PropheZine #101 August 15, 2000 Bob Lally Publisher Lori Eldridge Senior. Editor Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor Zenith Merrill Asst. Editor To Subscribe, Unsubscribe or Change email addresses see notice at the bottom of this newsletter. ====================================================== IN THIS ISSUE ----GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE ----MINISTRY NEWS ----ARTICLES Berit Kjos..... Harry Potter Lures Kids to Witchcraft - With Praise from Christian Leaders Zenith Harris Merrill..... Eretz Israel: God's Eternal Unconditional Gift to the Jewish People barri cae mallin..... A Member of the Tribe ----DEVOTIONALS Spurgeon..... "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."- John 6:37 ----POETRY Linda Reynolds..... The 6th and 7th Dawn ----SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ----SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE ----PRIVACY NOTICE ====================================================== GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE ====================================================== Greetings Everyone, Because of the tension in the Middle East recently, with the world trying to divide up Israel and Jerusalem, we decided that we would provide an article on this subject written from a biblical perspective--something we don't get from the secular media. We are also providing another non-secular look at the Harry Potter books. Also, please join me in welcoming a new poet to PropheZine's Endtime Poetry page , Linda Reynolds. One of her poems is included in this issue of PZ. We also have barri cae mallin who will be providing us with devotionals and short articles from a Jewish perspective in the future. We hope you enjoy this issue Lori Eldridge lorield@uswest.net Senior Editor ====================================================== MINISTRY NEWS by Bob Lally ====================================================== Hi Everyone! CHAT ROOM: By request, I added a nice Chat Room to the site. http://www.prophezine.com/cgi-bin/chat/chat.cgi It does not yet have the PZ look and feel which will give us something to do in the next week or so. DAILY NEWS: We now publish Daily News that is related to "end time prophecy" on the home page. (http://www.prophezine.com) There is a feature to let web site owners carry the news on their sites. Check it out. If you would like to help with locating articles or poems for this Newsletter please contact Lori at lorield@uswest.net If you would like to make a one time donation to PropheZine or possibly become a monthly donor please contact Bob bob@prophezine.com Thank you! Bob Lally PropheZine ************** ARTICLES ************** ====================================================== Harry Potter Lures Kids to Witchcraft - With Praise from Christian Leaders by Berit Kjos ====================================================== See links for background information on Berit's other articles on Harry Potter at the end of this article. "I was eager to get to Hogwarts first because I like what they learned there and I want to be a witch." Gioia Bishop, age 10.[1] "I like the third book because here [Harry] meets his godfather and Professor Lupin, a really cool guy [This really "cool guy" is a shape-shifter who turns into a werewolf]...." Harry Libarle, age 7.[2] http://www.crossroad.to/text/responses/Animorphs.htm "The Pagan Federation has appointed a youth officer to deal with a flood of inquiries following the success of the Harry Potter books which describe magic and wizardry." Potter fans turning to witchcraft. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=306029&in _review_text_id=250010 "Dressing up as wizards and witches, concocting fantasy potions and telling stories were just a few of the games Rowling played as a child with Ian Potter..." Harry Potter and the source of inspiration. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=002724936426381&rtmo=wAQ0ioib&atmo=YYYYYYYp &pg=/et/00/7/1/npot01.html Might Harry Potter seem as real as life to his young fans around the world? Do children accept Harry's lessons in practical witchcraft as an open door to an occult reality? Many Christian leaders have denied any such danger, but author J.K. Rowling admits that this happens. In an interview with Newsweek, http://www.msnbc.com/news/428200.asp#BODY she said, "I get letters from children addressed to Professor Dumbledore [headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the booksı setting], and itıs not a joke, begging to be let into Hogwarts, and some of them are really sad. Because they want it to be true so badly theyıve convinced themselves itıs true." While children everywhere crave supernatural thrills, Great Britain, the birthplace of Harry Potter, has been a wonderland of options for exploring practical witchcraft. And plenty of youth have caught Harry's vision. They want to learn his wizardly ways. Two British reports on this phenomenon show us the obvious: popular forms of occult entertainment "have fueled a rapidly growing interest in witchcraft among children." Naturally, the island's Pagan Federation is pleased. Though it refuses to admit new members under age 18, "it deals with an average of 100 inquiries a month from youngsters who want to become witches, and claims it has occasionally been 'swamped' with calls." [TV shows fuel children's interest in witchcraft http://ananova.com/entertainment/story/television_children-entertainment-rel igion-paganism_926320.html ] "It is quite probably linked to things like Harry Potter, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Buffy The Vampire Slayer," explains the Federation's media officer, Andy Norfolk. "Every time an article on witchcraft or paganism appears, we had a huge surge in calls, mostly from young girls."[Potter fans turning to witchcraft http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=306029&in _review_text_id=250010 ] This trend worries John Buckeridge, editor of Youthwork, a British Christian magazine. Unlike U.S. church-leaders who back Harry Potte, he spots danger ahead. "The growing number of books and TV shows like Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch encourage an interest in magic as harmless fun," he warms. "However for some young people it could fuel a fascination that leads to dangerous dabbling with occult powers. So what starts out as spooks and spells can lead to psychological and spiritual damage." [3] But Mr. Norfolk disagrees. His reasoning makes witchcraft sound both safe and responsible. "Our youth officer will explain things like the principle ethic of witchcraft," he assures skeptics, "that you should not cause harm to anyone - and that it's not just an easy way to get a new boyfriend!"