David Ben-Ariel, a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, shares a special focus on the Middle East, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. |
Joshua Keating's blog
Joe the war correspondent
Thu, 01/08/2009
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I've lived throughout Israel (including during the Gulf War)
by David Ben-Ariel on Thu, 01/08/2009
and grew up in Holland where "Joe the Plumber" hails from, and sojourn in Toledo now. If Mr. Wurzelbacher really wants to know what it's like living among folks from all over in Israel, Arabs, Jews, Christians, undecideds, secular, etc. he can feel free to check out my website or blogs and find plenty of ammo and kosher food for thought!
WHAT JOEL OSTEEN FAILS TO TELL YOU...
BEYOND BABYLON: EUROPE'S RISE AND FALL will:
Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall
Our personal and national sins are the CAUSE for the EFFECT we are beginning to experience:
Daniel 9:11
11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
REPENT and avert national destruction, defeat and deportation:
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall
British-Israelites and Jews in Grave Danger
Death to the American, British & Jewish Peoples?
Herbert W. Armstrong Was Ahead of His Time!
Will the Atlantic Times Address the German Threat?
Not All Twelve Tribes of Israel are Jewish?
EU to Conquer Anglo-Saxons and Jews
Is The Plain Truth Too Strong?
Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?
The Intelligence Summit Misses the Mark: the German-Jesuit Threat to World Peace
The Plain Truth About The "Lost Ten Tribes" And Why You Need To Know
The Church of God Must Warn the World!
Israel and Judah Must Get House in Order Before King Messiah Arrives
Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright
by J. H. Allen - free!
This book by Allen is noted as one of the major textbooks on the subject of British-Israelism. Here it is, FREE, for you to download!
Mon., Oct. 9, '89/9:30 p.m.
Kibbutz Sdot Yam
Today was Yom Kippur, so I begin to write on a "clean slate," beginning with synagogue services (2 1/2 hrs.) last night to usher in this holiest of Jewish days.
I mainly went for the experience, as well as spiritual solidarity with my people (God's Church & the Jews) around the world. I read & sang only about a tithe of the service - amazed that I could keep up in Hebrew I'd never read before.
With me were other ulpanistim [Hebrew students] who elected to fast - mainly, I believe, for the experience or test or show-off of will-power. God alone knows. I scanned the faces of all those assembled in the make-shift synagogue with mixed emotions and an alien distance.
Tradition - even empty, hollow, shallow - has assisted Jewry to preserve this Day, however imperfectly; yet I also couldn't help but think of God & Kahane who might dismiss such "worship" as vain and such "devotions" as void. Liberal, Hellenist, humanists who have nothing to do with God and are ignorant of or deny His Word as a general rule, as hypocritical & unacceptable as professing Christianity on the pagan days of Christmas and Easter - temporarily becoming "religious" or sickly kind...Nevertheless, may we all ultimately worship the One True God and His Son, in spirit & in truth. G'mar hateemah tovah! [Be inscribed for good in the Book].
During this relatively easy fast today, I laid in bed & read & read The Good News magazine, meditated on life, my past, present and potential future. I prayed & asked for forgiveness and clarity of mind & purpose with patience to overcome sins and achieve success in this spiritual struggle, resolving to start again to abstain from alcohol and stop going to our kibbutz pub on erev Shabbat [Sabbath evening]. Today I really missed Church services and fellowship with the brethren, remembering our divine camaraderie.
My goals were to spend 3 wks. in Florida with Steve & Bob, also to change my name to David Ben-Ariel, 18 days in Europe with Mom & Lisa, make aliyah to Israel and join an ulpan (intensive Hebrew language course]. So far, so good. Now I must decide - God help me - to continue immediately the ulpan in ketah bet [class b - next level] somewhere, or temporarily suspend Hebrew to earn money on a moshav... Presently I'm reading Hannah Senesh - Her Life and Diaries. The first 50 pages I found so boring and forced myself to read what seemed like fabricated Jewish propaganda - the girl seemed too good to be true, nauseatingly a goody-two-shoes. Now I'm enjoying it more since she's mentioned historic events, like Hitler, etc.
I've wondered if perhaps the helplessness and hopelessness I've experienced in returning to God is part of His punishment to cause me to think twice before going astray again - not that He's ever forgotten or forsaken me, just letting me wallow for awhile in my own mire. Thank God I'm convinced of His Calling, Purpose & Interest in my life or I would have died ages ago. Mrs. Corpus once commented on how God had given me that gift of FAITH.
