How does the prophetic return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland link in with revival? Messianic author and speaker Steve Lightle shares his insights and first hand experiences
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
Many Christians would be surprised to learn that North Korea – the world’s undisputed top persecutor of its own Christian population – was once the centre of sweeping revivals. Even more surprising to many would be the fact that the ruling Kim dynasty came from a devout Christian family.
What went wrong and how can we pray for North Korea at this time of increasing tensions? Is there hope for the long oppressed people of North Korea?
The city of Pyongyang is today synonymous with the tyrannical nuclear-tipped regime of Kim Jong-Un. However if we were to wind back the clock 100 years, we would see a very different city. After the first Presbyterian mission opened in Pyongyang in 1895, revival movements rapidly brought in many converts. These waves of revival culminated in the ‘Great Pyongyang Revival’ of 1907 which spread out from the city and touched the whole nation of Korea. The fruit of the revival was that by 1910, Pyongyang was the most Christianised area of Korea – boasting over 60’000 Christians in the Presbyterian Church alone! Christian activity was such a prominent feature that postcards from those days featured pictures of Christian street evangelists in action rather than the more traditional postcard pictures of scenic sites.
By the time of the Communist take-over in 1948, there were 2000 churches throughout Korea and they were predominantly located in the North. Pyongyang itself was known as a bustling head-quarter of missionary activity and was affectionately called the ‘Jerusalem of the East’.
The Christian Heritage of the Kim Dynasty
According to the outstanding book ‘Back to the Jerusalem of the East’ by Eugene Bach and Luther Martin, many of the original ruling elite of communist North Korea were in fact from Christian families or received a Christian education.
Even more startling is the fact that Kim Il-Sung – the founder and supreme leader of North Korea who ruled for 46 years – came from a devout Christian family. According to Kim’s official biography, his grandfather was a minister and his parents served as elders in a Presbyterian church. The young Kim grew up in church, and it is even reported that he was an accomplished organist!
What went wrong?
How did Kim Il-Sung turn so radically against the Christian faith of his parents? According to Bach and Martin, the young Kim observed with resentment the high living standards of the western missionaries while the average Korean struggled to put food on the table. The apparent apathy of western missionaries to the Japanese invasion, and their possible ties with the wealthy and oppressive landlords were also issues triggering resentment.
Another pivotal event in Kim’s life was his family’s forced exile in China due to his father being blacklisted by the Japanese authorities. Sadly they were not safe in China either, and one day Japanese soldiers snatched Kim’s father. Local Christians prayed fervently and passionately for his release, but he never returned. No doubt this event would have marked the young Kim and sown seeds in him leading to his complete rejection of Christianity.
Kim later became a rebel leader fighting against the Japanese, and was installed by the Russians as the leader of Korea after the defeat of the Japanese armies.
Pyongyang’s status as the Jerusalem of the East came to a close with the establishment of the ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ under Kim Il-Sung in 1948 and the subsequent rapid closure and confiscation of church properties.
Kim Il-Sung’s repudiation of his Christian heritage and ruthless persecution of Christianity forms a horrific part of Korea’s history. As his son and now grandson continue in his footsteps, millions of Koreans are suffering from Kim’s fateful decision to turn away from the God of his fathers.
Did Kim Il-Sung entirely forget his Christian heritage?
In Christian circles, bible study groups, worship songs and confession of sins are important in the development of strong committed disciples. Even though Kim turned his back on Christianity, it appears that his regime chose to use surprisingly similar methods to unite the people around their ‘dear leader’. These practices include regular breaks at work to study the writings of Kim Il-Sung in small groups, the singing of songs to the ‘dear leader’ and even the confession of ‘sins’ in weekly confessionals. Perhaps some of these corrupted practices are the secret to the enduring strength of the North Korean dictatorship?
Furthermore, Kim Il-Sung is revered as a god, and his son as ‘the son of god’ – obscenely mirroring Christian theology. Founding father Kim Il Sung is even believed by many to be god in the flesh and the creator of the earth! The words of North Korean blogger ‘Juche girl’ give insight into a Christ-like perception of their leader. She writes ‘Dear Leader can make the handicap walk and the blind to see’. Sounds like a twisted version of a Sunday School song!
While one report suggested that Kim Il-Sung later in life once agreed to pray with a doctor before a major operation, there is sadly no evidence to suggest that he had any real change of heart or returned to the God of his fathers.
Hope for the Future of North Korea
It would seem that there has been a systematic satanic attempt to destroy the Christian heritage of North Korea. Perhaps God has a special destiny for this nation that the enemy has tried to thwart?
According to Open Doors there are today an estimated 300’000 believers in North Korea. This is an extraordinarily high number considering the high price these believers may end up paying for their faith. The calibre of these Christians who are willing to stand in the fire of persecution is to me a great sign of hope for the future of Korea.