[4] A more "noble" religion It's not surprising that the timeless craving for power and magic has soared with the spread of pagan television shows and Harry Potter books. But today's pagan revival began years earlier. Almost a decade ago, a Wiccan student wrote a promotional article for The Talon, her high school newspaper, about witchcraft. What happened shows both America's Cultural Shift http://www.crossroad.to/text/charts/paradigm3.html and the growing preference for paganism. The student, Leah Mowry, based her conclusions on interviews with several other student witches at Los Altos High School in California.[5] In her article, she boasted that her religion was more tolerant than traditional beliefs taught people to take better care of the environment helped people to empower themselves and only used "good" magic. Soon afterwards, a Christian student, also an editor for The Talon, asked if he could write about Young Life, a Christian group active on their campus. "No," was the response, "because witchcraft is underexposed in our society and Christianity is overexposed." In other words, witches could give public testimonies about the benefits of their religion, but Christians were no longer allowed to express their faith and testimonies.[6] Christianity simply doesn't fit, and Mr. Norfolk of the Pagan Federation thinks he knows why. The Christian Church has failed to provide "the right degree of spirituality for young people," he explains. In contrast, paganism involves "direct communication with the divine." From the Biblical perspective, he is tragically wrong. But that matters little to the masses that want spiritual power without Biblical accountability. With help from television, books, movies and other media, Christianity's reputation has been badly smeared. Blamed for hatred, conflict, wars and environmental abuse http://www.crossroad.to/text/charts/cultural-Christianity.html, it has inspired countless "Christian" leaders to re-imagine their faith and embrace a more "tolerant" view toward the world's fast-growing fascination with pagan practices. Strange council from Christian leaders Typical of our times, a recent report in Christianity Today http://www.christianityonline.com/ct/current/9c13/9c13b.html seems to base its approval of Harry Potter, not on the Bible, but on popular consensus among admired Christian leaders. "As far as I can tell," writes author Ted Olsen, "while no major Christian leader has come out to condemn J.K. Rowling's series, many have given it the thumbs-up. If our readers know of any major Christian leader who has actually told Christians not to read the books, I'd be happy to know about it; but in my research, even those Christians known for criticizing all that is popular culture have been pretty positive about Potter." To prove his point, Mr. Olsen quotes seven Christian leaders and publications: 1. Chuck Colson, in his Breakpoint (11-2-1999) http://www.icrn.com/playit.asp?sc=pf&sid=5&d=19991102 radio broadcast, commended Harry and his friends for their "courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for one another even at the risk of their lives." Colson dismissed the pagan practices as "purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. That is, Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals but they don't make contact with a supernatural world. [It's not] the kind of real-life witchcraft the Bible condemns." 2. World Magazine (5-29-1999) praised http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/05-29-99/cultural_3.asp Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as "a delight with a surprising bit of depth." Author Roy Maynard assured World readers that "Rowling keeps it safe, inoffensive, and non-occult. This is the realm of Gandalf and the Wizard of Id, not witchcraft. There is a fairy-tale order to it all in which, as Chesterton and Tolkien pointed out, magic must have rules, and good does not cannot mix with bad." 3. World's second article toned down the enthusiasm. "A reader drawn in would find that the real world of witchcraft is not Harry Potter's world. Neither attractive nor harmless, it is powerful and evil." (October 30, 1999) 4. The British Christianity magazine praised the series. In a issue, Mark Greene, Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, wrote a note of regret for not giving it to his god-daughter earlier: "I wish I'd been the one to introduce her to Harry fine lad you know, courageous, resourceful, humble, fun, good mind. Comes from good stock, you know. She could do worse, far worse. And, as far as literary companions go, frankly, not much better." 5. A Christian Century (12-1-99) editorial, http://www.christiancentury.org/"Wizards and Muggles," states, "Rowling is not the first fantasy writer to be attacked by conservative Christians. Even the explicitly Christian writer Madeleine L'Engle http://www.christianityonline.com/bc/8b3/8b3034.html has taken heat for the 'magic' elements in A Wrinkle in Time. Such critics are right in thinking that fantasy writing is powerful and needs to be taken seriously. But we strongly doubt that it fosters an attachment to evil powers. Harry's world, in any case, is a moral one." 6. Focus on the Family gave a mixed review. According to Ted Olsen, the advice offered by Focus's critic, http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/genl/a0008833.html Lindy Beam was simply, "Apart from the benefit of wise adult guidance in reading these books, it is best to leave Harry Potter on the shelf." 7. Wheaton College professor Alan Jacobs concludes that Harry Potter stories promote "a kind of spiritual warfare. A struggle between good and evil. There is in books like this the possibility for serious moral reflection[and] the question of what to do with magic powers is explored in an appropriate and morally serious way." (September/October http://www.marshillaudio.org/catalog/current_tape.shtml Mars Hill Audio Journal)[7] Is it really? Take a look at the other side of this issue. Biblical answers to occult seductions. Since even "Christians" are fast replacing the pursuit of God with the pursuit of pleasure, God's standards would hardly win a popularity contest. Today's popular versions of Christianity has wisely rejected some of the stiff legalism of the past, but it has also tossed out God's much-needed guidelines and warnings. The result is license to do almost anything that feels good. Christians who refuse to compromise are often demeaned as old-fashioned kill-joys who bring reproof and embarrassment to those who fear offending the world with the whole truth of the gospel. That's why Jesus warned us long ago, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.... Remember the words I spoke to you: ... If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.... for they do not know the One who sent me." (John 15:18-21) God gave us His Word that we might know Him. The Bible reveals His heart, will and ways. It alone can show us what is truth or error in those seven public responses to the Harry Potter phenomenon. 