~ Thursday 4th March 2010 ~

Compiled by David Soakell Tel: 01323 410810 E-mail david@cfi.org.uk Website: www.cfi.org.uk

The Word: "Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah... See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake…I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. "Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first and I am the last. (Isaiah 48:1, 10-12)

.."You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendour." …This is what the LORD says-- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel-- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favour I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances..." (Isaiah 49:3-8)

• Pointers for prayer: CFI & Isrelate.com: Once again, as we continue to stand with Israel, may all our actions, support & prayer be lead by the Holy Spirit. Please pray that we would have ears to hear, and hearts open to the areas the Lord wants us to be effective in. Please stand with Christian Friends of Israel as both the UK and Jerusalem face a constant battle financially. Pray that the LORD would release much needed finances into both areas of ministry. Pray too for our youth website, Isrelate.com (see later article). Please pray that many within the church would have a clear revelation regarding God's purposes for Israel, and that our youth would be reached with this truth. Pray that we would have many opportunities to share the truth regarding Israel within our churches/fellowships and youth groups. Pray too for protection from anti-Israel groups on Facebook and other internet sites who can easily influence our teenagers.

• The Dream of Jerusalem & The rising tide of anti-Semitism: Please pray for strength and wisdom for the leaders in Israel, especially Prime Minister Netanyahu to deal with the threats of more wars against Israel. Pray against the rising tide of anti-Semitism (see second report).
"The Dream of Jerusalem ~ My chosen" During my 'quiet time' this morning, I read the following words by Charles Spurgeon, "Comfort thyself, tried believer, with this thought: God saith, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Does not the word come like a soft shower, assuaging the fury of the flame? Yea, is it not an asbestos armour, against which the heat hath no power? Let affliction come—God has chosen me. Poverty, thou mayst stride in at my door, but God is in the house already, and He has chosen me. Sickness, thou mayst intrude, but I have a balsam ready—God has chosen me. Whatever befalls me in this vale of tears, I know that He has "chosen" me. If, believer, thou requirest still greater comfort, remember that you have the Son of Man with you in the furnace. In that silent chamber of yours, there sitteth by your side One whom thou hast not seen, but whom thou lovest; and ofttimes when thou knowest it not, He makes all thy bed in thy affliction, and smooths thy pillow for thee. Thou art in poverty; but in that lovely house of thine the Lord of life and glory is a frequent visitor. He loves to come into these desolate places, that He may visit thee. Thy friend sticks closely to thee. Thou canst not see Him, but thou mayst feel the pressure of His hands. Dost thou not hear His voice? Even in the valley of the shadow of death He says, "Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God."" Wow... God has indeed chosen us, and that knowledge alone should sustain us through the battles ahead. However, He has not chosen us in replace of His first calling... by no means, we are grafted in... and so God's calling to the Nation and people of Israel is still in existence... even through the furnace of affliction, He has and is calling them.

I heard an awesome speech a few days ago by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The whole speech can be read on his website http://en.netanyahu.org.il/ Part of that speech is included here. Benjamin Netanyahu states, "This important conference, which is ending tonight, dealt with a range of topics - Aliyah, the economy, the Iranian threat, the political horizon, our relations with the United States, security - in fact all the core topics which touch on the present and the future of the State of Israel. However, the core of the core is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel; Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people; Jerusalem is unified, it is indivisible and it will stay that way. The vision and foundation on which the State of Israel was established and stands today is the idea of Zionism. This name is derived from the word ‘Zion', and Zion is, after all, Jerusalem. In other words, the Zionist vision is the vision of Jerusalem. It could be called "the dream of Jerusalem". The dream of Jerusalem built Tel Aviv. It built the entire country and revived our land. The longing for Jerusalem brought waves of immigrants here: from Russia, from Yemen, from Poland, from Morocco and from Ethiopia."

Netanyahu continued, "One of the most moving experiences is hearing the stories of the Ethiopian immigrants who walked here, whose families died along the way with the word ‘Jerusalem' on their lips. Being here at their annual meeting, hearing them, knowing that their long-held connection to this place was never erased - not anywhere: not in Europe faced with horrible attacks and not in Africa, not in the darkest reaches of the Earth - is to understand the strength of our people. The dream of Jerusalem is the source of energy that drove the pioneers and fighters and the founding fathers of the army, the Israeli economy, Israeli culture and Israeli society. For 3,000 years, Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people, and it was never the capital of some other people, only ours. If you walk out of this hall and turn left, towards French Hill, you will find yourselves on a street where Jews and Arabs live side by side. Two streets over in the other direction, Sheikh Jarrah and Mea Shearim connect. There is co-existence here."