I must fulfill my personal destiny as a Son of Jerusalem, publish my poems, chart called PRIEST-KING - The Twin Pillars of Israel, & book THE GRAND DESIGN [since published as Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall]. I must, Lord-willing, RESTORE our Jewish-Christian presence in Jerusalem & Israel, significant since I'm of Bet David [House of David].
We received our first official rain the other day.
Hannah S. wrote: "When anyone in Hungary spoke of Zionism five or even 2 years ago, Jewish public opinion condemned him as a traitor of Hungary, laughed at him, considered him a mad visionary, and under no circumstances heard him out." Reminded me of how I too, subject to ridicule or suspicion, am a pioneer for God's Church here in the Mideast. Mr. Fiedler [one of my former ministers in the Worldwide Church of God] had said once about my "activist" activities (of writing to The Blade, my beliefs & actions) that I was so "unorthodox" - I countered so was Mr. Armstrong, and like him, would go it alone if necessary, convinced of the rightness of my convictions. Later, somewhat angry or frustrated, he said, "Why can't you just be like everyone else who goes to the Mideast for the Feast [of Tabernacles], is satisfied and returns? Why do you have to always make inroads?" I said what he called "inroads" I considered "open doors" that I never sought nor pushed open, but walked thru in faith, and that I simply believed what the Church taught, that I'm descended in part from Bet David & therefore choose to return to my ancient Homeland of the Jews - Israel. He said he was German but didn't feel he had to move to Germany. I said that was his prerogative.
Earlier, he & Mr. Gilbert [his associate pastor] gently cautioned me not to appear so Jewish that I'd give people a wrong impression of the Church - like saying Shabbat Shalom, etc. I thanked them for their concern, commented I was already aware of the need to be balanced, but also that God had used my understanding of the Mideast to become all things to Jews & Arabs, more so than others in the Congregation. Then when H.Q.'s forbade my Mideast Feast attendance indefinitely, fearing I might misrepresent the Church (as a homosexual) [due to one complaint about me during the Feast in Jordan that contradicted the biblical procedure of Matthew 18:15-17, as Mr. Gilbert noted], it further encouraged me to think a separation was due [like the US was driven to separate from England after a series of injustices], a different work to be accomplished [with a God-given focus on Jerusalem and the Jews].
Years before I was sent back home from Israel, strongly encouraged to do so, and was to await a minister resident in Israel to "supervise" my "activities." [Church elder Carl Fields commented to me, "Are they setting a precedent?"] I've waited 7 years, Grandpa has now died, I've received my inheritance, toured Europe and now, almost 30 (potentially significant), am living in Israel studying Hebrew! I have felt drawn to Israel, desire to become a part of this ancient but young nation's history, and fulfill, ultimately, my destiny in Jerusalem.
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.
Israel's Only Way Out: Follow Kahane!
by David Ben-Ariel
Israel must make concessions, Israel must do this, Israel must do that, while the Arabs continue to get away with mass murder and terrorism (while promising peace and feigning ignorance), aided and abetted by the international community.
The Atlantic Times repeats the list of delusional demands upon the Jewish homeland in "The Only Way Out: A Stringent Policy of Peace" that completely ignores history and the facts on the ground: Israel has no peace partners; Israel has no peace but only an ongoing war of attrition; the entire lying "peace process" is all part of the phased destruction of Israel that the Israelis have insanely enabled to continue. This harsh reality will soon blow up in the faces of those who have chosen to remain in a state of denial, repeating the big lie of Palestine as the proffered solution.
"Israel must reach an understanding with Syria," drones the asinine article written by a German Jew in a self-imposed exile from the Promised Land of Israel (contrary to Judaism), and then exposes such an "understanding" amounts to total Israeli surrender of the biblical territories of the Golan Heights (inheritance of Manasseh, son of Joseph) for more worthless promises and toilet paper agreements.
"The Jewish state must completely pull out of the occupied territories, abandon the settlements there and recognize East Jerusalem as the future Palestinian capital."
If Rafael Seligmann, the suicidal author, wants to slit his own throat or offer his head to the Nazi-Muslims, so be it. However, such murderous slander against biblical Judea and Samaria (occupied by covetous Arabs), such hateful incitement against Jewish pioneering communities (let RS take an armed stroll through the destroyed Jewish towns near Gaza, victims of Judenrein policies), and such treacherous talk against Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, must not be tolerated! A self-respecting Jewish country would rebuke such nonsense (whether its from writers or world leaders) and unequivocally reject such an invitation for disaster.
Shame on Seligmann for his defeatist bile that spewed, "Now that the military option has been exhausted, Israel must safeguard its future through a brave policy of peace." What a schizophrenic statement! Israel has never truly utilized their military option but have always been restrained by world opinion and lucrative bribes.
