Ancient Israel, October 2011
ANCIENT ISRAEL
I am delighted to share with you my journey to the holiest of lands, Israel - a tiny nation built on 29 layers of ancient civilizations - a country where both spiritual tolerance and religious persecution stand shoulder to shoulder, gently nudging each other in one of the most contentious cities on Planet Earth-
Jerusalem.When Glenn Beck announced he was holding a rally in Jerusalem to bring awareness to the escalation of anti-semitism, I jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets. Ifd always wanted to see the Holy Land but had struggled to justify the expense. Now I had a legitimate reason for flying half way around the world - to stand in solidarity with a democratic nation of people whose spiritual beliefs were grounded in the same Holy Book as mine.
As I packed my bags, I understood very clearly there would be security risks. After all, we would be sightseeing while the Arab Spring was in full bloom and as daily rockets were being lobbed on Israel's borders. Tensions were also unusually high as Abbas prepared to present his bid for Palestinian statehood to the United Nations; and, the course, the murder of the innocent Israeli Fogel family by Palestinian youth was still fresh on the collective mind of that region. Nevertheless, thousands of us from all over the world took the risk to go, putting our personal effects in order, and praying that God would prepare the way for us as we traveled to stand side by side with other children of Abraham - our Jewish brothers and sisters.
With every turn of the corner, there is beauty and archaeological evidence supporting the claim of the land by the Jewish people for at least 2,900 years. One of the most famous areas related to Bible prophecy is the site of the ancient city state, Megiddo, a mound made of 26 layers of cities overlooking the Jezreel Valley - the place of Armageddon. During Roman rule, this hilltop housed structures for 450-480 horses and supporting stables. And now the hills and valleys in this area are alive with miles of banana trees, vineyards and orchards filled with pomegranates, watermelons, dates, figs, apples, and cherries. What amazing work this nation has done with its hands - miles of irrigation lines laid to bring life to stony, arid lands.
Amos 9:14-15: "I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord.
In 1948, just 60 years ago, please remember that Israel's land was desolate. Since that time the rains have doubled and now it is a garden that produces fruit for all of Europe.
TOUR STOP: Temple Mount
Our tour guide, A Palestinian Christian, was delighted when word came that we would be allowed to ascend to the Temple Mount. He reminded us to dress appropriately - knees and shoulders covered in respect; but he failed to tell us that anything even remotely resembling a cross was taboo. As we walked inside the guarded gate, an altercation ensued between the authorities and our tour guide, at which point several of the women in the group were whisked away to a holding room, simply because they were wearing cross jewelry around their necks. Our tour guide, a man who had been so very protective of us for nine days, now seemed rendered powerless to alter the circumstance. Ah, the disdain for us on the faces of the Muslim authorities there. We were not welcome - just tolerated at this most holy site - a site that belongs not only to the Muslim faith but to the rest of the world as well. So much for religious tolerance. As you pray for peace for Israel, pray also for an environment on the Temple Mount more favorable to Christian worship and prayer. Christians and Jews may enter the Mount only four hours daily, and non-Muslim prayer is not permitted on the sacred site. Israel, of course, has no law against Christians and Jews praying or reading scriptures on the Temple Mount. However, it does have an unwritten agreement with the Muslim religious authorities which prohibits prayer and the presence of the Tanach and the Bible.
Daniel 9:27 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
The Western Wall is venerated as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple. It has become a place of pilgrimage for so many, as it is the closest permitted accessible site to the Foundation Stone where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, where
The Golden Gate used to open directly onto the Temple Mount. Unlike the other gates, this was not built by the Turks. It was constructed in the seventh century over ruins dating back at least to Nehemiah and possibly even to the time of Solomon. The Golden Gate faces the Mount of Olives and has the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world. The Jews believe that the Messiah will pass through here when he re-enters Jerusalem in the end of days. And, of course when the dead are resurrected and return to the city, they want to be first in line to follow him in, thus the burial there of so many. Muslim rulers knew about this Jewish tradition, and so they sealed the gate permanently shut.
Ezekiel 44:1-3. "Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me, this gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same."
