Be sure to read the update at the end. My
heart is so sad right now. This is the land that Abraham purchased for a burial
plot for his family and where he, Isaac and Jacob are buried, as well as Sarah.
How much longer will God allow this to happen? And the part about the US is just
sickening to me.
Shalom Everyone!
Greetings to everyone from around the world!
My wife Vicki and I just returned from Israel. It was an incredible two
weeks that was exciting as well as a moving experience. We were given this
wonderful opportunity and happened to be in Israel
during the beginning stages of some interesting developments in Israel’s
political scene.
My passion in life is to teach the Hebrew Roots of the faith in the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Christians. I believe in appointed times and I
believe in destiny. We are not here in this world just to exist or take up
space. We are here to strengthen the feeble hands and to bring the world into
an acknowledgment of the One true God: The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I
wanted to go to Israel
and I planned our 2-week trip around this particular weekend almost 9 months
ago. Why? Because our first Shabbat in the land would fall on the following
Torah Portion…
Sarah Lives!
Chayei Sarah or the Life of Sarah from Genesis.
Thursday, November 20th, my wife and I along with another family and a good
friend journeyed to Hebron
to see the tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. I knew during that weekend
there would be thousands of Jews in Hebron
to honor Sarah’s life. As I am a believer, my heart
is for the Jewish people. I felt there would be no way I could ever get into
Hebron that weekend when I planned the trip so I planned to be in Hebron a
little early. We beheld not only the past, but saw destiny unfolding right
before our eyes that day. Little did we know the historical significance of the
present events that would be unfolding right before us. The great secular minds
of this day want to evacuate the “Peace House” in Hebron. A truly peaceful house in the heart
of the Jewish community.
Here is today’s headlines from Arutz Sheva: "In the Eye of the Storm: Peace House in Hevron" by Yehudah Lev Kay
My friend who took us to the Cave of Machpelah knows David
Wilder, the spokesman for the Hebron
community. David allowed us to videotape him speaking to us as he poured forth
his heart about the significance of the sights we were seeing. All of a sudden,
the great historical significance of the moment hit us as he spoke in a deep,
passionate yet very calm way: Our video of him speaking could be the last of “a
Jewish presence” in a location where Jewish people have been for millennia and
it could end at any moment!
After taking us to the Cave, David takes us to the tomb of Jesse, King David’s
father and the tomb of Ruth. He talks about King David ruling in Hebron and then right before our eyes he shows us the
steps leading up to the original gates of Hebron
some 4,000 years ago where Abraham paid an exorbitant price for the title deed
to Ephron the Hittite for that piece of property. I
realized the significance of the small community of faithful Jews, who by
living in Hebron, are honoring Abraham and Sarah by
the exorbitant price they are paying to remain faithful to Abraham’s deed of
trust. And we were there that very weekend when the entire world of Torah
observers review the Biblical record of the bill of sale. It was given so that
for all of history it would never be in doubt. How ironic, that after paying an
exorbitant price for the “Peace House,” we see this bill of sale being
questioned. Sadly, the very own children of Abraham are questioning it with
purely political motives!
Then to our surprise as we are videotaping, David invites us past all the
foreign press to come into the Peace House and videotape the building inside
and his family as he speaks to us his heart. So here is destiny unfolding as we
are in Hebron,
the week of the Torah portion tells us about the life of Sarah and the purchase
of the cave. We are allowed to videotape the man whose passion is to actually
be the spokesman for not only those who want to be faithful to the deed of
trust but a spokesman for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob wanting people to
take God at His word.
I couldn’t help but think of the ten spies who were full of unbelief:
Nu 13:22,23 And they ascended by the south, and came
unto Hebron;
where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak,
were. And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut
down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between
two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
Nu 13:32,33 And they brought up an evil report of the
land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land,
through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth
up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a
great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak,
which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so
we were in their sight.
Here, God took them to Hebron
so they could see the three spiritual giants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and know
the children of God are to be faithful to the covenant. And instead of being
strengthened by the Heavenly Father and His children--the three spiritual
giants in the earth--they were afraid of a secular father and his three
physical giants on the earth! The same is happening today!
Remember what God told Moses:
Ex 3:5,6 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
It doesn’t say: “I was the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
No, God is not the God of the dead but the God of the living. I want the Jewish
people to know and remember through the ancient evidence of the Torah and its
Portion “Chayei Sarah,” that Sarah Lives! Sarah
Lives!
It was 3:00am in Israel
on Erev Shabbat, Chayei
Sarah, as I wrote that but I want the Jews to know: “There are people behind
you to support you; but more than that, know that the God of Israel is before
you! As He told Joshua, Be strong and of a good courage at this time!”
Chazak! Chazak! Chazak!
Update in Hebron
Israeli Police Evacuate Hebron
Shalom again! I have a quick correction to make from the previous newsletter
and an important update!
As of 6:45 am Pacific Time the Israeli military moved in and evacuated the
people from the Peace House. Here is breaking news from Arutz
Sheva.
When it comes to evacuating people from the West Bank to create a Palestinian
State, Peace House in Hebron was chosen was the as Hebron is the "head of
the body" so to speak. There are many other West Bank communities but they
are starting in Hebron
as that is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried. They feel that starting
at the head will make it easier to evacuate the rest.
You may not know this, but in any of the West Bank
communities, like Hebron,
people can’t even add a porch without Condoleeza
Rice’s approval. Our State Dept has to okay any building or improvements being
done in the West Bank as it may become part of a new Palestinian State.
I believe this could be the beginnings of severe judgment coming on both America and the secular government of Israel. Time will
tell. Be praying.
Pastor Mark
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.elvorochjanne.se
Mail: jan.ohlin@crossnet.se
eller elvor.ohlin@crossnet.se