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David's Comment:  Learning Lessons From the Enemy
2 Cor 2:11  ..... lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.  (NKJ)

The first time Josie and I visited Israel, we attended the ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles celebration.  One of the guest speakers said something thing that struck me so strongly, that I have never forgotten it, and often quote him in my messages as I travel the nations.  The brother was speaking about Israel, but it is true for every situation.  He said "if you want to know what is important to God, look and see what the enemy is doing.  God is usually a lot more subtle than the Devil, thus it is easier to see what is strategic in the realm of the Spirit, by seeing what the Devil is attacking.  If it is not important to YHVH, then the Devil is not interested in it either.

One example is that the enemy NEVER gives up. You may well be aware of this in your own lives.  You get the victory over him one day, and he is back attacking you the next day.  We can see it with the Homosexual lobby - they may suffer a defeat in achieving their evil agenda one day, however they simply retreat, regroup, and try again, and again, and again until they get the victory. They never, never, never give up.

The issue I really want to look at is the Muslim agenda to bring about the destruction of Israel.  Do not be fooled by the lies of the media.  The creation of a so called Palestinian State is in reality the Muslim plan to destroy the State of Israel.  And they will never give up until they achieve their Devil inspired goal, or perish in the attempt.  All we hear about today is the need for a Palestinian State for the Palestinian people.  I have been saying for years now that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.  Now US presidential candidate Newt Gringrich is saying the same thing.

The world never heard the terms "Palestinian State" or "Palestinian People" before the miraculous Israeli victory at the end of the Six Day War of 1967.  Both terms were invented by Yassar Arafat and the PLO following the Arab loss of control over East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.  Now the terms have been repeated on a daily basis by the secular anti-Christ media, successfully brain-washing most of the world and much of the Church into believing that the Jewish people are illegally occupying land that belongs to this mythical nation. And Israel is hated for it.

The Bible tells us that words are extremely powerful. As Bible believers we should not allow the word Palestine come from our lips.  We are called to declare the Word of the Lord.  In the Bible, the land at the heart of the Arab/Israeli conflict is only ever called "Israel".  "Palestine"  is actually a word invented by the Romans to curse the Land. Every time we use the "P"  word we are agreeing with the enemy that Israel should not exist.  The word is derived from the name Palestina, which is derived from the word "Philistia".  The Philistines were always the arch enemies of God and His people.

Apart from never giving up,  here is the lesson we need to learn from the enemy.  The enemies of Israel understand the power of words and names  -  thus they never use the name "Israel."  Armedinejhad, as well as the leaders of Hamas and Hizbollah never say it.  They call Israel "the Occupying Force"  or "the Zionist regime" or worse.  To offset their refusal to proclaim the name Israel, we need to proclaim it more. Better still we can use the other often repeated Biblical name "the Promised Land."   The more we proclaim those words the more we declare that God promised the Land to the Jewish people.

You never know - our family and friends who don't see things the way we do, may just see the light -  Amen LORD

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel.  Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God.  Do not be silent, but share this wth your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to.   Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims,  and please remember to pray for all of the soldiers in the IDF -they are defending and fighting for the Kingdom of God.

Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie 
David's Comment:  The Enormous Potential of China for the Kingdom
I am currently on a speaking tour of S.E. Asia.  I began my tour in the southern Chinese city of Ghangzhou, then moved on to Macau and Hong Kong.   I have had China on my heart for some time now and have been waiting to have my book, A Slow Train coming published for the Chinese speaking world.  After a long delay,
with the generous assistance of some brethren in Hong Kong,  the book has finally be printed in Mandarin.  According to reports and testimonies that I have received
the book which is now published in 7 languages has been very effective in offsetting the ugly fruit of 1900 years of Replacement Theology in the Church.  Please pray with Josie and I that the book will be widely distributed and impactive in Mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

There are now more than 1.4  billion people in mainland China and I think most of us have heard the amazing statistics of the number of Chinese people coming to faith in the Holy One of Israel.   Today many Western ministries are turning their attention to China, recognising  the enormous potential of millions of people coming to know the One True God through the blood of His Son.  As I have already mentioned, I too have my eyes on China, but for a slightly different reason.  I  am first and foremost an evangelist and I do hope and pray that in the future I will be able to preach the Gospel from Zion to China and see multitudes in China coming into the Kingdom of God.  However I have another reason to turn my focus to China.  

