Favor of Zion

More on the Feast of Trumpets

"'On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets" (Numbers 29:1). 

Yesterday was Yom T'ruah (the Feast of Trumpets--aka Rosh Hashanah).  Did you even notice?

What is Yom T'ruah?  Well, as we discussed last week, it is a time of PREPARATION--preparation, that is, for followers of Yeshua to enter into our priestly role.  After all, the sound of the shofar (or "trumpet") is an awakening sound--awakening its hearers to the onset of an event of much importance! 

The Hebrew word translated as "to sound" or "to blow" is t'ruah.  Another translation for T'ruah is "to shout."  We see this in Joshua's command to "give a loud shout" after marching around Jericho's walls the seventh time (Joshua 6:5).  We see this in the rebuilding of the Temple, when the people "gave a great shout of praise" (Ezra 3:11).  We see it in the declaration of Psalm 47:1: "God has ascended amid shouts of joy". 

Interesting, isn't it, that the Apostle Paul prophesied that Yeshua will return (or descend) to earth with a shout and a trumpet call (1 Thessalonians 4:16)!  Any ideas now of THE great event that this holiday points to???

Yeshua's return spells judgement to the anti-God systems of this world (Psalm 9:8).  The nations who do not honor His covenant with His chosen land will perish (Psalm 60:12). 

So how are things lining up now?

Netanyahu, Obama, and the Israeli elections

A word to all who read this:  THE ELECTIONS AREN'T OVER!  OK, perhaps our elections in the U.S. were over 3 months ago (thankfully!) ... but a reminder: the election of the new leader of Israel takes place next week.  This election could have as much--or more--impact on world affairs as the one that took place on Nov. 4.

The Definition of Insanity

A headline in today's Jerusalem Post caught my attention: Clinton Expresses Determination to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The first sentence is even more telling:

Recalling the many failed attempts--including her husband's--to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton declared during her confirmation hearings Tuesday that "we cannot give up on peace."

Barack, are you sure you want to tackle this problem?

In 2 weeks, Barack Obama will take office as the 44th President of the United States.  Against the backdrop of his imminent inauguration is yet another Mideast war, with Israel once again forced up against the wall by incessant--and totally unprovoked--Muslim aggression against her.

To put everything in perspective...

Stan Goodenough's blog (Jerusalem Watchman) is one of my favorite Israel-related blogs.  Even though Stan is a professional journalist, he does not load his site up with more-Israel-news-than-you-can-digest.  His is a very straightforward site with frequent postings that give insightful analysis--from a Biblical perspective--Israel in current events. 

His latest posting, "Who's Afraid of Obama's Team?," is a gem.  Here's part of what he has to say about the prospect of further world upheaval resulting from an Obama-driven peace initiative:  

When facing daunting times or issues, we Christians are often quick to verbally express our faith in God and our belief in His ability to overcome all things. We’re sometimes quicker, however, to register feelings of dismay; even of fear. And frequently - as I must personally confess - we cast around for solutions and ways out of the impending crisis, sometimes speculating wildly about how the Almighty might intervene to foil the plans of the enemy. Foil those plans He will, we assure one another, even as we go from nervously nail-biting one finger to nervously nail-biting the next.

Read the rest of Goodenough's entry here.

The Church's responsibility toward Middle East peace

Last week I made mention of how Republicans and Democrats, who rarely agree on anything, are seemingly in agreement on the "need" to create a Palestinian state out of the heartland of Israel--all in the name of "peace."  May I suggest that part of the responsibility for this push for an unholy "peace plan" rests with the church?

The seminal issue in this year's Presidential election

     

A few months ago, I came to the stark realization that the seminal issue in this Presidential election is Israel.  Now by "seminal" I don't mean that this is the most important issue of the day.  Nor do I mean that this issue will determine who wins the election.  Right now, the determining issue is the economy.  A year ago it was Iraq.  Who knows what it will be on Nov. 4?

So what do I mean by "seminal?"  To call an issue "seminal" is to give that issue a place of much influence and to allow it to be used as a basis for further development of world events.  It may not be the #1 issue of the day, but it is behind the scenes influencing the issues that are assigned front-page status.