In Touch Quarter 1 - 2014

Christian Friends of Israel
IN TOUCH No.178 1st Quarter 2014
“The land you are going over to possess
is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks
water by the rain from heaven, a land
that the LORD your God cares for...”
Deuteronomy 11:11-12
Blessings
and curses
in a snowy
Jerusalem
p.4
Speakers
announced
for 2014
CFI Annual
Conference
p.7
A vicar has
his eyes
opened in
Israel p.8

THE CHURCH AND
THE PROMISED
LAND (Part 2)
In Touch
is the quarterly magazine of
Christian Friends
of Israel UK
CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by
means of practical and moral
support, and to serve the Church in
teaching about God’s purposes for
Israel and the Hebraic roots
of our faith.
CFI also produces a monthly News
Report, a monthly Prayer Letter and
a Middle East Update CD/MP3.
Please send for full details of the
practical projects and also of the
many teaching resources available.
As an educational charity,
we carry a variety of
resources relevant to our
purpose. We do not
necessarily endorse every
view expressed by our
guest writers or authors
of these resources.
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Front Cover Image:
Yehudiya Nature Reserve
Copyright © Reinhold Mainse
DesignPics.com
Page 8 Image © Felipe Rodrigues
Jacob Vince unpacks the New Testament Apostles’
teaching on the land of Israel.
In my last
editorial I
countered the
claim that there
is little said about
the land of Israel
in the section of
the Bible referred
to as the New Testament, by
looking at Stephen’s Speech - the
Sanhedrin (Acts 7:1-53) and Paul’s
Proclamation - Pisidian Antioch
(Acts 13:13-43), having previously
considered in an earlier edition
Luke’s Logistics - Jesus and
Apostles (Luke 24:13-49 and Acts
1:1-11).
Hebrews’ Heroes - Faith in Action
(Hebrews 11:1-40)
There is another passage, as far
as the early Church is concerned,
that also looks at the matter of
the ‘Promised Land’ in similar
detail. It is found in the letter
understood to have been written
to the Hebrews.
It concerns the exercise of
faith by what are called ‘a great
cloud of witnesses’ (Hebrews 12:1).
Whilst faith is the primary focus
or metanarrative of the passage
it does nonetheless provide an
insight into the writer’s thinking
with regard to the land of Israel,
in the sub-narrative, and actually
uses the term the promised land.
‘By faith Abraham, when called to
go to a place he would later receive as
his inheritance, obeyed and went, even
though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in
the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents as
Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs of the
same promise’ (Hebrews 11:8-9). The
passage goes on rightly to indicate
that Abraham was quite properly
looking forward to a city with
foundations, whose architect and
builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). This
is the metanarrative. However the
sub-narrative remains and follows
through in the next portions of the
passage. First of all it indicates
that there is a land promised to
Abraham and specifically through
the family line of his descendants
Isaac and Jacob, not Ishmael or
Esau. It also describes the status of
these defined descendants as like a
stranger, with the implication that
their actual status was not that of
a stranger, but rather of those to
whom the promise of the land had
indeed been given. In exercising
faith toward the promise being
outworked and thereby indicating
the physicality of the promise,
Abraham beyond all natural
possibilities, ‘was enabled to become
a father because he considered him
faithful who had made the promise’
(Hebrews 11:11).
The passage then describes
Abraham’s numerous descendants
who exercised faith but did not
receive the things promised
(Hebrews 11:13). The metanarrative
and sub-narrative continue with
further details of the exercise of
faith by Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph,
the latter of whose faith was shown
2 // IN TOUCH

through his belief in the eventual
exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
and by giving instructions about
his bones to be carried to and buried
in the Promised Land (Hebrews
11:22). This can be referenced back
to the earlier Biblical record which
writes specifically about ‘the land
promised on oath’ to Joseph’s father,
grandfather and great-grandfather
‘Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’ (Genesis
50:24-25). The passage in Hebrews
then goes on to recollect the action
taken by Moses in relation to the
land promise (see Exodus 13:19)
and which was further outworked
by the people under Joshua’s
command (see Joshua 24:32). The
faith of Moses is likewise described
in both metanarrative and subnarrative
terms, as is interestingly
the part played by Rahab, who
assisted two scouts from Shittim
who were instructed and sent by
Joshua to spy out the land (see
Joshua 2:1).
As the written account continues
we find other descendants of the
patriarchs coming into the picture
and gaining what was promised,
‘Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
David, Samuel and the prophets, who
through faith conquered kingdoms,
administered justice, and gained what
was promised.’ (Hebrews 11:32-33).
