Greetings from the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, Old City, Jerusalem.
Here I am in Jerusalem, Israel, ten years after my previous visit and twenty years after my first visit. Israel is bigger and brighter and more modern than ever before. God is at work, through his people, building up the land, from highways, trains, housing to hi-tech innovation and reclaiming the wilderness and making a once barren land to blossom. Although there is still much to be done, much has already been achieved.
Israel is getting stronger in every way. Although the beginning of the modern state had a strong secular foundation, with a communist type of economy and secular outlook, things are changing. It is good to see that despite the numerous attempts of various American administrations to hamstring Israel by compromising her security with bogus land for peace deals the people are waking up. There are more and more that are returning to religious lifestyle, they recognize that no matter what they do the nation’s are not happy and the Arabs and Palestinians in particular still attack them. So they turn back to their Judaism. Of course this does not mean they follow Yeshua. But the process in Israel is still a process towards God, unlike the west that is turning away from God and the church in the west that has be one increasingly appostate, lawless and self centered, having lost its first love and turned from the word and turned instead to the world and the things of this world.
When I left the Jordanian border crossing for Jerusalem I arrived at the Central Station. I left the green ‘Egged’ bus with one back pack and two carry on bags in either hand. A wonderful young girl named Brittany offered to help me get on the brand new light rail train line along Jaffa road to the old city. Thankfully the ticket machine accepted my credit card. I am really blessed by the Lord, surely he watches our goings out and coming in.
ืืืื ืืฉืืจ-ืฆืืชื ืืืืื ืืขืชื ืืขื-ืขืืื
Psalm 121:8
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
It is more than a little reassuring to see the Lord’s hand and oversight during our everyday life. This is also the case when we are exploring the jungles of Africa or the City of the King of the Universe. Surely He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is our Shepherd.
The Lord is the one behind the ‘just so happenses’, and it just so happened that I met Brittany again. This was just another way that the Lord reasured me that he is watching. Brittany prayed a blessing for me the second time as I had given her one after she helped me on the train. She has come from the USA to improve her Hebrew skills amongst other things. Her shirt says in Hebrew, ‘Strength through Unity, loving Israel supporting the IDF (Army)’.
The light rail train ride through Jerusalem is a wonderful introduction to Jerusalem. I am impressed with how much more beautiful the city looks compared to ten years ago. Girls get dressed up when they are getting ready to meet the man of their dreams. Perhaps Jerusalem will be ready soon to behold her God and Messiah. The Lord is at work. And good things take time.
My impression of Israel spiritually is that it is still pretty frosty in places and people can be rude and selfish whether secular or religious. I visited a Messianic Assembly in Jerusalem. Yes they love the Lord Yeshua but they wouldn’t know a bible from a bookend. They dont understand much of Torah. But they get the basics right and they fight in the army. The spiritual state of the Israeli churches would put any Torah based Jew off Yeshua because despite keeping the Sabbath and feasts they definitely do not have a great love and devotion to the Torah like King David did. They are not really on a Torah focused wavelength. In any case they are my brothers. So Jerusalem and Zion are still very much a work in progress. Despite my criticism, I know that things will improve in the long run. But it takes time and more than a little trauma ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord’, Luke 1:17. It will happen. Despite the coldness everywhere there are also good hearted people everywhere who are turning towards spiritual answers. He who seeks shall find and the law leads us to the messiah if one has a heart of flesh.
On the whole I think that the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are much friendlier places. But Israel is for sure moving towards God while our nation’s have drifted away. So there maybe a time when Israel is friendlier and our nation’s are less so. One thing is for sure, the nations push Israel hard to do what they want (weaken and destroy her.) And Israel does much to show kindness even to her enemies that try to kill her during war. There will soon come a time when the Lord will contend very strongly with the nation’s for the controversy of Zion.