If the Israelis won't properly defend themselves, they can never enjoy peace but will suffer open season against Israeli men, women, children and babies in strollers with further calls for appeasement and surrender. The German-Jesuit EU knows this full well, and wait in the wings to occupy Jerusalem as "peacekeepers." However, the EU is not a savior but a destroyer. The Vatican purposely exploits the Arab-Jewish conflict to breach Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and will soon influence agents to invoke the accursed UN Resolution 181.
The aforementioned "Seligmann Column" of Jewish self-loathing, deliberate deceit and shameful collaboration with hostile elements, crumbles when examined in the brilliant light of history and the Bible: The Israelis were offered the only way out when Meir Kahane, rabbi and former Knesset Member, reminded them of the Law of Moses that teaches peace through strength, treating sworn enemies like sworn enemies and restoring the Temple Mount (Judaism's holiest site) as the Temple Mount without apology or hesitation (Malachi 4:4).
It's past time the Israelis come to their senses and acknowledge Kahane was right and succeed, following the direction of the Torah, or the Jews will continue to suffer escalating consequences for disobedience and Jerusalem will suffer defeat (Daniel 9:11).
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.
Jerry Falwell didn't go to Heaven!
Despite all his sermons on the subject, Jerry Falwell did not go to Heaven. Whereas I strongly disagree with his traditional Christianity (steeped in idolatrous errors), I commend Jerry Falwell for his patriotism, his pro-Israel stand, and his biblical position on morality.
Did God condemn the Jews to wander until Messiah comes but blessed every other tribe of Israel with a national inheritance? Does that make sense? Is God fair? Is Israel so much holier than Judah? Or could it be, as Herbert W. Armstrong taught in The United States and Britain in Prophecy, that Israel's punishment was to last for 2,520 years (Lev. 26:21)?
After that time, around A.D. 1800, because of Abraham's obedience, God decreed that He would bestow His blessings. Did that 2,520 years of punishment apply only to the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Does God have a double standard? Once God removed the Kingdom of Judah wasn't it His responsibility to restore it at the appointed time?
Did the Anglo-Saxon and European peoples take these prophecies into their own hands? Were they able to create their countries with no divine mandate, signs and miracles, or prophetic leadership?
For those who have eyes to see, the biblical countries came into being by divine mandate since only God determines the rise and fall of nations. Many of our founding fathers were inspired of God, in spite of themselves, to accomplish our Manifest Destiny. God's overall plan is greater than any single man.
God stirred up Theodore Herzl to inspire the Jewish people with the biblical idea of having a Jewish State again. He wrote and spoke about it extensively, planting the seed of holy imagination in Judah's mind.
Later, during the British Mandate, the British began to "look favorably" upon the establishment of an independent Jewish Homeland, watering that holy seed. The Balfour Declaration was part of a divine mandate to restore Judah to "Palestine" (a satanic word the Romans used in an evil attempt to erase our father Israel's name off the map - Ps. 83:4).
God utilized political Zionism for His purposes, just as He utilized America's rebellion against the English throne. On the surface, neither were so special or righteous, but both were instrumental in fulfilling prophecy.
As for the treatment of the former inhabitants of the lands that God decreed for His people, whether Arabs or Indians, I'm sure the Canaanites would offer scathing condemnation but others would see God's purpose being worked out, however imperfectly to limited human vision. God addresses any injustices in His own way and time (2 Sam. 21:1-14), but dismisses those charges that exaggerate or exploit them to deny our basic biblical right to the lands He has chosen for us (Acts 17:26).
As the Greeks are representative of all Gentiles, so the Jews are representative of all Israel. It is to Israel, specifically to the Jews, that God has committed the "oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2). The oracles of God includes the DIVINE COVENANTS AND PROMISES (Rom. 9:4-5). The Jews hold, in trust, the biblical land deed/covenant to the Holy Land for all Twelve Tribes.
GOD MADE A LAND-COVENANT WITH ISRAEL (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 26:3; 28:13; 35:12). Not once did God promise the Holy Land to the "Palestinians" so Bible-believers must reject their illegitimate claims. Those who attempt to justify foreign occupation of our land or terrible treatment of our people because of our sins are condemning themselves before God (Isa. 47:6; Jer. 50:7; Zech. 1:15).
There are many Scriptures that speak of a REPRESENTATIVE AMOUNT OF JEWS living in Israel before the return of the King Messiah, Yeshua. Shamefully, God's ministers, and consequently the Church of God, have often been blind to what God is doing in Israel today. We've failed to see the wonders that God has wrought, the types that foretell of greater things to come.