1. Chuck Colson praised Harry and his friends for their "courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice... for one another even at the risk of their lives." Those qualities can be found in almost any culture. But, according to the Bible, a brave person is no more free to pursue paganism than a coward. Harry's occult skills -- witchcraft, sorcery, casting spells, spiritism, interpreting omens and "calling up the dead" fit into a category God tells us not even to discuss. "For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord...." (Eph. 5:10-12, Deut. 18:9-12) Colson's dismissal of the dangers of delighting in such evils as "purely mechanical," makes no sense from a Biblical perspective. He says that "Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals but they don't make contact with a supernatural world." Where then does their power come from? Natural rather than supernatural forces? Of course not. Rowling doesn't acknowledge the source, but anyone who has researched witchcraft and talked with contemporary pagans will see the alarming parallels between contemporary occultism and Rowling's seductive message to children. (If you find this hard to believe, please read chapters 4 and 8 of A Twist of Faith http://www.crossroad.to/Books/TwistofFaith/1-Father-Mother.html) 2. World Magazine (5-29-1999) made the same error. Calling Harry Potter's world "a delight... safe, inoffensive, and non-occult," is misleading assurance. True, "magic must have rules," but the primary rule of the occult is that Satan doesn't offer free and easy favors for long. He may indulge seekers in a free ride for a while, but as soon as his victims have been captivated by his lures -- all of which are counterfeits of what God offers those who follow Him -- he begins to demand his payoff. Suddenly the bright side of evil turns dark indeed. Attempts to resist or turn back usually lead to spiritual terrors and oppression.[8] As World indicated, "good does not cannot mix with bad" but not because "good" motives are always "good," even in a pagan context. God's good is corrupted when adapted to a pagan setting. In fact, God doesn't want what He considers good to be linked to the occult. He sends us out to pagans to share His love, but we cannot delight in what He calls evil. God shows us His reason in a most politically incorrect message: "What fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?.... For we are the temple of the living God.... 'Therefore come out from them and be separate," says the Lord.'" (2 Cor. 6:14-17) 3. World's second article maintained that "the real world of witchcraft is not Harry Potter's world. Neither attractive nor harmless, it is powerful and evil." Actually, today's pagan movement is attractive to anyone disillusioned by unfriendly churches. It entices seekers by showing the "light" side of occultism. Contemporary witches -- both men and women -- that I have met are sincere, often compassionate, usually well educated and frustrated with today's rampant materialism. Few look evil. Instead, they demonstrate God's warning in 2 Cor. 11:14-15, "For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness...." The younger generation of pagans show another side. Many dabble in black magic and the other "dark arts" that are so seductively taught at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[9] Apart from the fantasy setting and dramatic demonstrations of magic, there is little difference between Harry's skills and the real world of the occult. 4. Mark Greene's endorsement in the British Christianity raises some serious questions. What does he mean by "Harry -- fine lad you know.... Comes from a good stock...." Is he referring to Harry's parents -- a witch and a wizard? One thing is certain. This attitude is driving the current transformation of the Church. It's time for serious Christians to "count the cost" and be ready to stand uncompromisingly strong in the Truth God has given us. 5. The Christian Century http://www.christiancentury.org/ denies that Harry Potter "fosters an attachment to evil powers." It calls Harry's world "a moral one." It's wrong on both points. Just review the testimony from the Pagan Federation, which reaps the fruit from the soaring interest in Witchcraft. Second, Harry and his friends may show loyalty to each other and courage in the face of danger. But they also lie and steal. Would you call that a moral world? Kenneth McCormick http://www.crossroad.to/News/Harry-letters.htm adds this insight: "stealing, lies, hate, revenge, and even murder are presented in a complete absence of moral conflict. Lying exists, of course, in the plots of many children's books, but there is normally an at least tacit recognition that lying is a moral problem of some sort." 6. Focus on the Family critic, http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/genl/a0008833.html Lindy Beam came closest to the truth. The last part of her counsel is right: "Apart from the benefit of wise adult guidance in reading these books, it is best to leave Harry Potter on the shelf." As for the first half of her counsel, it might be good to remember God's definition of wisdom: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." The fear of the Lord involves a sober awareness of what He loves, of what He despises, and of the consequences of disobedience and rebellion against Him. It leads to a sincere desire to please Him, heartfelt gratefulness for His mercy, and unending delight in His loving presence. So when we choose to "fear the Lord" we will heed Romans 12:9, "Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." Among the obvious evils are the practices listed in Deuteronomy 18:9-12: witchcraft, sorcery, spellcasting, divination, calling up the dead, etc. In other words, children who delight in Harry's occult world of spells and magic will naturally learn to enjoy evil and crave more. But they cannot "cling to what is good" while they love evil. The two are incompatible. (Click here to compare Deut. 28 with passages from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry4.htm) In other words, "wise adult guidance" would most likely choose to "leave Harry Potter on the shelf." 