ื ืื ืืื ื ืงื ืืืืื–ืฉื ืช ืฉืืืืื ืืจืื ืฆืืื
Isaiah 34:8
For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Upon my entrance into the Jaffa Gate of the old city I was sprung upon by an Arab trying to sell me trinkets and dudads. I did not want to buy any stuff and the rooms he offered were too expensive. I spent a little money buying a star of David pendant just to mollify my ardent hussler, but that only encouraged him further. That sale led to a cup of something to drink and 30 minutes of trying to sell me Persian styled rugs. I loved them but I told him I don’t have a big budget and I certainly don’t have anywhere to put them and unless they could fly they are no use to me. Anyway I sat there politely grateful to put my luggage down. After trying to sell stuff I didn’t want and couldn’t afford he abandoned me in disgust. It’s pretty hard on tourist shops at the moment during the battle in Gaza. Tourism has dried up and now I have to hold up the entire Palestinian economy and save the world. I was relieved to be on my way. I trugged on with my back pack and both hands carrying my carry on luggage, walking around the Jewish quarter of the old city including overlooking the temple mount.
I didn’t want to get a hostel in the Arab quarter like I had on previous visits. I also decided not to walk through the Arab tourist market area. I didn’t like the pressure to buy stuff I didn’t need. I came to visit Israel not Jordan. After satisfying my immediate desire to see the Jewish quarter and temple mount I had to find a place to stay. Taking the suggestion of a sister named Hannah who had just visited Israel recently from Australia I thought I would try an Israeli hostel. After a bit of walking beyond the old city I later got a very nice room at the Israeli Youth Hostel on Agron street. This is on the same road as the new fancy pancy Waldorf Astoria Hotel and American Consulate. My room afforded a pretty nice view of the Skyline and park. There are new buildings everwhere and cranes are in most directions. Jerusalem is alive and growing despite the pressure. The hostel provided a magnificent breakfast. I thoroughly recommend it.
I had the dorm room to myself for the first three days and on my last night I shared it with a very nice religious Jew. We talked about the lost tribes of Israel and other subjects.
I arrived in Israel on Thursday the 31st of July, 2014. It was a very long day from early morning flight arrival in Amman and the bus journeys and finally getting a room at a hostel in Jerusalem and feeling like a human being again.
The next day I visited the old city again, and stopped at the Immanuel bookshop next to the Church of Christ near the Jaffa gate. I was pleased to meet Benyamin, who ran the store and his coworker from Vermont, America named Elaine. We talked about the Aramaic New Testament and then got talking about the 10 lost tribes of Israel, a subject he was very familiar with and enthused. I told him that I am here for three months Lord willing with a flight to Dallas, Texus. I told him that I wanted to meet the Jewish settlers In the Shomron, and said that due to the Arab riots and war in Gaza, the settlers might be glad of some voluntary Labour in exchange for food and lodging. He suggested the guest house set up by a rabbi named Abraham Feld who believes that the 10 lost tribes of the House of Israel will soon return to the hills of Samaria (called the Shomron in Hebrew). I had seen their KolHaTor.org.il website before. It was an devine appointment. I was encourged. I purchased my first Shofar while at the shop. Proceeding to the Jewish quarter I found my way to a shop in a place called the ‘Cardo’, a ancient Roman shopping district and thoroughfare. I purchased a small Menorah trinket and a white knitted skullcap with a Golden Menorah stitched to it.
Ancient City of David (Jerusalem), below temple mount in the area of Arab Settlement of Silwan.
And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
Mark 5:41
I won’t go on too much longer except to say that in the days following;
I visited the ancient city of David (ancient Jerusalem), visited the western wall and prayed. Explored a bit of Jerusalem, visited a Messianic service on Shabbat.
Then I visited some markets including Machaneh Yehudah, bought some shorts, saw an outdoor meeting of settlers longing to build the third temple.
I went on the new red line light rail, this time along almost the full length of the track to Pisgat Zeev.
I then got a phone and arranged a visit to Karnei Shomron, early Monday.
I have uploaded a lot of YouTube videos of my travels through Israel but I am having trouble inserting them directly onto my blog since I am only carrying my Samsung Galaxy Note tablet. So here is the general link to them until I get access to a pc to add them here.
http://www.youtube.com/user/10losttribes/playlists
Prayer Points
1. That I can find some work for rent and food that will be a service to God and a help to whomever He wills as He directs.
2. Divine Appointments.
3. That my finances will last the distance including a short stay in Dallas Texas to visit the Messianic folk there and assess where they are at. Many of the lost tribes are mixed amongst the bible belt there.