We've been ignorant of the biblical principle of duality and have nit-picked the prophecies demanding all or nothing. With that limited vision we would've argued with Peter on Pentecost/Shavuot about Joel's prophecy being fulfilled. However, it certainly was - in part (Acts 2:16-21).
Consider the following:
God promised to "save Zion, and build the cities of Judah" (Ps. 69:35). (He doesn't refer to them as "Palestinian" cities) God has faithfully done that by rewarding Jewish efforts (Annuit Coeptus) and respecting their blood, sweat and tears (Isa. 61:4; Ps. 102:13-14). God has used the Jews to make the desert blossom as the rose and protected them during this conversion process, just as Moses requested (Deut. 33:7).
I praise God for having blessed me, from Toledo to Jerusalem, to have lived in eight kibbutzim (collective-farms) throughout Israel that have helped to fulfill these pioneer prophecies, including during Operation Desert Storm.
God clearly prophesied through Zechariah chapters 12-14 that the Jews would again be living in their ancient capital of Jerusalem, with their own rulers, and that the "United Nations" would oppose them and ultimately be defeated.
Zechariah also shows the long-awaited recognition of Yeshua by the Jews as God's Son and Judah's Firstborn and the heartfelt repentance of the political (House of David) and religious (House of Levi) establishment. In fact, Yeshua said that the Jews in Jerusalem wouldn't see Him again until they had this necessary change of heart (Matt. 23:39).
Zechariah also reveals that the Jews would again be a formidable military power in the Middle East with God working in and through and for them. Many Israelis know that God has been their true General and performed many miracles on their behalf. I've heard Gershon Salomon, chairman of the Temple Mount Faithful, recount his miraculous experience of divine protection on the Golan Heights many times.
It's important to note that God has inspired the holy prophets to write about real flesh and blood Jews living in Israel - not Jewish imposters.
Why? Because those suffering from the sickness of anti-Semitism are out to spread doubt and confusion about Israel's Jewish identity. They publish slanderous hate literature attempting to poison minds against the Jews by promoting quack racial theories and Nazi propaganda.
It's nothing less than Satan's desperate efforts to deny that God has the power to fulfill prophecy. Bible-believers reject their bitter lies knowing God's Word is true.
Zechariah also agrees with the New Testament prophecies that reveal Jerusalem as a thriving Jewish city that will suffer under a harsh Gentile occupation just before the Messiah arrives in time (Rev. 11:2; Zech. 14:2).
Yeshua will liberate Jerusalem and secure it as His headquarters. Jerusalem, the site of David's Throne, will be the seat of God's government. Yeshua, like the prophet Daniel, foresaw that Jewish-Christians would be living and working in a Jewish State. They'll witness the historic restoration of animal sacrifices and their abrupt cessation by an evil European force, quickly followed by the "abomination of desolation" that triggers World War III (Matt. 24:15-16; Dan. 12:11).
Meanwhile, the Church of God (or select individuals if the Church continues to shirk its responsibility) must ANNOUNCE TO THE CITIES OF JUDAH (the prophecy doesn't refer to them as "Palestinian" cities or "Israeli-occupied") that Messiah's about to appear!
We're to boldly offer Judah the hope and comfort that a TRUE PEACE is coming and to get ready for it (Isa. 40:1-3). We're to help prepare Israel for the shock of a GLORIFIED YESHUA REVEALED AT LAST (vs. 5) and lead them to expect an audience with a DIVINE KING whose ROYAL RADIANCE will illuminate every nation.
We must identify Yeshua as the "Son of Man" from Heaven that Daniel previewed (Dan. 7:13-14), and stress that Zechariah gave an "eyewitness account" of this same DIVINE SAVIOR descending from Heaven to reign as LORD from Jerusalem over the whole earth (Zech. 14:3-4, 9, 16).
Remember this is no small task, and is quite controversial, since the Jews are still looking forward to a human leader to save them from all their troubles.
The Two Witnesses will be the most influential in reaching the cities of Judah from Jerusalem (Isa. 40:9; 52:7-8), effectively knowing their mindset and culture (unlike so many others), but the Church of God should still do what we can now.
These exciting Scriptures clearly prove (they're not assumptions) that with God nothing is impossible: the Jews would again be living in an independent Israel, resurrected from the dust of history just prior to Messiah's coming, with Jerusalem as their capital, complete with an effective fighting force, having been restored to their ancient cities and energetically transforming the land from barren desert to productive fields - all with God's blessing (Ezek. 37:1-14).
These Scriptures glorify God as faithful and we should praise Him that His Word is good and true. Amen.
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.