What a magnificent setting for the first Glenn Beck rally abroad - Caesarea Maritima by the sea - a port city built by Herod the Great over 2,000 years ago. As the sun set elegantly on the Mediterranean, we opened our hearts to an event called The Courage to Love - a reminder that peace in Israel can only be achieved through solidarity. That night we each made a personal commitment to stand with Israel in its time of need and to bring the message that many Americans adamantly oppose a return to 1967 borders. As free human beings, it is important to remember that we ARE NOT our governments; we do not have to agree or support the consensus of opinion rendered by the world's political leadership. We should, instead, think independently, do our own research, and defend those countries who further democratic ideals. Israel is surrounded by radical elements who wish to destroy its cities. It is our responsibility to bring awareness to the threats being hurled toward them by Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and other radical elements.
Pastor John Hagee, Historian David Barton, and Pastor Michael Evans were the special guest speakers in Caesarea, each with powerful messages of love and hope for the Jewish Nation. Pastor Evans' stories about the life of Corrie ten Boom, a woman who provided safe haven for the Jews during the invasion of Holland, were particularly poignant. I wondered, as Pastor Evans shared Corrie's life story from the book, The Hiding Place, if we were again approaching a time when we would be called upon to exhibit that same courage, providing a hedge against those who would use unbridled force against the Jews. If you have never read "The Hiding Place," do get a copy and hear Corrie's message of Christ's love, even through the horrors of her family's persecution. As she watched her sister wither away to death in the labor camps, and even as she was emotionally and physically abused, she begged God to give her the strength to forgive those who had been so cruel and heartless. What an amazing message of compassion and forgiveness for an enemy who epitomized pure evil.
The primary Restoring Courage event was held the afternoon of the August 24th. Early that morning the State Department issued a travel warning, indicating there were credible threats for Americans traveling near the Old City, and specifically for the main event at the southern steps of the Temple Mount. Beck had already been required by local authorities to fast-forward the event time by two hours because there were 40,000 Muslims celebrating Ramadan just on the other side of the wall. Several members of the choir and orchestra performing at the event had already bailed out over security concerns; so for a fleeting moment, we each considered the realm of possibilities, but promptly dismissed the fear. After all, we had not traveled this great distance to be intimidated by any government entity or by the radicals who were protesting our right to be there. Two hours before the event, tour company officials decided it would be safer for us to go in through the Jaffa Gate and walk in line through the Old City to the Davidson Center entrance to the Temple Mount. We had a better plan! Although we were unfamiliar with the area, those of us who were on the first bus realized that if we wanted the best seats, we would have to be "first in." Running in our Sunday best and blindly following those in the front of the pack, we tore through the streets, praying that those in the lead knew how to get there or that they had, at the very least, a map that would carry them through the winding streets to the other side. Sweating profusely and laughing all the while as the locals yelled "crazy Americans," we arrived at the ancient steps where Jesus taught. No wonder Beck was insistent on having the rally at this magnificent place. This was the earthly Throne of God!
The Western setting sun glistened off the 15th century ramparts, lined with the dark green uniforms of the IDF. Relics of another age peppered the ground and seemed scattered randomly throughout the excavation site. The Muslim call to prayer echoed off the giant stones and through the narrow passageways from the Al Aqsa Mosque. as we made our way through Temple Mount security to the seats we had fought for! Truly magnificent!
Rabbi Shlomo gave the opening prayer for the event. He reminded us that jihad terrorism threatens the long-term security of Israel, that we are living in momentous and miraculous times as Jews and Christians unite in solidarity and in love, that Israel has every right to exist as a Nation because of their sealed covenant with God, that God has returned the black and yellow Jews to the land in keeping with Bible prophesy, and that Jerusalem should remain a house of prayer for ALL nations, God willing.
