by Rev. William E. Currie
November 1997
Israel's Not-So-Happy New year
In Israel, it is already the new year of 5758. The night of October 2, my wife and I couldn’t sleep even with ear plugs because of the noise from a Rosh Hashana party at the disco adjoining the Old House in Beersheva where we make our home while in Israel.
Rosh Hashana also ushers in the Days of Awe — preparation for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) which began at sundown on Friday, October 10. According to Jewish tradition, the Days of Awe are used to repent for sins of the past year and to perform good deeds that will merit God’s favor on Yom Kippur. Also according to tradition, some individuals have been so sinful during the year 5757 that already their names are written forever in the Book of Death, while others have been so righteous that their names are already inscribed in the Book of Life. Jewish people don’t know if their names have been written in either book so make haste to at least be passed over for the Book of Death. The common greeting during these autumn days is, “To a good year, and may your name be inscribed (in the Book of Life).”
“The year that wasn’t"
The Jewish New Year is also an occasion for numerous Israeli writers to critique the past 12 months. In an editorial in Jerusalem Post Magazine on October 1 (the eve of Rosh Hashana), Calev Ben-David called 5757, “The Year that Wasn’t.” According to Ben-David, the State of Israel made no significant progress during the past year. The year opened with the outbreak of bloody fighting between Palestinians and the Jewish Defense Forces over the opening of a second gate to the tunnel passing through the Herodian wall next to the Temple Mount, the holiest site for Jews today. Terrorist acts continued throughout the year and are still a genuine threat every waking moment for the people of Israel.
Perhaps, then, it would be helpful to look more closely at events in Israel during the past year to determine if Ben-David is overlooking a prophetic aspect in his pessimistic review of 5757. Jeremiah’s opening chapters promise the devastating effects of God’s judgment on the nation both for his day and in the Tribulation. The Lord, sitting on the Mount of Olives with his disciples, looked at the magnificent Herodian Temple (the ruins of which are buried in the rubble of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount) and predicted events such as are happening in the Middle East today. Our snapshot view of the year just past will not be bright. But in the Israeli church, in spite of Satan’s multiplied attacks, we will see rays of the sunshine of God’s faithfulness to and through those who obey Him.
Will terrorism ever end? This past year terrorism, which had abated somewhat, returned with a vengeance in a number of vicious attacks on Israeli civilians. The Cafe Apropo in Tel Aviv was bombed by a Palestinian in March; three women were killed. Another horrendous attack took place on July 30 when Jerusalem’s main open market, Mahaneh Yehuda, was bombed by two Palestinians dressed as orthodox Jews. Sixteen were killed and 167 wounded. The devastation at Mahaneh Yehuda was followed September 4 with an explosion on Jerusalem’s favorite outdoor pedestrian mall, Ben Yehuda Street, about a half mile from Mahaneh Yehuda. Five were killed and 192 injured.
Israel has not yet recovered from the sorrow of so many children and adults killed in places once considered safe civilian areas. The Mahaneh Yehuda market has not been completely repaired, and signs of the bombing are still apparent. The shops on Ben Yehuda reopened the next day after an all night cleaning effort (by a special unit of Orthodox Jews who gather body parts for burial) to show the Palestinians that nothing would keep Israelis from living a normal life. It was an empty gesture. There are fewer strollers on the mall, and businesses are suffering from the lack of shoppers.
On October 19, just six weeks after the Ben Yehuda attack, the leader of the radical Islamic group Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, announced a “cooling off” period for attacks if Israel would stop measures against the Palestinians such as economic closures, house demolitions, and land seizures. The Israeli government, while saying it welcomed Hamas’ “change of tone,” said the terrorists’ offer had too many conditions to be believable. Israel also reported that their intelligence indicated Hamas was currently plotting another bombing attack in Israel (Chicago Tribune, October 20, 1997). The message Israelis cannot ignore is the rising death toll from terrorism. As the new year begins, Israelis still leave their homes in the morning with the realization there could be another terrorist bombing — and no one knows where.
Israeli believers are not immune to this terror. Some I know have been close by when bombs went off, but were preserved by God’s grace. Theirs, however, is not a fatalistic view of events, but a dependence on the Lord to fulfill His will in their lives whether by life or by death. They have fears for their children, but many have the settled confidence that their children belong to the Lord and will be cared for according to His divine plan for them. They cope with the uncertainty of daily life by a trust that their future is not in the hands of blind fate, but a loving Father in heaven.