The context of what was promised
appears, at least up to this point, to
be the physical promised land.
Now, the main objective of the
narrative is surely to show how
faith is exercised, but this faith is
exercised physically in relation
to believing and acting upon the
promise made by God of a physical
land. The ultimate reward of their
faith was something better and
more lasting than a land or country
in this life but rather that of the
heavenly dimension, as indicated
earlier of Abraham (Hebrews
11:10) and also by later followers
exercising faith (Hebrews 12:22-24).
Nonetheless the pursuit by faith
of the land promise made by God
is most highly commended in the
passage.
The aspect of faith in respect
of the land is further illustrated
through looking in more detail at
the involvement of Rahab, who
in early-church terms would be
described as a Gentile. The record
of her involvement is found in
chapters two and six of the book
of Joshua. Here it is shown that
Rahab recognised God’s giving of
the land, then known as Canaan,
to Israel - the descendants of
Abraham, his son Isaac and his
son Jacob. This is how Rahab’s
own words are recorded, ‘I know
the LORD has given this land to you’
(Joshua 2:9).
Interestingly the writer of the
letter to the Hebrews does not
mention Joshua’s name, but only
Rahab’s in connection with this
incident (Hebrews 11:31). More
significantly still, Jesus’ brother
James and head of the first Church
council, in his letter, commends
Rahab’s faith as on a par with that
of Abraham’s. ‘And the scripture
was fulfilled that says, “Abraham
believed God, and it was credited to
him as righteousness,” and he was
called God’s friend. You see that a
person is considered righteous by
what they do and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab
the prostitute considered righteous for
what she did when she gave lodging
to the spies and sent them off in a
different direction?’ (James 2:23-
25). And all in the context of God
giving the land to Israel.
COMING SOON!
Over 15 DVD sets of Hebraic/Jewish Roots
teaching series by Revd Desi Maxwell will
be available from CFI-UK from March/April
this year.
Titles include: ‘Heaven On Earth’ – an in-depth
series on The Tabernacle/Tent of Meeting, and
the role of the Great High Priest; ‘Insights from
Isaiah’, ‘Dusty Disciples’ – 1 st century insights
from the Jewish rabbis for 21 st century disciples
of Yeshua/Jesus; and ‘Reign Is Forecast’ – a
10-part series looking at the important and little
taught subject of the Kingdom of God.
A full list of titles and pricing will be available
with the next edition of In Touch.
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BLESSINGS AND CURSES IN A
SNOWY JERUSALEM
Twelve days before Christmas the
heaviest snowstorm to hit Jerusalem
in decades blanketed the City of
the Great King. It continued to fall for
two days, and the northern and western
neighbourhoods of the city, and on the
mountains of Samaria, it was up to two
feet deep.
For me it was reminiscent of my first ever visit to
Jerusalem 40 years ago in January 1974. At that time
Israel was reeling from the shock of the Yom Kippur
War, which had ended just a few weeks earlier. The
tiny nation was in mourning because of the massive
loss of life the IDF had suffered.
There is something almost ethereal about snow
in Jerusalem, which I have experienced a number
of times. The normally bustling, noisy city becomes
still and silent. It is as if the peace of God has
suddenly descended on the ‘City of Shalom’,
which is basically what the name of the Lord’s
declared dwelling place means (Psalm 132:13-14,
Zechariah 8:3). The unfortunate side effect of the
huge snowfall was the complete disruption to all
forms of transport on the mountains of Israel for
several days, as well as masses of fallen trees and
widespread power cuts.
However, many of us who pray for Israel felt there
was something significant about the magnitude
and timing of this particular snowfall, which was
unusually severe and early. During my month-long
visit in December the USA Secretary of State, John
Kerry, visited the Jewish capital three times. His aim
is to force a deal between Israel and the Palestinian
leadership by April 2014, if possible, which would
see Israel lose most of her Biblical heartland as well
as her ancient capital city where the Temple once
stood. Given the Palestinian oft-stated call for the
By Hugh Kitson
‘destruction of the Zionist entity’, such a deal would
be suicidal for the Jewish State that the Palestinian
leadership doggedly refuses to contemplate
recognising. Those of us who pray often proclaim
Psalm 33:9-11 over the ‘peace process’. Throughout
the 20 years of the so-called Oslo Process the Lord
has so far done just that – brought the counsel of the
nations to nothing! Twelve days before Christmas
it was no different. This time The Lord used the
elements. Kerry landed just before all the main
highways between the coastal plain and Jerusalem
were closed. The snowstorm, accompanied by high
winds, was too intense to use the helicopter, but he
just made it to Jerusalem. The next day his first port
of call was Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. On the
outskirts of the town his armour-plated Cadillac –
known as ‘the Beast’ – got stuck in a snowdrift. The
Palestinian police either would not, or could not dig
him out, so the IDF had to come and rescue him – in
Palestinian controlled territory. That was the end of
the meeting with the PA President.