Glenn Beck gave a powerfully moving keynote address, reminding us that the evil of anti-Semitism cannot stand, that we each have a responsibility to stand in defense of the Jewish people, that we must fear not as we move to the tip of the spear to shift the direction of the world away from hatred. "Adonai li , v'lo ira'," we each exclaimed! God is with me; I fear not." The crowd was moved to standing ovation as Beck proclaimed that "we were not born to be ruled by dictators or tyrants. God gave us inalienable rights so that we could stand together against hatred with compassion and love. Abraham was old, Ruth was a widow, David was a little boy, Moses was slow of speech, Joseph was in prison, and Lazarus was dead," Beck exclaimed. "Let us not proclaim that we are not strong enough or courageous enough. We were each born for a time such as this. It doesn't matter what we have done in the past. It matters only what we do from here. One day our children and our grandchildren will ask us what we did when the world was on fire. What did we say when the West, or Israel, or the Jew was blamed again?"
FINAL THOUGHTS
As with all things in life, we must have mutual respect for each other. As ideological divisions grow around the globe, as debates are fueled in our own country between ethnicities and political philosophies, we must remember not to lash out in hate or disdain; we must remain civil to each other. We must love and forgive as Christ loved and forgave us. That does not mean, however, that we should bury our heads in the sand and ignore what we see developing around us. When we see evil, we must expose it by calling it what it is, by standing steadfast against it. Muslims are a majority in 63 countries now. Of the 30 conflicts currently under way in the world, 28 concern Muslim governments or communities. While in office, President George Bush defined Islam as a faith based upon peace, love and compassionand committed to morality, learning and tolerance." YES AND NO! Radical Islam is committed to jihad against the United States and Israel and we have to be able to say it. Radical extremists have declared war on the Judeo-Christian West and they openly exhibit an intolerance for all religions outside Islam while we as Americans sit by, drowning in our political correctness and moderate, peace loving Muslims fail to find a courageous enough voice to roll back the extremists. Statistically, only one to two percent of the 1.2 billion Muslims are fanatics who believe America is the Great Satan and Israel the Little Satan, to be destroyed. That is 91 million political radicals. I will grant you that not all of those people are going to have the connections needed to perform a large scale terrorist attack. But out of 91 million people, I think itfs quite reasonable to conclude that there might be thousands who would actually act on their beliefs, by strapping on a suicide belt, by dropping rockets on Israel or detonating dirty bombs on the United States. Please remember that only NINETEEN of them took down the World Trade Center and hit the Pentagon. Please be tolerant but be very much aware of this very real threat. Consider one more thing. As Christians we must love all people and we must turn the other cheek, offering forgiveness as Christ forgives us when we ask for repentance. Those who took down the towers were unrepentant. My point is that we must also be willing to defend the freedom of all humanity to live in peaceful coexistence, to stand against those who are unrepentant. For when freedom is taken from us, Hitlers and Stalins rise to power, innocent Jews are marched to the gas chamber, and others are intentionally starved to death in ghettos or beheaded, as seems to be the fashion in radicalized Muslim countries. I do not believe for one moment that God would want us to stand idly by and see millions of his innocents slaughtered. EVIL UNCHALLENGED IS EVIL CONDONED. I believe we will all be held accountable for our unwillingness to stand against this kind of hatred. Remember your history. Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
Please go produce change as quickly and as efficiently as possible; for the path the world is traveling will surely give rise to evil and old hatreds. Teach your Sunday school class about radical Islam. Teach your neighbors about self reliance. Get on Face book and Twitter or build your own website and post the important stories the liberal leaning media ignores. Adopt a neighborhood kid and teach them the truth about socialist and Marxist philosophies. In visiting Yad VaShem, it was soon apparent to me that Hitler poisoned the impressionable minds of children by teaching hatred of the Jews through fairy tales, nursery rhymes, poetry and board games. We must fill the heads of our children to overflowing with goodness and truth and with a deep seated desire to preserve liberty and freedom. Go to
www.citizenwarrior.com and learn how to debate the differences between Christianity and Islam. Get up to speed on the Islamic Thinkers Group in New York City and its radical opposition to the United States, Christianity, our Constitution, and our culture. Learn about the pan-Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir, how they wish to bring caliphate to a unified Islamic state, establishing shariah law and the da'wah. In closing, we must each do our part to ensure that Jerusalem remains a city of peace. We must work together with all of Abraham's children to insure that freedom and religious tolerance remain alive. Never again should the evil and hatred of the Holocaust be allowed to rear it's hideous head. Never again; we mean it!In Christ's Love,
Sharon McCullar, 2011