"For Zion's Sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shine out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch." - Isaiah 62:1
The purpose of this blog is to recount the incredible experiences of Providential proportions I embarked upon bah'Artez Yisrael (In the Land of Israel). I hope and pray that through this blog you would not only be blessed, but you would experience what I did and come to know and taste what are the heights and depths and lengths and width of the God's heart toward Israel.
This first statement may come as a completely shock to some or as a 'no duh' fact to others, yet it must be said anyways: when the Word of God says Israel He means Israel. When the Bible says Jerusalem God means Jerusalem. Now we all know that through the death and resurrection of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ) the Gentiles have the same access to the promises and blessings God gave to the children of Israel. However, God made a special eternal covenant between Himself and the Jewish people to give them the Land of Israel forever (Genesis 17:8). God has called His people to stand with Israel Jews and Gentiles and has promised to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse her. After reading the Bible and walking with the Lord a few years and having amazing experiences like this CUFI trip, it has become clear to me that Israel is at the epicenter of the heart of God.
Our first night began with a meet and greet dinner where we hopped straight into advocacy. CUFI's Jewish Executive Director, David Brog, proceeded to clearly and eloquently demolish the lies that our world is bombarded with by the media on a regular basis. Israel's enemies love to blurt simple preposterous lies to catch pro-Israel advocates of guard.
Israel created a Palestinian refugee problem when it drove Palestinians from their homes in 1948.
Fact: 7 Arab nations with advanced Soviet weaponry invaded the new born state of Israel immediately after Israel declared her independence. The highly disadvantaged Jewish state was able to push back its foes and in the process it had to drive some Arabs from their homes in order to establish strategic areas of defense from the continual invasion. However, most Arabs left the land because the 7 invaders had promised to drive Israel into the sea and give them all of the land. To their dismay they were not successful.
If there were no Occupation in the West Bank there would be peace and no terrorist problem.
Fact: Terrorism against Jews existed before the Jewish state had been reborn. Additionally, during the Camp David peace process in 2000 then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians all of the Gaza Strip, 94% of the West Bank (Judea and Samria, the heart of Biblical Jewish civilization), and half of Jerusalem to build their state and Israeli troops completely withdrew from the West Bank and Gaza. Israel may have offered more had it perceived that her security needs would be adequately addressed. However, how was Israel thanked for this most generous offer? With the Second Intifada. Palestinian suicide bombers began to bombard shopping centers, restaurants, night clubs, and many other densely populated areas. It wasn't until 1,000 innocent Israeli civilians had been killed that IDF troops went back into Gaza and the West Bank to protect their population.
Terrorists hate the U.S. because we support Israel
Fact: In 1996 and 1998 Osama Bin Laden issues two separate fatwas toward America. In the first he calls the greatest 'agression' toward Islam since the time of the prophet being U.S. and Ally forces stationed in Saudi Arabia near the two holiest sites of Islam (Osama ignores the fact U.S. troops were invited by the royal family to defend them from Sadam during the Gulf War). In his latter fatwa he declares that the U.S. is plundering the riches of Saudi Arabia, humiliating its people, dictating to its leaders, (and the list goes on) and that the infidel Americans must be destroyed. Clearly, the roots of 9/11 cannot be traced to U.S. support for the Jewish State of Israel.
Christian Zionism, meeting awesome like-minded people of God, and effective advocacy sums up day 1.
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