He turned round to keep his appointment with the
Israeli Prime Minister. En route to see Netanyahu
‘the Beast’ skidded off the road and embedded itself
in another snowdrift! The IDF had to rescue him
a second time! He missed that meeting too. The
Secretary of State lambasted his rescuers for ‘Israeli
incompetence’ for not keeping the roads snow-free
– especially the ones he was travelling on – and not
4 // IN TOUCH

eing able to supply electricity everywhere during
such adverse conditions. Moreover he declared that
Israel was little better than a third-world country.
His remarks earned him a stiff rebuke from the IDF
Chief-of-Staff! However, Kerry did eventually get to
meet with Netanyahu and spoke to the PA President
on the telephone. The PA press leaked the contents
of the supposedly confidential discussion saying
that Abbas had found most of Kerry’s proposals
‘unacceptable’. Meanwhile the Israeli press reported
a European Union communiqué that if the peace
process failed Israel would be to blame.
On his return to the USA from his fruitless foray
to create ‘peace’ in the Middle East, Kerry was
greeted by more snowstorms, travel disruption and
widespread power cuts! Was the Lord trying to say
something? Was it the curse of Genesis 12:3, or was
it coincidence?
By Christmas Eve most of the snow that had started
to fall in Jerusalem twelve days earlier had thawed,
but the evidence of the snowstorm was still evident.
Some of the drifts and piles of snow heaped up to
clear the roads had defied the sun’s rays to melt
them away. But life on the mountains of Israel was
more or less back to usual.
In Israel Christmas is a normal working day, but
somehow it is different. The hustle and bustle is
not so evident, and one does not get the usual traffic
jams with the
continual honking
of horns. For
some years, my
wife Noreen and
I – together with
others – have been fostering a relationship with a
man and his wife who live on the southern Golan
Heights and manufacture some of the best olive oil
we have tasted. He has often spoken to us about
his fascination for Christmas, which is not one of the
festivals that Jewish people traditionally observe –
this even includes many Messianic Believers. This
Israeli fascination with Christmas is actually quite
widespread. For many years now, Christ Church,
which is situated just inside the Jaffa Gate, has hosted
up to two thousand Israeli visitors over Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day. This year was no exception,
and Noreen and I had the privilege of witnessing it!
The church and courtyard were absolutely packed!
As the midnight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
began an awesome hush fell over the packed church.
Christ Church was built within the walls of
Jerusalem in the mid-19 th century, when the vision
for the restoration of the Jewish people to their
Promised Land and to the Lord was reaching its
zenith in the Church in Britain. Christ Church is
unique among Anglican churches across the world.
The London Society for Promoting Christianity
Among the Jews – today known as CMJ – wanted
to create a church where Jewish people who came to
faith in their Messiah did not feel either culturally or
spiritually cut off from the Hebraic Biblical roots of
their faith, or felt compelled to renounce their Jewish
identity as had been required of them through much
of Church history. The first Anglican Bishop of
Jerusalem, Michael Solomon Alexander, the main
visionary behind Christ Church, was himself a
former Jewish Rabbi. A Jewish visitor might think
they were in a synagogue rather than a church!
However, it has always been a place where gentile
believers in the Jewish Messiah are equally welcome
as the stain-glass windows at the front of the church
portray the Apostle Paul’s teaching of ‘wild olive
branches’ being grafted in to the cultured olive tree
in Romans 11:16-21.
As the traditional Anglican Festival of Nine
Lessons and Carols got under way late on Christmas
Eve, the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church
packed with Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua/
Jesus, as well as Israeli visitors, was tangible. Of
course, the miraculous Incarnation and Birth of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the central theme
of the traditional Anglican Festival of Nine Lessons
and Carols. However, unseen by the vast majority of
Anglicans who attend their traditional carol service
each year – or even other Christians who participate
– the context of this story that is woven through the
nine lessons is
the fulfilment of
“The Word of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit”
God’s covenant
promises to the
nation of Israel,
past, present and
future! One simply cannot divorce Jesus from Israel
– after all He is the King of Israel! So, as each of
the nine Scripture readings, which span both the
Old and New Testaments, progressed in English
(one was read in Arabic), the Scripture text was
displayed in Hebrew on the overhead projector for
the benefit of our Israeli visitors! “The Word of God
is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit
…” (Hebrews 4:12). Some of the carols were also
slightly adapted to make them more relevant to our
Israeli visitors. All this, combined with the fact that
Christ Church stands less than a mile from where
the Temple stood, and just a few miles from where
the Saviour was born, made for a carol service that
neither Noreen nor I shall ever forget. Our prayer
is that some of the Jewish folk were touched as we
were. After all, Jesus did say: “And I, when I am lifted
up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John
12:32). The Son of God was certainly lifted up before
Israelis in Jerusalem this Christmas time! Praise the
Lord! Could this be a micro-fulfilment of God’s
promise of the blessing in Genesis chapter 12?