He went on to say, "...Not everything in Jerusalem is rosy. We must admit that not all the streets in the eastern part of the city are as beautiful as this street. More must be done to equalize the conditions and level of services offered in all parts of the city. I certainly side with the trend that I see the Mayor enacting to pay more attention to cultivating infrastructure and the living conditions of the residents of the eastern part of the city, because it is part of our responsibility in governing this city. However, everyone in Jerusalem has freedom of access, freedom of movement and freedom of worship. This was something that we had to guarantee and that was not possible for hundreds of years. It was only assured after Jerusalem was again united under Israeli sovereignty. It was only then that freedom of religion was secured for all religions. The Arab residents of Jerusalem spend time in and shop at the Malha Mall, and the Jewish residents of Jerusalem shop at the market in the Old City. But we want to enhance co-existence and the peace in Jerusalem, and that too is part of the dream." In reality, Netanyahu's dream might be far from being complete. The battle over Jerusalem is increasing. However, one thing remains, that of "the call of God". You are part of the "family of God" because you are called, you are chosen. You are part of this ministry because you are called, you are chosen. Likewise, the connection between the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people is all down to that fact that they are called, they are chosen. And no matter what furnace of affliction, no matter what the UN, EU, Arab world, or Obama himself might attempt in opposing this standing, Israel will stand... for God has spoken ~ they are called, they are chosen. Meanwhile, the battle remains...

The rising tide of anti-Semitism The word "anti-Semitism" means prejudice against or hatred of Jews... it's as simple as that. The question as to why we have anti-Semitism is much harder to understand, or write about. As we well know, the Holocaust, the state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945, is history’s most extreme example of anti-Semitism. The specific hatred of Jews, however, proceded the modern era, and among the most common manifestations of anti-Semitism throughout history were pogroms, violent riots launched against Jews and frequently encouraged by government authorities.

Pogroms were often incited by blood libels, or false rumours that Jews used the blood of Christian children for ritual purposes. In the modern era, anti-Semites added a political dimension to their ideology of hatred. In the last third of the nineteenth century, anti-Semitic political parties were formed in Germany, France, and Austria. Today, these would appear to be on the increase again. Publications such as the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" generated or provided support for fraudulent theories of an international Jewish conspiracy. A potent component of political anti-Semitism was nationalism, whose adherents often falsely denounced Jews as disloyal citizens. So far of course, I have mentioned a time span that is well past our modern era... or is it? Surely in the year 2010, anti-Semitism can't still be with us?

Sadly, it is, for anti-Semitism in one country in particular, France is strongly on the rise, according to the 2009 annual report released late last week by the Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ). The organisation reported that 832 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in France in 2009, as compared with 474 such incidents in 2008 - a 75% increase. The statistics were gleaned from records in the organisation's Aid to Victims Department, which cross-checked the figures with data published by the French Ministry of Home Affairs. Included were “statistics, comments, analyses and extracts from sentences handed out by courts in cases involving anti-Semitism,” according to the Council Representing Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF). Needless to say, France are not alone, yet this report is very disturbing. CRIF President Richard Prasquier attributed the increase to the French population's anger at Israel during its counter-terrorist operation in Gaza, Cast Lead, last January. There were 354 anti-Semitic incidents recorded in January 2009 alone - a “totally unacceptable transposition to France of the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Prasquier said. He added that “anti-Semitic words and deeds on a daily basis, often under the cover of anti-Zionism, have become a major and worryingly trivial fact of life.” Anti-Semitic incidents in Canada also reached record highs in 2009, according to an annual report released by the B'nai Brith Canada organization. The survey showed an 11.4 percent jump in the number of incidents over the previous year, 2008 – a figure that constituted the highest level ever reported in the 28-year history of the audit.

What of the UK... do we suffer still with anti-Semitism? Well this week, in an edition of BBC Radio 4 "Start The Week" - hosted by Andrew Marr, the subject covered was very interesting. Although the programme lasts 45 minutes, if you click on the link and move the slide forward to 12.30 minutes, you can hear one of the guests - Anthony Julius - who has some very informative material on both past and present British Anti-Semitism. Click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r9xr. Anthony Julius states that there are many kinds of anti-Semitism, and among them there are four that have an English provenance, either wholly or in substantial part. Of the fourth kind of anti-Semitism, Julius states is now "more European than English but has a particularly English history, stemming from the intimacy of association between England and the Zionist project from the mid-19th century through to the mid-1950s. It denies to Jews the rights that it upholds for other, comparable peoples. It adheres to the principle of national self-determination, except in the Jews’ case. It affirms international law, except in Israel’s case. It does not understand that supporting the cause of Palestinian nationhood is one thing, while denying the right of Jews to live in their own state is quite another. It is outraged by the Jewish nature of the state of Israel, but is untroubled by, say, the Islamic nature of Iran or of Saudi Arabia. It regards as racist the social inequalities between Jew and Arab in Israel, while being indifferent to the legal inequalities between Muslim and non-Muslim in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim states."

Anthony Julius goes on to say that today's anti-Semitism "writes out of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the massacres of Jews in Hebron (August 1929), Jerusalem (February 1948), and Kfar Etzion (May 1948), while treating the massacre of Arabs at Deir Yasin (April 1948) as proof of fundamental Zionist iniquity. It is reluctant to take a position on the Chinese occupation of Tibet, while holding the Israeli occupation of the West Bank an indefensible evil of global consequence. It is hostile to the United States, which it believes is dominated by Jews. It plays variations on well-established anti-Semitic tropes and deploys some new ones of its own — principally, that Israel may suitably be compared with Nazi Germany and/or Apartheid South Africa." Christian Friends of Israel will be highlighting Antony Julius' new book in the next edition of the ""In Touch" Magazine".