7. Wheaton College professor Alan Jacobs suggests that the Harry Potter books offer "the possibility for serious moral reflection[and] the question of what to do with magic powers is explored in an appropriate and morally serious way." His words make no sense from a Biblical perspective. Since white magic, like black magic, is "an abomination" to God -- and since white magic is far more deceptive and seductive -- neither is good. Books written from an occult perspective cannot explore magic powers in "an appropriate and morally serious way" -- without redefining the word moral and rejecting the Bible. A context or setting that approves occultism will turn God's values upside down. Praising the practices God condemns, Professor Jacobs illustrates the timeless message of Isaiah 5:20: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! Tempting options and wide-open doors Ted Olsen ended his defense of Harry with a quote by J. K Rowling: "I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, 'Ms. Rowling, I'm so glad I've read these books because now I want to be a witch." The fact is -- whether Ms Rowling heard it from a fan or not -- many children are pursuing the real-life versions of witchcraft because they have learned to love Harry's world. Ten-year-old Gioia Bishop said it well, "I was eager to get to Hogwarts first because I like what they learned there and I want to be a witch."[10] It's no wonder J.K. Rowling, a most talented writer, can so effectively inspire children. She grew up loving the occult. The article, Harry Potter and the source of inspiration http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=002724936426381&rtmo=wAQ0ioib&atmo=YYYYYYYp &pg=/et/00/7/1/npot01.html, describes her childhood fascination and those who inspired the main characters in her books. For example, her early view of Harry was shaped by her playmate Ian Potter "whose childhood antics have startling similarities to those of the fictional schoolboy wizard." Together, they began to role-play the practices that made her books so exciting. "We used to dress up and play witches all the time," explained Ian's sister Vikki. "My brother would dress up as a wizard. Joanne was always reading to us.... we would make secret potions for her. She would always send us off to get twigs for the potions." Apparently, Ms Rowling knew how to find the books that nurtured her fascination even as a child. Now she, in turn, spreads her love for the occult to children around the world. Without a firm foundation in Biblical truth, they have little resistance to her seductive call. And since most older children have been thoroughly immersed in the multicultural world view in their public schools, they are likely to prefer paganism to Christianity. From the world's perspective, why shouldn't they? Why not follow the crowd and seek a new consensus in the name of peace and unity? After all, "paganism is recognized as a valid religion," says Mr. Norfolk of the Pagan Federation. He sees no reason why parents should be alarmed by their children's sudden interest in magic. Neither does a spokesman from the Roman Catholic Church. "I haven't heard anything within the Catholic religion that suggests this is anything to be concerned about," he said.[11] Our local library held a Harry Potter party on August 2. About a hundred children showed up to decorate Wizard hats and paint the lightening mark of Harry Potter fans on their foreheads. They provided a captive audience for adult fans of Harry's world view. Parents had to wait outside. Preparing children for spiritual battle Remember, this is spiritual warfare. God's enemy fights as hard as ever to win the hearts and loyalties of our children -- and he has added all kinds of high-tech tools to his armory. To resist his strategies, they first need to understand the Biblical world view. That's why God told His people long ago to base all conversation -- day and night -- on His unchanging truth: "These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit... walk... lie down, and when you rise up. (Deut. 6:6-7) Everything we say must reflect the reality of God, His love and sovereignty, His promises and His warnings. To prove that our God is far greater than the pantheon of alternatives, our lives must demonstrate faith in the midst of difficulties and His triumph in the midst of turmoil. This is possible, not by our own strength, but by His power and grace. Then, seeing His greatness, children learn to trust His promises. Likewise, The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18 http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/armorofgod.html) begins and ends with the power of His Word. First, we "put on the belt of Truth," which holds all the other pieces -- His righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation -- in place. The last part, "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," is simply His truth and promises memorized, remembered and affirmed as we face each day's challenge. This two-edged sword is our main weapon in every battle. It exposes lies and uncovers deceptions while it strengthens our faith and lifts our hearts. The world can't understand it, and many so-called Christians despise it. But to those who love God, it brings the hope, strength, joy and perseverance needed to walk with Him in peace no matter what happens. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Footnote [1] "What Readers Think About Goblet?" San Francisco Chronicle, 7-26 [2] "Harry's Biggest Fans," San Francisco Chronicle, 7-26 [3] Potter fans turning to witchcraft http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=306029&in _review_text_id=250010 [4] TV shows fuel children's interest in witchcraft http://ananova.com/entertainment/story/television_children-entertainment-rel igion-paganism_926320.html [5]Leah Mowery, "Mystical Misconceptions Haunt Students," The Talon, 7 June 1991. [6] Based on the above Wiccan article and on personal interviews with the Christian student [7] Ted Olsen Christianity Today http://www.christianityonline.com/ct/current/9c13/9c13b.html [8] See A Twist of Faith http://www.crossroad.to/Books/TwistofFaith/1-Father-Mother.html) See Under the Spell of Mother Earth http://www.crossroad.to/text/books.html [9] Potter fans turning to witchcraft http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=306029&in _review_text_id=250010 [10] "What Readers Think About Goblet?" San Francisco Chronicle, 7-26. [11] Potter fans turning to witchcraft http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=306029&in _review_text_id=250010 Other articles by Berit Kjos on Harry Potter: Bewitched by Harry Potter, http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry9-99.html Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry4.htm and Harry Potter and Dungeons & Dragons http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/D&D&Harry.htm Berit Kjos http://www.crossroad.to/index.html ====================================================== Eretz Israel: God's Eternal Unconditional Gift to the Jewish People by Zenith Harris Merrill ====================================================== Genesis 15:17-21, 17:7: "And it came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, [there appeared] a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.'" "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you." During the reign of Russia's Peter the Great (1672-1725), an aged preacher of the Word was imprisoned because of his testimony for Christ. One night the Czar called the aged saint before him and asked the question, "Can you give me one infallible proof to verify the Bible?" The old man replied, "Yes, Sire, the Jew." Frederick the Great (1712-86) once said to his chaplain, "Show me a miracle." The chaplain replied, "Sire, it is the Jews." Napoleon (1769-1821) was asked by his marshals, who were atheists, if he believed there was a God. Napoleon pointed to Marshal Masena, a Jew, and said "Gentlemen, there is the unmistakable argument that there is a God!" Israel is the only nation ever created by Almighty God. There are three essentials for nationhood: a people, a government and a homeland. 1. A People: Genesis 12:2; 17:7: [God spoke to Abraham] "And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;" "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you." 2. A Government: God gave Israel a constitution as a nation and with it a government. This was the covenant with Israel through Moses found in Ex.19 - Leviticus 27, plus Deuteronomy). God foretold punishment for disobedience, with their resulting Diaspora and their subsequent return to their land. 3. A Homeland: Genesis 17:8 "And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" This is the Biblical and historical basis for the right to the land which the Jewish people claim. This covenant was given by God to guarantee the continuous existence of Abraham's descendants (through Isaac and Jacob) to the present day. This covenant was confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 17:19, 21) and to Jacob (Gen 25:23; 35:9-15). God's faithfulness to his promises of rewards for obedience or punishment for disobedience and to protect and guarantee the existence of the Jews as a people is the only explanation for their miraculous continued existence today. I say this because at the time God "chose" the Jewish people, through whom to bring the blessed Messiah, "the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world," Satan also chose the Jewish people. Their continued existence, in spite of hellish repeated attempts to either exterminate or assimilate them into other cultures, is the security of the Christian. If God could not be trusted to fulfill His ancient unconditional promise of "Eretz Israel," the land of Israel, to the Jewish people, then our own assurance, as Christians, of God's promise of eternal salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ, would have no guarantee either. We need no greater proof than the return of the land of Israel to the Jewish people, after 1,900 years (70 A.D. to 1948 A.D.). God recorded the Jewish people's exclusive ownership of the city of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 2:19-20 (445-430 BC): "But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. 'What is this you are doing?' they asked. 'Are you rebelling against the king?' I answered them by saying, 'The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.' These words from Holy Scripture, telling God's view of the ownership of Jerusalem, are as true today as the days in which they were written 2,500 years ago. After modern Jewish reconstruction began in Jerusalem in the middle of the nineteenth century, the Arabs attached importance to living in Jerusalem for the first time in history. Palestine has never existed as an independent country under Arab or any other Moslem administration. Although, the Jews represented a population majority, from 1920 onward, successive Arab attacks encouraged as well as permitted by the ruling British, gradually squeezed the majority of the Jews out of the Old City of Jerusalem and into the New. When immediately attacked by the surrounding Arab nations, after declaring their independence in 1948, the final remnant, a handful of defenders, surrendered to the Jordanians when their ammunition ran out. The city was then divided for 19 years, until Israel recaptured it in their war of defense against the sneak Arab attack in 1967. The Arabs' slight and superficial relationship to the city has only been expanded into a claim of an uncompromising, even exclusive, ownership of East Jerusalem, in our generation. ("Holy City," Encounter, February 1968). Palestine has no historical significance to Islam, nor is Jerusalem even mentioned in the Quran. During the 19 years, Jordan controlled East Jerusalem, they tried to obliterate the Jewish presence and the signs of Jewish identity. All the ancient synagogues were destroyed. In the ruins of the Hurvah, the most famous of these, a small stable for goats or donkeys was erected. The ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City, was torn up; some of its tombstones were used for paving and others for lavatory seats in Jordanian army camps ("The Undivided City," Israel Magazine, no.2 Tel Aviv, April 1968) On Friday, 21 July, 2000, a UK BBC press release reported: "Barak accepts US brokered Jerusalem plan. Mustafa Barghoulthi of the Palestinian Research and Policy Unit told the BBC that the Palestinians have already made an enormous concession by accepting that their future state would be less than 22% of what he described as "historic Palestine." "As the Middle East peace talks continue outside Washington, the Israelis have given details for the first time of the concessions they