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The longer one traverses
this challenging journey
of life on earth, the more
confirmation is to be
found of a somewhat subtle truth
transmitted in the Word of God:
He has hidden certain depths
of holiness, with corresponding
wholeness of being, in a quiet,
secret place where only the humble
of heart and spirit will find it.
To approach and enter that
hidden, set apart place is the
goal and raison d’être of our very
journey for it signifies deeper and
more intimate relationship with
the One who is the Source of our
very being.
The English word
‘humble’ can describe one’s
physical position in life, as
in: “He works at a humble
shoe cleaning job” or “She
lives in a humble cottage in
a poor neighbourhood.” It
can also be used to describe
a person’s character, in
which case his or her
status is not a factor. For
example, “The Director is a
truly humble and generous
person, who always is kind
and considerate of the
employees of the company.”
Interestingly, the fruit of being
humble is evidenced in humility;
and the moral and spiritual
characteristics of humility are most
often associated with suffering. A
Jewish maxim declares, “Nothing
is as whole as a broken heart.” We
often see in both historical and
fictional narrative how the outcome
of affliction is humility - a more
radical trust in an unchanging God
and a more total dependence upon
His faithfulness.
Suffering, in all its forms and
with all its tests, is the lesson in life
that slowly rouses us to a deeper
Humble Heirs
awareness and understanding of
our inherent human weakness, on
one hand, and our great potential
of untapped strength on the other.
Our reactions and the choices
made during and after suffering
strikes (and hopefully even before,
as we grow wiser) will display
either humility or the pride of man.
The former will result in quiet
acceptance and a peaceful resolve
based on a powerful trust in the
God in whose hands all things rest.
The latter will disclose a resentful
determination to control the
situation in one’s own strength,
relying on man and employing the
ways of the world rather than the
ways of God’s Kingdom.
The Psalmist sings praise to
Messiah who, in realisation of His
great stature as Heir of Heaven,
champions this trait together with
truth and righteousness. “In Your
majesty ride out victoriously for the
cause of truth and meekness [humility]
and righteousness” (Psalm 45:4). We
see a reflection of this picture in the
prophet Zechariah’s description:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey, on
a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Psalm
9:9).
In the Scriptures, the Hebrew
word ani’im (~yyn[) describes those
who are suffering some kind of
distress or disability; whether
poverty, pain, sickness, loss or
grief. God’s Word always speaks
in their defence and rules against
any form of oppression or unfair
advantage being taken of a person
in a lowly position or in a weakened
state. A hired servant, for example,
is described as an ani (Deuteronomy
24:14-15). If a master, or
employer, withholds what
is rightfully due or, in any
way, abuses the ani, the
servant needs only to cry out
to God for justice and He will
act as their Defender and
Protector. A king, or leader
of a country, is particularly
charged with overseeing
the poor or weak under his
jurisdiction (Psalm 82:3).
What, then, does God
desire from us, His people?
The prophet Micah tells us,
“…only to do justly, to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God”
(Micah 6:8).
“To do justly” Justice, together
with righteousness, is the
foundation of God’s Word and is
expressed in our physical actions -
“doing justly.” The basis of justice
is the knowledge that every fellow
human being is worthy of honour
and the right to life as each one is
created in the image and likeness
of God. As we purpose to do
this, it results in a humility that
is expressed in quiet acts of love
to those in our life and to all who
cross our path.
“To love mercy” reflects the
6 // IN TOUCH

heart motivation and the manner
in which we do what we do. A
beautiful aspect of humility is
gentle kindness. Our actions will
be those of grace; a means of
allowing the Lord’s chesed - love
and compassion - to flow to those
in need as we love one another,
clothe the naked, comfort the
mourners, tend to the sick, bury
the dead, etc., etc.
“To walk humbly with our
God” indicates living daily
in His Presence; to constantly
be walking in fellowship and
communion with our Father as
we follow after our Shepherd-
King. Jesus demonstrated how
to live in humility and holiness
as God’s children, doing all in
loving devotion to the will of our
Father. He also taught, “Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Loving
obedience results in earthly and
heavenly inheritance from God.