Israel is currently facing her most perilous, precarious and strategic time of her entire history.  The whole world and much of the Church is coming against the tiny nation of Israel and the Jewish people.  Israel needs as much fervent, effective prayer and intercession as possible.  I see the potential millions of  Born Again Chinese Believers as a future powerhouse of fervent, effective prayer and intercession for Israel.   

I have encountered several groups of Chinese Believers in Israel and have been amazed at their dedicated passion for Israel and the Jewish people.  Now I have experienced it in their own country.  I only spoke at 3 meetings in China. but I had a personal revelation of the potential for massive support for Israel that lies with the Chinese people..  There is a major difference between the Western Church and the non-Western Church.   When I speak about Israel in the West, I discern that  some in the audience have a strong and arrogant anti Israel attitude.  Paul warns against this inRomans 11:18-21.   I have never encountered this in Africa, Asia or India.  Well that's not quite correct.  Last Sunday I spoke in Macau.  Most of the people were blessed by the message, however two women came to argue with me at the end of the service.  But they were not locals, they were Westerners. One was from UK and the other from the USA.  One even had the audacity to insist to me that Yeshua was a Palestinian.   The name Palestina (a curse word by the way)  was not used until after the Romans destruction of Israel in 70 AD,  40 years after Yeshua died and rose again, so there are no Biblical  grounds for Him to be called a Palestinian.  It is a blasphemy of the highest order !!!    Seems that many Christians cannot face the fact that Yeshua was born and lived as an Israeli Jew.

The reason for the rampant anti Israel attitude in the Western world is that it is deeply influenced by Greek philosophy.  We are supposed to be influenced by the Bible, not by the Israel hating Greek empire. Praise the Lord that the non-Western world was never dominated by ancient Greece or Rome and thus most have not inherited the anti Israel spirit.  As I teach the Biblical truth about Israel in to the non-white world, I see the people sitting there like sponges - soaking up every drop of water from the Word. They love Israel because they love the God of Israel and they love His Word.   

This is what I found as I ministered in China for the first time last weekend.  And this is why I am excited by the thought of millions and millions Chinese people coming  into the Kingdom of God.  Once they are in the Kingdom we just need to ensure they receive good teaching about God's plans and purposes for Israel,  their grafted in relationship to Israel ( in Eph 2:19  the Chinese Bible saysONE NATION  rather than FELLOW CITIZENS  -  I like that )  and God's command to every Believer to PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM  and we will have that  "Atomic" power generator of prayer for Israel eminating from China and the Chinese speaking world.  That will truly Hasten the Day of the Lord's Return ( 2 Pet 3:12)

Do you want to see the Lord return as soon as possible ?   I sure do !!!    So please stand with Josie and I in prayer as I continue my time in S. E. Asia over the next week and please pray that the Lord will open doors to get the Chinese edition of my Slow Train book into the hands of as many Chinese people as possible.

My book is also available in English, German, Swedish, Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese.  Why not buy a few copies and give them as gifts this Christmas to family members and friends who do not understand Israel the way they should.  If you email me we will get the books in the mail as soon as possible.

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel.  Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God.  Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to.   Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims,  and please remember to pray for all of the soldiers in the IDF -they are defending and fighting for the Kingdom of God.

Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie 

 

The CARMEL ALERT  November 18th 2011

A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying 
for the Restoration of Israel & the Jewish People

David's Comment:  Back to Biblical Basics 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work   (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJ)

When Paul wrote the above verse to Timothy, he was referring to the Jewish scriptures as the New Testament didn't exist at that time.  I remember the horrified  look on the face of a woman in a meeting in Houston, Texas several years ago, when I said that Paul never read the New Testament.  It took several seconds for her to realise that Paul couldn't have read it - he was still writing most of it.  As I travel the nations, I have become aware of a number of misconceptions about the Bible, that I see as a serious concern for the Body of Messiah.   I want to look at these issues in this week's comment. 
 