are prepared to make to resolve the deadlock over the future status of Jerusalem." "Israeli cabinet minister Michael Melchior said Prime Minister Ehud Barak had accepted a US proposal to give the Palestinians administrative control over parts of East Jerusalem with, as he put it, some signs of sovereignty. A CNN report in July, 2000, told how Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat joined President Bill Clinton at Camp David to try to make history. Their aim is to create two homelands from one relatively small slab of turf wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Negotiators are haggling over borders for a proposed Palestinian state, to be carved out of land occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, which includes the eastern half of Jerusalem." The word Palestine is a Latinized version of Philistine, coined by the Roman government in 132/135A.D. after the collapse of the Bar Kocha revolt. In Hebrew, Philistine means intruder, invader. Substituting this name for the God given name of the land of Israel was an attempt to revise history and wipe out the name Israel and any Jewish claim to the land. The term Palestinia which is the Latin version of Philistea, the land of the Philistines (Palestinians) means the land of the intruders or invaders. CNN (July 17, 2000) reported that "the dispute over the city (Jerusalem) could be the show-stopper, the insoluble riddle that brings the whole process crashing down. Barak had promised his people that 'Yerushalayim' will remain the 'eternal and undivided' capital of Israel; Arafat has told Clinton that he fears assassination if he turns his back on the sacred city the Arabs call Al-Quds; he demands that the capital of the Palestinian state be located there, too." This willingness to split the ancient city reminded me of the true mother who refused to divide her child, in 1st Kings 3:24-26, when the false mother before King Solomon agreed to split the child in two, making it obvious to him that the real mother was she who refused to divide the child. Previous Israeli leader, Shimon Peres however, was involved in unethical and secret intrigue to bring about international control. The intelligence newsletter Inside Israel, reported that then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres sent a letter to Yasser Arafat in October of 1993 "committing Israel to respect PLO governing institutions in Jerusalem. Peres initially denied the letter's existence, then admitted that the letter had been sent, a revelation from Mark Halter, a close friend of Peres revealed. 'In May of 1994, he had delivered a letter from Peres to the Pope outlining the Foreign Minister's plans for Jerusalem in which Peres offered to hand over sovereignty of Jerusalem's Old City to the Vatican.'" Interestingly, the meaning of Israeli politician Peres' name is "divide," for it appears in Daniel 3:28: "Peres; Thy kingdom is divided," Peres's secret plan would have had both an Israeli and a Palestinian mayor, both of whom would have been under the authority of the Vatican. John Paul II interviewed in 1994 in Parade magazine, said "We trust that, with the approach of the year 2000 Jerusalem will become the city of peace for the entire world and that all the people will be able to meet there, in particular the believers in the religions that find their birthright in the faith of Abraham" [including the Muslims]. Jordan's King Hussein, to bolster his claim to Jordanian control over Jerusalem's holy sites, declared that "only God has the right to decide who will own the Temple Mount and Jerusalem." A Jerusalem Post commentator, on October 1, 1994, noted "He is, of course, correct. But the question then becomes, whose God? For Hussein's Allah does not mention Jerusalem even once in the Quran, while the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh and the New Testament together refer to the city over 800 times." Zechariah 1:17, "Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'" Zechariah 2:3-5,8-13, "And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, 'Run, speak to that young man, saying, Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. For I,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.' For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye. For behold, I will wave My hand over them, so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me. Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,' declares the LORD. 'And many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.' " The God of Israel has already exercised His right to decide. And He has given Jerusalem to the Jews as their inheritance in perpetuity... a fact which challenges the insidious 'interfaith' theology equating God with the Allah of Islam. The entire Old City of Jerusalem of Jesus' day, the original walled city of David's day is contained within the boundaries of what is now being called "Arab East Jerusalem." This is the Hallowed land which the Jews longed for as they recited "Next Year in Jerusalem" on Passover for 1,900 years. It was Adolph Hitler, in Mein Kampf who said that the public is much more likely to believe a lie if it is a really big lie. The entire media keeps mimicking the phrase "Arab East Jerusalem," as though this somehow makes it true, although, according to Battleground: Fact & Fantasy In Palestine by Samuel Katz, at no time in history has there ever been a Palestinian government, either in Jerusalem or the whole of Israel. So, is the very heart of Israel now to belong to the Arabs because the entire media has bought into it? - and this, without checking into historical facts or boundaries??? All of West Jerusalem, with which the Jewish people are now supposed to be content, is a city of modern structures, built within the last century or so, and devoid of their ancient and sacred history. This false "peace process" - which has proven to be no peace at all for Israel, will not stand for long, because God has said it won't. It's His land and He has given it to Abraham's seed (Genesis 12:7), in an everlasting covenant... which has not yet been completely fulfilled, but will be at some point in the future, because God has said so - irregardless of anything President Clinton and/or Secretary of State Albright or other future misguided leaders of our country might attempt to force upon Israel at the present time. Because as the government of this country, they represent us, and because they're sticking their finger in God's eye, the United States, as a nation, will be judged! By 2005, it has