This exhortation is clearly and
beautifully confirmed in Moses’
declaration to the children of
Israel: “And now, Israel, what does
the Lord your God require of you, but
to fear the Lord your God, to walk in
all His ways, to love Him, to serve
the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul, and to keep the
commandments and statutes of the
Lord, which I am commanding you
today for your good” (Deuteronomy
10:12). His will constantly is for
our good and for our present and
eternal joy.
Throughout the new Gregorian
calendar year of 2014 may we walk
in humility, peace, justice and joy
as royal heirs with Messiah in the
fullness of our Father’s blessing.
Keren Hannah Pryor
(For more insights, with a Hebraic
flavour, see HIS-ISRAEL on Facebook)
Introducing the CFI Annual
Conference Speakers for 2014...
CFI-UK is pleased to announce that the speakers for our
Conference on Saturday 20 th September will be
Simon Ponsonby and Martin Charlesworth
A 4 th generation preacher, Simon Ponsonby
came to a personal living faith in his late teens
through his local Anglican church. Thrilled
by the gospel, he became an evangelist, street
preacher and church planter in his early 20’s,
before preparing for Anglican ordination
at Trinity College Bristol, where he earned
two degrees in theology. From 1995 Simon
served a curacy in inner city Bradford before
his appointment in 1998 as ‘the Oxford
Evangelical Pastorate Chaplain’ a vibrant
chaplaincy evangelising and discipling Oxford
undergraduates. In 2005 Simon became Pastor
of Theology at St Aldates church, a role involving teaching, writing
and serving the wider church, across the denominations, at home and
abroad as a conference speaker and teacher. He is Dean of Studies
for an Oxford based European Church planting programme, training
Scandinavian seminarians in practical ministry, and an associate
Tutor at Wycliffe Hall. Simon has written several books on doctrine,
spirituality and practical theology, most recently an expository study
on Romans called ”God is for us”. His passion is to see a Church rooted
in the Word and empowered by the Spirit. Simon is married to Tiffany,
a school teacher, artist and mother of their two sons Joel and Nathanael.
Martin is
based at
B a r n a b a s
Community
C h u r c h ,
Shrewsbury
where he is
a Pastoral
Leader and
Bible Teacher. He is also the
Team Leader of the ‘Jubilee+’
church national social action
network and Director of Training
for Christ Central Churches (part
of Newfrontiers). He is married
to Jane and has three adult
daughters. He has degrees in
History and Theology.
For Your Diary: CFI-UK South-West Prayer Conference ~ May 15 th to 17 th 2014,
Rockwell Green, Wellington, Somerset - Details in future mailings
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"My eyes have been
opened"
Reverend
Richard Poole
reflects on his
trip to Israel.
When I was invited on the CCJ
2013 Study Tour to Israel I have
to admit my knowledge of the
region was as with many people, limited
and muddled. Now having returned I can
say that my eyes have been opened to some
of the complexities of both the religious
and political situation in what is a truly
amazing land.
It may surprise you that as an Anglican vicar I have
never particularly wanted to go on a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. The reason for this is simple; over the
years I have created images in my mind’s eye as to
what the events and places were like as recorded in
the Bible, and I didn’t want to shatter those images
by visiting a shrine or church reportedly built on
some significant holy site.
However, I have been
very interested in seeking to
understand the religious and
political tensions in that region,
and the significance of this tiny
piece of land whose area is similar
to that of Wales. It is here within
this cauldron of chaos I found
relative calm on the surface,
but know there is much tension and mistrust just
bubbling beneath the surface as three of the world’s
major religions; Judaism, Islam and Christianity
seek to somehow coexist.
It has appeared to me that the global violence,
hatred, and terrorism carried out in the name of
religion appears to somehow find its roots linked to
the tensions in the Middle East and particularly the
conflict between Israel and Palestine. I remember
once hearing the American Bible commentator
Jim Wallace say that we can never defeat terrorism
with weapons of war. The only solution is to drain
the swamp the breeds the mosquitoes of hatred
and violence. Just as there are two sides to every
“For the first time, I
realised why Israel
feels the need to
respond to any threats
with decisive action.”
argument, there are two sides to every conflict. So
when I was given the opportunity to be part of the
2013 study trip where we could hear both sides of
the story I jumped at the opportunity.
On the trip we met all kinds of people and I found
myself trying to understand the narrative of a people
and a land with such a long history of conflict and
instability. On the trip we met with some amazing
people; Israelis, Arabs, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims,
and Christians.