1. Most people are under the impression the New Testament and the New Covenant are the same thing. Well they are, and at the same time, they are not. Allow me to explain.  Most Christians call the first part of the Bible the "Old Covenant" or "Old Testament" and the second or most recent part of the Bible the "New Covenant" or the "New Testament".  These two words are similar, but they don't really mean exactly the same thing.  

The correct meaning of COVENANT  is   ......   an agreement between two people or two groups that involves promises on the part of each to the other. The concept of covenant between God and His people is one of the most important theological truths of the Bible.   (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)    

The correct meaning of  TESTAMENT  is .......  A written document that provides for the disposition of one's personal property after death; a bequest.  (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

On that basis, I believe it is more accurate to use the term  "Covenant",  to refer to the relationship between God and man and "Testament" to refer to the two parts of the Bible. These two parts of the Bible are not the Covenant  -  they are about the Covenant.   If we read and understand both parts of the Bible, the Old and ther New Testaments, we will learn that the only difference between the Old and the New Covenant is the method of Atonement.  Under the Old Covenant, when the Jewish people broke the Torah (instructions) and sinned against the LORD,  they sacrificed a sheep or goat at the Temple.  When we who are under the New Covenant sin against the LORD, we are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb of God  - YESHUA.   Please note that the Torah is NOT the Covenant,  the Covenant 
is the means of how we were / are forgiven.

2. I have also become aware that many Christians see the Old Testament, TANACH in Hebrew, as no longer relevant. The word TANACH  is an anacronym like the word NATO  - Torah (the first five books), Neve'em(the prophets) and Cotevim  (the writings)  which is all of the first part of the Bible.  As I have already said, many Christians, leaders included, think that the TANACH is obsolete for New Covenant believers.  For this reason many don't read the TANACH apart from the first few chapters of Genesis, Psalms and perhaps Proverbs.  The truth is it impossible to fully understand the New Testamant, with out knowing and understanding the first Old Testamant.

I have heard it said by Christians that the Old Testament is for the Jews and the New Testament is for Christians.   Just a few days ago someone told me that in last Sunday's message, their pastor said that the New Testament is more important that the Old Testament.  WRONG  WRONG WRONG.    Some people even believe and teach that the God of the Old Testament is a different God of the New Testament.  I was told about a high level Church leader in the UK who strongly declared during a heated discussion about Israel, "I hate the God of the Old Testament!"   That man will have to stand before the God he hates on the Day of Judgement.   I wouldn't want to be in his shoes on that day.

3. The other serious error I hear is that we need to read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament,  WRONG  WRONG WRONG again.  That is irrational  -  do we watch the second episode of a TV program before we watch the first episode ?   Of course we can, but it won't fully understand the story line. Its the same with the Bible.  We will never fully understand what we are reading in the New Testament, if we don't know what the Old Testament is about.  Further more, the Old Testament is about 70% of the Bible.  It was this 70% of the Holy scriptures that Paul was referring to in the opening verse.   All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work    Therefore we must read the New Testament, in light of the Old Testament.  Yeshua and the Paul did.  Both often referred back to the Tanach by starting their dilaogue with the statement, "It is written".  If it was good enough for the Son of God, and the greatest Apostle to adhere to the Tanach. it should be good enough for everyone.

It is my opinion that if, over the last 1900 years, the Church had treated the Old Testament with the importance and respect that it deserves,  Replacement Theology and anti-Semitism may not have taken such a strong hold  on the Church.

To summarise, here is what I am saying   ............    

Read the Bible
Read ALL of the Bible
Read the New Testament based on the foundations of the Old Testament
Read it in the context of who it was written to
Believe it  and live by it - become a 'walking epistle'

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel.  Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God.  Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to.   Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims,  and please remember to pray for all of the soldiers in the IDF -they are defending and fighting for the Kingdom of God.

Shalom, David 

       David & Josie Silver

 

 

 

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