Trouble brewing? According to sources, a senior Iranian military commander on Monday announced that the Iranian Army is due to test-fire an optimised version of the country's 2,000-pound smart bombs, Qassed (Which I think means "Messenger"?), in the near future. By this, I believe it is clear just what "message" Iran is making. Iranian Air Force Commander Brigadier General Hassan Shahsafi stated that early samples of the new version, called Qassed 2, will be tested in the near future. The General reminded the capabilities of the Iran-made smart bombs, including high-precision and destruction power, and said that Qassed 2 has a longer range than its primary version. He also said that Qassed 1 has already been mass-produced and delivered to the Iranian Air Force.

In September of last year, the Iranian Army's Air Force announced that it had successfully test-fired Qassed 1 and 2, in aerial drills over the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. In relation to this, US officials announced that the United States has expanded land- and sea-based missile defence systems in and around the Persian Gulf to counter what it calls Iran's growing missile threat. Four Mideast countries to have the US system are Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain - which also hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters - and Qatar, which has a modernised US air operations centre that played a key role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Now, although Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has tried to “tone down” any war threats against Iran and Syria, feelings are that something is brewing. Less than a week ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamedinejad visited Syria and from a podium flanked by the Syrian president and the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist group, spoke out once again against the United States and Israel. Iran has more than two tons of low enriched uranium, enriched to four percent, which is more than necessary to run a nuclear reactor geared for benign purposes. The MI official Yossi Baidatz stated that, “Iran has now began enriching to 20% in defiance of the international community – but it is known that enrichment for military purposes needs to go up to 90%", however he said Iran's enrichment progress is "very troubling".

Updates from Isrelate.com As you will no doubt know, Christian Friends of Israel now have a youth website called "Isrelate". Isrelate.com is an online portal connecting Christians to Israel, the Jewish people and God's purposes for young adults at this time in history. With most teenagers today being connected on Facebook (www.facebook.com), MySpace , and Twitter , it is so easy to get messages across the world in seconds. However, those who are very pro-Palestinian, or rather, anti-Israel, are very active on these internet services. I happened to enter the world of one anti-Israel group on facebook and was shocked at the "hatred, aggression, and totally unbalanced and warped attacks they were writing, and encouraging youths to get involved with. From the likes of facebook, the younger generation are then quickly poached in university's with issues of "How can we help the Palestinian cause", and these are readily available in our Uni's in London, Leeds, Manchester and so forth. So as Christians with a love and calling for Israel, just what do you propose we should do to protect our kids? Your answers/suggestions are welcome.

Meanwhile, can I ask that wherever you are, please will you promote Isrelate.com in your churches, and to your youth. You should have all by now received the free isrelate DVD which featured Chip K and Sam Hailes. If you haven't watched it, can I suggest you do, and please pass it on. Should you need more, contact CFI. Isrelate.com is now on Facebook. Please tell your youth about this and sign up for Facebook to connect with Isrelate.com. And do check the site out yourselves... This week, there's the story of the Son of Top Hamas Leader Converts to Christianity and is about to publish his story. Then there's the British Colonel who, despite widespread criticism, is speaking up for Israel and the IDF ~ view this now.... We also share on the adventures in Israel as the people there continue to discover, innovate and invent ~ particularly in the worlds of technology and business. And if all that leaves you wondering 'so what?' then check out the new article from Malcolm Hedding entitled 'Understanding Israel' which will help you discover why Israel matters today.

Remember... there are thousands upon thousands of teenagers out there who have never heard of anything good coming out of Israel. There are thousands upon thousands of kids who use mobile/cell phones and laptop computers day in, day out without realising that without Israel's technology they wouldn't be able to use them... there are thousands upon thousands of people being told to "boycott Israeli goods" yet not told that by doing so, they need to throw their PC's and cell phones away too. SOMEBODY needs to tell them. Please get the message out.

And finally... an update from Jerusalem Although statistics suggest we are slowly coming out of the recession, many ministries are really feeling the effects of the credit crunch. Amongst those struggling are the General Fund of CFI UK (without the general fund, we can't operate as a ministry), and the news from our Jerusalem office sounds as if things are really tough there too. Writing from the CFI Jerusalem office Sharon Sanders shared recently, that funding was well down. On top of this, CFI Jerusalem are battling against the visa situation. Sharon states, "We have just had FOUR MORE KEY PEOPLE who are being kicked out [of Israel] and the Minister of Interior is on a rampage to get Christians out of the Land. Should this continue, one does not know if we can make it or how long now... please ask for people to pray about this real need as Israel needs to recognize who her true friends are." Please can I ask that you bring this before the LORD in prayer.

David Soakell

Sources: Unless otherwise stated: Personal sources throughout Israel along with The Jerusalem Post, BBC News, Arutz-7 News, Israeli Embassy London, Independent Media Review and Analysis & Israel National Radio