been widely reported that Iran, Iraq and North Korea will all have sufficient nuclear warheaded missiles to attack us, thanks to our own technology shared with them by China, which, in exchange for millions of dollars now traced to them, which were donated in campaign contributions to his 1992 election and 1996 re-election, this administration has mysteriously allowed China to obtain. Will God use these maverick nations to punish us, as a nation who has turned our back on God's Word and His revealed will for Israel? Psalm 121:4: "Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep." The uniqueness of Israel and it's declared capital, Jerusalem, is attested to today, by the desire of almost all of the world's nations for international control over Jerusalem. As Dave Hunt points out in A Cup of Trembling: Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy, "Secular governments don't believe what the Bible says about Jerusalem, so why do they consider this small, isolated Middle East city to be so special? There is no international agreement giving other nations any control over Jerusalem. Yet it is treated as though it belongs not to Israel but to the rest of the world." "It is unreasonable and unprecedented. The nations of the world have agreed among themselves that Jerusalem cannot be the capital of Israel, even though Israel so designated it and located its Knesset (parliament) there in 1980. For a comparison, consider the case of East Germany. When that defeated country, in defiance of the Potsdam agreement, designated East Berlin as its capital, the nations of the world acquiesced immediately without a murmur of protest." "Not so with Jerusalem. Why would a world that doesn't believe the Bible's promises concerning Jerusalem treat this city as though what the Bible said were true? That Jerusalem holds the key to world peace is too obvious to argue. The fact that Jerusalem, of all the world's cities, should play such a role makes no sense at all unless one accepts what the Bible says about it." The Jewish people's continued existence, scattered all over the world these last 1,900 years, exposed to practically every genetic strain that exists, yet still a people who have retained their ethnic, social and religious similarities which no one can fail to identify is a miracle. Their amazing resiliency is overshadowed by another miracle: the 100% accuracy of the Biblical prophets, God's great prophets of Israel, in their prophecies made thousands of years ago, foretelling the survival of the Jews and their return to Eretz Israel. The existence of Jewish people, scattered in most countries of the earth but maintaining their distinctive nationality, can be attributed only to the supernatural power and special purpose of God. "America is an excellent example of what one could expect when Irishmen, Italians, Englishmen, Swedes, Poles, Frenchmen and all the other nationalities of the earth live freely side by side," according to Tim LaHaye in The Beginning of the End. "Slowly but surely there is a blending of nationalities, cultural traits and traditions. Many countries, after three or four hundred years, have such a blending until it becomes difficult to distinguish one from the other. The Jews provide the one international exception." No one has ever met a Hittite or an Assyrian or a Phistine or an Amalekite because these peoples are all extinct. If there were no distinct Jews to be regathered to the land of Israel, God and His Word would be subject to ridicule because God's prophets made so many predictions about the future of Israel in God's plan. God has said: "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can [My name] be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another." Isaiah 48:11 Throughout the history of the human race, the title deed to the land of Israel will remain the exclusive property of the Jewish people. To believe otherwise is to deny the very Word of God: Jeremiah 31:35-37. "Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name:" " 'If this fixed order departs from before Me,' declares the LORD, 'Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.'" "Thus says the LORD, 'If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,' declares the LORD." Copyright İ 2000 Zenith Harris Merrill http://www.bloomington.in.us/~lgthscac/ ====================================================== A Member of the Tribe by barri cae mallin ====================================================== In high school, many of our family discussions occurred around the dinner table. As I was the oldest and the only girl, I had to initiate the path for dating. If I announced at the table that I had a date, my father's first question was almost always, "Is he a member of the tribe?" Now if you are reading this and you are Jewish, you know EXACTLY what he meant. But if you are reading this and you are not Jewish, my father was not asking if my date was a Sioux, or Pawnee, or Mohican. My father's intent was to determine if the young man was Jewish. "Member of the tribe" is one of those Jewish "cliches." I do remember asking my father from what tribe are we? And I was very disappointed when he told me that we were from the tribe of Judah. For even now in the synagogue, the 'tribal' system is still in effect. On each Shabbat, when one is called up to read the Torah (called an aliyah- ah-lee-yah) not just anyone can be called up. Only those Jewish men with the last name of Aaron, Cohen, Cohn, Kahn, Cahn etc are allowed, as their last name signifies that they are from the lineage of Aaron, the Aaronic priesthood. Thus, their last name, Cohen (or derivative) indicates that they are a descendant from Aaron, and the word "priest" in Hebrew is Cohen (ko-hain). If your name is Abramowitz or Sternberg or Mallin you will NEVER find yourself up at the Bima (dais) to read the Torah as the first reader. And in some synagogues, the Number 2 reading goes to one named Levy, Levine, Levitt, Leviton etc, as their name comes from the tribe of Levi. Finally, on aliyah Number 3, can us commoners come forth. All the others would be from the Tribe of Judah, unless they are from some of the lost tribes which are now coming forth, those from Ethiopia and China. Our LORD Yeshua Jesus was from the tribe of Judah - the common people. Back when Jesus lived on earth, the Temple was the heart and center of worship. The sacred enclosure in Greek was called the hieron. The Naos is the Greek name for the Holy of Holies. Jesus never entered the Holy of Holies during His earthly ministry. The