At one point we met with negotiators from the
PA in Ramallah. They shared their pain and their
sense of injustice at the settlements the Israelis were
continuing to build within the West Bank. We heard
of their desire for peace and willingness to accept a
two state proposal.
Later we met with a spokesman for the Israeli
Prime Minister’s Office who told us that they didn’t
believe that a two state solution
negotiated today would last. He
talked about the time bomb they were
sitting on with the birth-rate in Gaza
being the third highest in the World.
He also shared how in the West there
was a growing pro-Palestinian, anti-
Israeli rhetoric being adopted by the
media in Britain. This was something
I hadn’t noticed myself, but since
returning home I can concur at times this may well
be true. Indeed, if I am honest as I travelled to Israel
I took with me a slightly pro-Palestinian anti-Israeli
stance myself.
But something changed my view of this during
the trip. As we stood on top of the Golan Heights
and looked out over Jordan, Syria and just over a
mountain peak was Lebanon suddenly it dawned
on me just how precarious the nation of Israel is.
Earlier in the week we had been on the border of
Egypt and Gaza, and now I could see something of
what it must feel like for Israel to be surrounded
by Islamic states and regimes. For the first time, I
realised why Israel feels the need to respond to any
8 // IN TOUCH

threats with decisive action.
As we travelled and met with various people I
found myself asking whether this was a problem that
could ever be solved, or whether it was a tension that
simply had to be managed. People with far greater
understanding than me have tried to find a solution
but when there are equal and opposite views it seems
to me that a “solution” is very unlikely to be found.
But if a solution is not possible, well then this has to
be a tension to be managed, which in effect is what is
happening today in Israel.
I did however see one particular thing that gave a
ray of hope. We visited a factory in the West Bank run
by an Israeli settler. In the factory he employed both
Israelis and Palestinians and they could clearly work
together and I couldn’t help wonder if there was
ever a possibility that through such entrepreneurial
thinking a sense of common purpose may be found.
Call me naive, but I cannot help but wonder if this
might be the only way forward for lasting peace.
As a result of this trip I can say that my eyes have
been opened and my views have changed. I have
found myself much more sympathetic towards
the vulnerability of Israel but still feeling for the
Palestinian people too. As a Christian I believe that
all people are precious to God, and for this reason I
will pray for God to bring about peace in this Holy
Land.
THE LEGAL CASE FOR JUDEA AND SAMARIA
If international legitimacy for
the settlement enterprise were a
horse, one could say that it’s been
long out of the barn. Those roaming
the halls of power worldwide—
from the White House in the era of
Barack Obama and John Kerry to
the United Nations—have for years
regarded the territories of Judea
and Samaria as Palestinian territory
that is currently under occupation.
The hostile attitude toward
the settlement enterprise is a
natural, direct derivative of this
premise. If we were to make a
gross generalization, the world has
adopted the Palestinian narrative
as it relates to the legal status of
the territories. Even those who
negotiate on behalf of the State
of Israel, men and women who
officially adhere to the party line
that Judea and Samaria, the cradle of
Jewish civilization and peoplehood,
is not occupied territory, have long
ceased to make this statement
publicly, just as they haven’t even
bothered to make use of a long list
of legal and historical arguments
that support this position.
While it may seem that this train
has long left the station, we were
surprised to suddenly learn that for
months now a counterattack has
been waged over “the historical,
legal truth.” This is a campaign
that is being waged by hundreds
of jurists from Israel and abroad
who aren’t making do with the
usual “rights of our forefathers”
or “Zionism” rejoinders which
Thanks to IsraelHayom.co.il for allowing us to re-print part of this excellent
article by Nadav Shragai. To read the full piece please visit www.bit.ly/1aDRjyi
are now devoid of currency in the
international arena and the High
Court of Justice.
The so-called “new” jurists
are really just dusting off old
arguments that were first made
and eventually accepted in the
initial years following the Six-Day
War. This new line of discourse
categorically rejects the premise of
“occupied territories.” The State
of Israel did indeed conquer Judea
and Samaria in 1967 as the result
of a war of self-defence, but from
a legal standpoint these territories
are not occupied since the foreign
power that held these territories
between 1948 and 1967—Jordan—
did so illegally.
These jurists note that with the
exception of Britain and Pakistan,
the international community
refused to recognize the Jordanian
annexation of the West Bank.
Therefore, the legal status of these
territories is in dispute. From the
standpoint of international law,
there is an enormous difference
between occupied territories and
disputed territories.
