In the News….
Lately we have heard of peace with Hezbollah but another front of war is opening. Last week we saw how Syrian rebels took Damascus and Syria and how Assad has fled the country to Moscow. We will soon see how all of this will play out, for Israel and for the Middle East. In the meantime, war continues with Hamas with more IDF soldiers have recently been killed. It seems that Israel’s neighbors are eager for the war of Psalm 83; this is when 10 neighboring nations will attack Israel together.
Something else that does not stop. For the past year and especially since last October 7, 2003, and for almost every week, we have been reporting antisemitic incidents, but this is because they are constantly increasing in number and intensity as the curve has not ended its upward spiral.
For instance, a survey done across Canada, published last Wednesday, found that 43% of Jewish doctors are experiencing different forms of antisemitism and nearly one third said that they are considering leaving the country. In Ontario, 80% of Jewish health workers say they are experiencing this hatred daily and 73% are dealing with it in academic spaces. Another recent survey, whose result came out last week, was done by the Anti Defamation League in the U.S. They noted that job applicants with a Jewish name had to send 25% more inquiries to receive the same number of responses as applicants with Gentile names. And if the names were Israelis, they needed to send 40% more inquiries.
A picture taken last February, shows an anti-Israel protester climbing atop a scaffolding outside the Mount Sinai Jewish Hospital in Toronto, waving a Palestinian flag, while others were blocking entrances to the building and shouting anti-Israel chants.
This phenomenon is clearly increasing with time, and so is God’s warning for our world; for these things are precursors of more difficult times to come. And this is not all; in Europe we constantly hear of anti-Jewish incidents. In England, a week ago, two buses carrying students from a London Jewish school were attacked at a bus stop by a swarm of around ten teens from a nearby school who threw large rocks at them. In Holland, many Jews are looking to move to Israel after the November 7 Jew Hunt as they call it when groups of Muslims hunted for Israelis who came to support their soccer team; these with the assistance of taxi drivers of the same ethnic and religious background went on a self-described “Jew Hunt” in the streets of Amsterdam and ambushed Jews, beating and harassing them.
Last week, a synagogue in Melbourn Australia, Adass Israel, was attacked by arsonists and was put on fire while there were some people praying inside. Someone from the synagogue succeeded in saving a Torah, in spite of the fire. The Torah is both a very precious possession and a costly item to replace.
Clearly, it looks like those prophecies of Moses and of the other prophets who predicted such rise of world anti-Jewish hatred is becoming more and more real for us. Especially so is the prophecy given by Zechariah 13:8 where we read that at the end, and just before the Second Coming of Yeshua, And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it. “ This prophecy is among the most horrific and tragic prophecies in the Scriptures. Two-thirds is a lot of people. It never happened yet in history that such a large percentage from any one nation would die in such a short period of time. In the Holocaust it was one third, where six million Jews perished. This is why Joel and Daniel are cited by Yeshua, Who said that For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:21.
This tribulation will not only be for the Jews, but for the whole world. This is a global conflict which begins with Israel and continues with Israel, and will all end there. This will be at Armageddon and the Second Coming.
But let us not be put down by this reality for the Bible also tells us that where sin abounds, grace abounds much. In fact, it far more abounds for it is also the time for the harvest and as antisemitism and rumors of wars and war themselves increase, so the great doors of opportunity are opening up for the Scriptures to speak into many hearts. This is another reality we ought to grasp.
And I take this moment to remind ourselves that Christmas is around the corner. Whatever view we have of this holiday, one thing that is true is that at this season, people are more opened to hear the Gospel than most other times in the year. Did you realize that they are celebrating Jesus’ birthday? They are literally opening themselves up to receive the Word. Whether the date is true or false, it is not the time to argue. Let us take advantage of this moment to remind them whose birthday it is and why He came down to earth.
Let us not miss this opportunity to tell people, everywhere that Yeshua has come to save them from the darkness of this world for His coming has never been so close as it is today.