right of such entry was only allowed by the Jewish priests, and to them, Jesus was a commoner. In the Contemporary English version of the Bible, we read in Hebrews 7:11-26 various verses: Even though the law of Moses says priests must be Levi descendants, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a Priest like Melchizedek (who was NOT from Cohen or Levi) rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. The person we are talking about is our LORD, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. Everyone knows that He came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said that priests could come from that tribe. Since the law couldn't make man perfect, a new system was necessary. Melchizedek never had mother or father, yet he served as a priest. (Genesis 14:17-20) God made a promise when He appointed Jesus as Chief Priest. I the LORD promise that You will be a priest forever! And I will never change my mind! Yeshua Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. There have been a lot of other priests, and all of them have died. But Yeshua Jesus will never die! He is forever able to save the people He leads to God, because He lives to speak to God for them. Yeshua Jesus is the High Priest (Cohen Gadol in Hebrew) that we need. He was holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. The place that was restricted to Him on earth, He has made access to it for us, through His flesh. His highest calling was to lay down His life and die. And God brought Him back to live and rule and reign, and now He sits at God's right hand. And He intercedes for all - all nations, colors, races, peoples, tribes. "Because You were killed and with Your own blood You bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation and race. The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praises. Revelation 5:9,12 barri cae mallin ******************* DEVOTIONALS ****************** Spurgeon "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." - John 6:37 No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, "I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming," but, "I will in no wise cast out. " The original reads, "I will not, not cast out," or "I will never, never cast out. " The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last. But suppose the believer sins after coming? "If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." But suppose that believers backslide? "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. " But believers may fall under temptation! "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. " But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but he will "Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; he will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow"; "From all their iniquities will I cleanse them. " "Once in Christ, in Christ for ever, Nothing from his love can sever." "I give unto my sheep," saith he, "eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." What sayest thou to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, thou dost not come to One who will treat thee well for a little while, and then send thee about thy business, but he will receive thee and make thee his bride, and thou shalt be his for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: "I will in no wise cast out." ******************* POETRY ******************* The 6th and 7th Dawn by Linda Reynolds I will rise above God! I will strike the heel of man. I will be wisest of all. The angels will follow me, I will chortle in the face of Him, who is Most High. I will laugh as I buffet them will sorrow. and crush them with pain. "Who is your God?" "Where is the promise of His coming?" My children will be free to play, they will have the power over all the Earth! May the simple in mind continue to worship Him who would contend with me. I will harm His children in their Mother's womb, and cause his own to marry one another, only to cast aside the one for the other. I will delude them and I will rend them away. His only Son will I scourge and shame, for He would not worship me. I will kill Him, and he will never be above me. My own shall spit upon Him, and nail Him to a tree. Slowly will I chip away at His power over them until they believe Him no more. They will submerge His visage in that which is tainted of man and animal. Then will I turn on them that followed me. They shall be as dumb animals, and I will scream in laughter at their calamity. I will hate and choke them with their own blood. Who is this that rides toward me on a white horse? I need such a rider for my army! But NO! It is the FAITHFUL and TRUE! He is the SON of the MOST HIGH! Oh that I might hide, but where can I go? The mountains are made low, the valleys are exalted! The Earth quakes under my feet. His clothing have the color of blood, and His eyes are like a flaming fire! Behold the army behind Him, Who hath seen such an army? Oh WOE! WOE! WOE! it is the Lamb of God! THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! JESUS OF NAZARETH! It was your own that sinned against you! Please do not cast us into the Lake of Fire! We are DAMNED False Prophet, Woe be unto US! We will be tormented in this dark place forever! Surely this is not my fault, but your own, my followers have failed me miserably. I do not deserved such an everlasting damnation! Yes, Lucifer you do. This poem was written for one purpose, that purpose being to allow whoever will read it to think about the coming of Jesus Christ, which is very near. Everything within me that has value comes from Him. I have not lived as though I should be a joint heir of Christ, but Hallelujah I am. Nothing is worth the eternal damnation of hell, which is very very real. You simply cannot put off accepting Jesus as your Savior, for we have no idea how long we will live, nor how long He will tarry. He will not force you to believe, he stand at the door and knocks. Please act responsibly and open that door to Him. You will never regret it. Linda Reynolds Reyn507@gateway.net ======================================== SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: ======================================== PZ is always looking for new articles, poetry and devotional submissions to PropheZine so if you're interested please observe the way we format the articles and send them in--the more closely the format fits PZ the less work is involved and the more likely we will utilize your article as long as it is scripturally sound. 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