Those who bolster this
argument—and some jurists do
indeed do this—with what is
referred to as “the historic right of
the Jewish people to sovereignty
over the Land of Israel” add
another legal statement in support
of their case: “Demanding the
right to this sovereignty, which
supersedes any counter-demand
by the Palestinians.”
Jurists like Professor Talia Einhorn
or Professor Eliav Shochetman,
who are two of the more active
legal experts in the group, note
that this right was recognized by
the international community from
the time of the British Mandate
for Palestine. This legal document
granted national rights solely to
the Jewish people, which were in
turn reaffirmed in Article 80 of the
United Nations Charter.
“As such, when the UN Secretary
General states that ‘the settlements
are illegal and are an obstacle
to peace,’ or when [Palestinian
Authority President] Mahmoud
Abbas demands that Israel
‘dismantle the settlements built on
Palestinian land since 1967, since
their very establishment is illegal,’
and when even the US Secretary
of State, John Kerry, refers to the
settlements as ‘illegitimate’—all of
them are basing their statements
on errant legal assumptions from
a factual standpoint,” said Dr.
Hagai Winitzki of Sha’arei Mishpat
College.
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Hebrew Word Study by John C.P. Smith
~yIm;v'
In the beginning God created the ~yIm;v'
shamayim and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
Shamayim is the name He gave to the
expanse (or firmament/vault) and is commonly rendered
“heavens”. It is also translated with the singular forms “heaven”
or “sky”, but shamayim in Hebrew is always plural.
God made the shamayim to separate “the waters under the
expanse from the waters above the expanse” (Genesis 1:7).
There was a lot of water at creation (see 2 Peter 3:5), but not
all of it ended up on earth. The Hebrew word for waters is ~yIm;
mayim, which like shamayim is always plural. You will notice
that shamayim and mayim sound alike. This is interesting given
their close association at Creation, when the shamayim were
created to separate mayim from mayim.
It is common knowledge that mayim is essential for life.
Water covers over 70% of the planet, and comprises a similar
proportion of a newborn’s body weight (though the percentage
decreases with age). It is a symbol of the spiritual life Yeshua
imparts (John 4:14, 7:37-39; Revelation 21:6, 22:7). And
although there will be no sea when God reveals His new
shamayim and earth, there will still be a river—one that flows
with the mayim of life directly from the throne of God and of the
Lamb (Revelation 22:1).
In contrast, the present shamayim are inhospitable to mortal
human life, given the lack of oxygen, food, and water, and the
extremes of temperature and pressure. But not so for God and
His angels! In the novel ‘Out of the Silent Planet’, C.S. Lewis’s
hero Ransom reflects this truth in his description of ‘Space’ as an
“empyrean ocean of radiance” from which “he felt life pouring
into him” (p. 35)—“the abyss was full of life in the most literal
sense, full of living creatures” (p. 171). The Bible tells us that
God “dwells above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are
like grasshoppers. He stretches out the shamayim like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in” (Isaiah 40:22). Other
references confirm the shamayim as being the abode of God,
including David’s clear statement: “Yahweh has established His
throne in the shamayim” (Psalm 103:19). Elsewhere it states
simply: “Our God is in the shamayim” (Psalm 115:3). Similarly,
the Scriptures tell us that God’s glory and power are “in the
shamayim” (Psalm 8:1, 68:34). Indeed, it is prophesied that He
will show wonders “in the shamayim” (Joel 2:30, cited in Acts
2:19).
In the New Testament, we repeatedly hear Yeshua making
reference to the Father as being en tois ouranois, the Greek
equivalent of “in the shamayim”. He also spoke often of the
“Kingdom of the Heavens”, in Greek basileia ton ouranon,
equivalent to Hebrew malkhut hashamayim.
Because of the way that shamayim and its Greek equivalent
ouranoi have been translated, we often make artificial
distinctions. We tend to view “sky” and “heavens” as physical,
but “heaven” (singular) as spiritual. However in the Hebrew
Bible, the one term shamayim (always plural) covers all three of
these. Consequently, there is no escaping the clear teaching of
Scripture that God’s presence, power, and glory are especially
manifested in the physical cosmos. The physical and spiritual
are more closely intertwined than we often realise.
10 // IN TOUCH
Shamayim
Obviously, entering and living in the malkhut hashamayim
does not mean that we fly into the clouds! At least not yet (1
Thessalonians 4:17)! There is a balance and wholeness in
Hebraic thinking that brings together the physical and the
spiritual in a God-honouring way. Indeed, Yeshua taught us to
pray to our Father in the shamayim, saying “Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in the shamayim” (Matthew
6:10—here the Greek is singular, but the Hebrew equivalent
would still be shamayim). And while it is true that this will one
day have an earth-shattering fulfilment in the glorious return of
Messiah to earth (Zechariah 14:4, etc), for the time-being it is
accomplished, often unnoticed by the world, in the changing of
hearts through the power of the Gospel.
