ‘but by the time I left, I knew that God did exist. I became a seeker. I felt God had created the universe with a purpose, and I wanted to know his purpose for my life. I found my answer in 1971 when I came to terms with God through his Messiah, Jesus.

Moskowitz was one of the ‘original’ Jews for Jesus volunteers, even before the organization’s incorporation in 1973. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Philosophy from Long Island University and received theological training from Simpson College in San Francisco. He also has a Master’s degree in Missiology with concentration in Jewish Evangelism/Judaic studies from the Fuller School of World Mission in Pasadena, California. He was ordained through the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination.

Moskowitz co-founded Jews for Jesus’ mobile evangelistic drama team, the New Jerusalem Players, and toured the United States as leader of that team for several years. He headed up the Jews for Jesus New York branch, where he also served as pastor of a Jewish Christian congregation in Manhattan, Kehilat Y’shua (Assembly of Jesus). Moskowitz served as the director of the Chicago branch for over 20 years, during which time he led a Bible study for the legal community in downtown Chicago. He and his wife, Melissa, also a Jew for Jesus, have returned to the New York City area, where they currently reside.

Jon Trott a writer, teacher, and member of Jesus People USA community in Uptown, Chicago, said: ‘Jhan’s vibe was all New York to me, from the unmistakable accent to the comfortable intellectualism he displayed. His eyes were deep and kind, and his smile infectious. In the few conversations I had with him here at Jesus People USA’s 920 W. Wilson home, we talked everything from politics to Old Testament. The latter category under his tutelage was fascinating, illuminating, and amazingly multi-faceted; he spoke to us about it at least three different times I can recall (which means it was likely more).

‘I sometimes wondered how he carried his Jewishness — for much of recorded history the ultimate ‘Other’ to Christians and pagans alike — among white Evangelicals. There must have been stress in holding onto two identities — (1) the child of Jewish parents who spent four [and a half] years in Nazi Concentration camps, (2) the convert to a faith not known for its kindness to his people throughout history. The fierce opposition Jews for Jesus created among those of Jewish faith must have saddened him greatly, but the cross he bore living in the in-between was most often reflected in a gently humorous outlook.

‘His death shocked me. There are deaths which seem in season, coming at the end of a life well lived and therefore ‘good deaths.’ This doesn’t feel that way. Jhan was a man who appeared in good health, filled with vitality and sure to be ministering for years to come.

Read Dan's full article here.