The halted peace process
Only two years ago the peace process seemed to be on track - Itzhak Rabin was making great strides toward a final agreement with the Palestinians. But on November 4, 1995, Rabin was assassinated by a religious activist because of his willingness to deal land for peace.
Rabin's wife, Leah, and many of his supporters laid the blame for his death on the present Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. They charge that the climate of hostility created as part of Netanyahu's election strategy instigated intense hatred for Rabin by religious Jews who saw their much-desired settlement program on the West Bank closed down. Netanyahu, who promised the religious Jews what they wanted, won the election against Rabin's replacement, Shimon Peres, by a small majority led by the block of ultra-orthodox Jews who voted as their rabbis directed.
Under Netanyahu, the peace process has slowed to a near standstill. To the outrage of the Palestinians, new Jewish settlements are being built and old ones enlarged, thanks largely to the pressure on Netanyahu by the religious element in the Israeli Knesset. Newspapers in Israel are filled each day with promises of renewed movement toward peace, promises dashed the next day by the actions or statements of either Netanyahu or Yasser Arafat. Both leaders are trying to keep the support of their respective constituencies that keep them in power. Neither man trusts the other, so neither will take the necessary steps to restart the peace process.
Netanyahu stands in an especially ticklish position politically. Under his government, the division in Israel between the religious and secular Jewish communities is widening. Netanyahu cannot satisfy either faction because of the depth of hatred between religious and secular Jews and also between Ashkenazi (Eastern European) and Sephardic Jews (Mediterranean). He is in a no-win position. Many question if he will last until the next election, but he always seems to survive every test of his authority and position.
Looking ahead
Allison Kaplan Sommer, writing in the October 1, 1997 issue of Jerusalem Post Magazine, summarizes the year 5757: “Simmering conflicts, crises and scandals, ghosts from the past and the spectre of an uncertain future all made 5757 a year that was not always easy to endure.”
In the uncertain future of the year 5758, will there be a war between the Palestinians and the Jews, or between the Syrians and the Jews? Informed military sources such as Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai and Chief of Staff General Amnon Lipkin-Shahak say no, but will not rule out the possibility of guerilla warfare emerging. Such skirmishes would be even more difficult than all-out war for the Israelis to deal with, because of the tendency of guerilla warfare to erupt when women and children are present. The Israeli army would have difficulty defending a position of fighting around women and children.
Israel’s military leaders see Syria rearming and building up her supply of nonconventional chemical weapons along with missiles capable of striking the larger cities of north and central Israel. But Syria also knows that Israel has nuclear-tipped warheads for their tanks and artillery. If the Syrians were to use weapons of mass destruction against the Jewish homeland, Israel would not hesitate to use a nuclear response. It would be a devastating war for both sides. Israel would most likely eventually win, but at terrible cost to both countries as well as strong negative world opinion of Israel. Neither side wants to pay the price.
Hope for the remnant In the midst of this climate of ongoing terrorism, political instability and divisiveness, the Gospel continues to go out through the Land. Some of the congregations are becoming more aware of their responsibility of reaching out with the Gospel to other ethnic groups.
There is an active outreach to Chinese workers who have come to Israel from mainland China to do construction work formerly done by Palestinians. The workers live in squalid camps set up by their hiring contractors. The Chinese workers receive loving, humanitarian help from the believers, an excellent testimony of God’s love at work. It is estimated that more than 500 Chinese men have accepted the Lord. Many have been baptized. A Chinese couple coordinates the outreach and helps find trained Chinese pastors to assist. Another Israeli believer is a Russian man who accepted the Lord three years ago. After his decision, this man asked me how he could grow in his faith. I urged him to read and memorize the Word of God, which he began to do for hours each day. He has grown tremendously in the past two years and now has an integral part in the most active outreach to the Chinese workers.
Israeli assemblies are also making a concerted effort to pray for their troubled nation. Approximately 1,400 Messianic Jews wept and prayed together as they gathered at the Baptist Village in Petah Tikvah on October 4, for a day of prayer and fasting for Israel, its leaders, its people. They interceded for the nation throughout the day, asking God to bring the remnant to Himself soon. They also broke into small groups for focused prayer for groups including Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and Messianic youth.
Their prayers will not avert the coming judgment predicted in Zechariah 13, but such a season of prayer shows the heart of people who love the Lord as well as the nation of Israel. May God increase their number dramatically in the coming days. He will, as He promised, bring in the yet unreached remnant who will believe in Messiah before He returns to rapture the Church