God is Spirit and we are to be led by His Spirit. But both God,
and we who trust in Him, are at work in a physical world. We
would do well to remember this as we read the Bible, being careful
not to label as poetry or myth that which is clearly intended to be
taken as plain, straightforward truth. This is especially relevant
to the book of Genesis with its historical account of Creation
and the Flood. But those of us who stand with Yisrael will also
be aware of the dangers of over-spiritualising later prophetic
Scriptures, as evidenced in the heresy of Replacement Theology.
It is not without reason that many of the divine comings
and goings are clearly recorded in Scripture as descents and
ascensions. For example, “Yahweh came down” at Bavel
(Genesis 11:5); “Yahweh came down in the cloud” on Mount
Sinai (Exodus 34:1); “Eliyahu went up... into the shamayim” (2
Kings 2:11); after Yeshua’s resurrection “an angel of the Lord
came down from heaven and... rolled back the stone” (Matthew
28:2); Yeshua “was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud
hid Him from their sight. They were gazing toward heaven as He
went up” (Acts 1:10). Indeed, following Yeshua’s ascension the
disciples were told, “This Yeshua, who was taken up from you
into heaven, will come back in the same way as you saw Him
go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). “Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27) to
commence His wonderful Millennial reign.
Of course the fact that God has made His dwelling in the
shamayim does not mean that He is limited to the cosmos, nor
that it will be His permanent home, any more than was the
Temple in Jerusalem. Indeed, King Shlomo acknowledged at its
dedication, “Will God really dwell on earth with men? Behold,
the shamayim, even the shamayim of the shamayim cannot
contain You; how much less this house that I have built!” (1
Kings 8:27 = 2 Chronicles 6:18). Furthermore Sha’ul wrote,
“He who descended is also the One Who ascended far above all
the shamayim, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10).
Ultimately the earth and the shamayim will be destroyed
by fire (2 Peter 3:7,12; Isaiah 51:6). But this does not mean
that everything then becomes ethereal and insubstantial. The
Redeemed will be raised with a body that is “imperishable... in
glory... in power... a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 14:42-44),
but a body nonetheless. And “we, according to His promise, are
looking forward to new shamayim and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13—see also Isaiah 65:17,
Revelation 21:1).
Until then our prayer is, “Come, Lord Yeshua!” (Revelation
22:20), as our hearts echo the words of the prophet Yesha’yahu:
“Oh, that You would rend the shamayim! That You would come
down!” (Isaiah 64:1 [Hebrew Bible 63:19]).
“The shamayim declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1)

New Books
“All who approach this book with an open mind will
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a distinctive way and why we can be hopeful that the
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Sabbath rest is a
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Learn practical ideas
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B460 // Paperback // 160 pages // £12.50 (incl. UK p&p)
Two more new booklets from Rose Publishing
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presented overviews of these Biblical books.
The one on the Book of Ruth looks particularly
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BT114 // Ruth Booklet // 14 pages // £3.50 (incl. UK p&p)
BT113 // Romans Booklet // 14 pages // £3.50 (incl. UK p&p)
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New CDs & DVDs
There is a new movement of Christians wanting to
learn and understand God’s ancient promises to
Israel and are ready to accept the relevance of those
promises in today’s modern world. This documentary
looks back at the purpose and plans of God concerning
Israel and tackles the tough questions surrounding
the relationship between Israel and the body of Christ.
D121 // PAL DVD // 48 minutes // £13.00 (incl. UK p&p)
Inspirational and challenging teaching from Revd
David Pawson and Pastor Werner Oder to help you
understand what the position of the Church should
be with regards to Israel in these days.
CDS125 // Audio CDs // 147 minutes // £13.50 (incl. UK p&p)
Look further at the Jewish roots of the Christian faith
by exploring various aspects of the life and ministry of
Jesus of Nazareth, whom if we are to truly understand,
must be set as a Torah-observant Rabbi in the matrix
of first century Jewish life. This recently re-packaged
series with Revd Desi Maxwell, is available in two
DVD sets (including a Student Guide) and is the
perfect follow on from CFI-UK’s Kesher Course.
S140 // Text and Context Pt 1 PAL DVD Set // 428 minutes // £32.00 (incl. UK p&p)
S141 // Text and Context Pt 2 PAL DVD Set // 360 minutes // £32.00 (incl. UK p&p)
12 // IN TOUCH