I believe there is great hope for a future revival in North Korea – and I base these hopes on the very similar history of the Chinese Church in the lead up to the great revivals in the late 70’s and 80’s. Prior to that time Chairman Mao was practically worshipped as the great saviour of China – and Christians went through vicious persecution to the point of the church being thought to have become extinct. However, as a result of the widespread tumult and havoc wreaked by Mao and also as a result of his death in 1976, millions of Chinese lost faith in their once great leader. This experience and the fall of their great leader produced fertile soil in millions of Chinese hearts for what would become possibly the greatest revival of the 20th Century. This revival was led by ordinary Chinese believers – many of whom had stood firm during the darkest night of persecution.
Could the same happen to North Korea? Could a tumultuous removal of the Kim dynasty lead millions of North Koreans to turn away from worshipping this false god? Like in China, could this revival be headed up by North Korean believers who have been through the purifying fire of persecution? Can Pyongyang once again be the epicentre of a tremendous revival to have an impact even the borders of North Korea? Perhaps this is the reason why the enemy has tried to hold North Korea in the iron-grip of the Kim dynasty for so long.
A Call to Prayer
In these days of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, let us remember to pray for the North Korean people. Let us pray for a change in the North Korean leadership and an opening of the borders to the Gospel. May the Christian heritage of the nation be restored and may Pyongyang once again be known as the ‘Jerusalem of the East’!
Sources:
“Back to the Jerusalem of the East”, by Eugene Bach and Luther Martin
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
Paul declares that marriage is the “beautiful design of the Almighty, a great and sacred mystery—meant to be a vivid example of Christ and his Church” (Eph 5:32, The Passion). Marriage is meant to be a picture of the Messiah’s love for His bride, and in this article, I will draw on my own love story with my wife to speak about the longing, the promise and the hope of our Messiah’s return.
A Romance 14 Years in the Making
It all started back in 2004 when I visited an evening Church service in Box Hill, Melbourne. As the service was drawing to an end, I asked the Holy Spirit to speak to me – and was surprised by what I heard! I felt His gentle voice say to me – ‘are you ready for marriage?’. Being only 20 years old at the time, I replied ‘Lord, prepare me!’.
In my mind, I thought preparation wouldn’t take long – and immediately and expectantly began to keep my eyes out for that special someone. Little did I know the journey that would lie ahead! I didn’t meet that special someone that week, nor the next week, nor the next month or even the month after that. As the years slowly went by, I kept looking for the right one, only to have my hopes dashed again and again. At times I got so despondent, that I even had to put aside the vision of marriage!
In November 2011 – after seven years of this journey – I wrote down a prayer about my future wife which I began to pray regularly.
The years continued to go by, and God’s promise of marriage seemed as far away as ever.
Little did I know that during this very time – November 2011 – God was at work on the heart of a young lady named Sarah on the Gold Coast. She had just lost her Dad to cancer, and when she visited Church on the day of his death, she asked God for a new vision to sustain her for the time ahead. To her surprise, she felt God speak to her about getting married. “You’re not really saying marriage are you Lord?”, she asked. The next day, a friend of hers – not knowing the situation – came visiting and told Sarah “I feel to give you this”. It was her wedding veil from her own wedding more than 20 years earlier.
Being assured of God’s promise, Sarah too had a journey of waiting, hoping and believing – intertwined with moments of despair and frustration as she waited for the promise. The years seemed to go by for her as well, and her hopes of various guys along the way also came crashing down. However, ultimately, the hope Sarah had in her heart sustained her through the journey. It even caused her to buy a wedding dress – 5 years before we met!
Finally – on the 9th of March, 2018 – Sarah and I met and hit it off quite quickly. As I learned of Sarah’s journey, I realised that from the very time I began to pray in Melbourne, God had been at work answering that prayer. It was only now – 6 years later – that I could see the answer to prayer sitting right in front of me! God is truly faithful to answer prayer and keep His promises! We ended up getting married on the 11th of November – 7 years to the month since I had first begun praying and since God had begun speaking to Sarah.
Waiting for the Promise
Many of us have been waiting for God’s promises to come to pass in our personal lives. Perhaps we have been praying for our loved ones for years, with seemingly little or no change. As the months and years have passed, the promises have seemed further away than ever.
May our story encourage you today that our God will keep His Word! Although the promise may seem afar off, don’t despair and don’t lose hope. Truly He will bring about His Word in its season – and when it comes to pass, you too will be able to look back and see how God has been at work all along to fulfil His Word and answer your prayers.
The Promised Heavenly Wedding
The Church has a tremendous promise from Jesus – that He will one day return for us – for His beloved bride. As the years have gone by, we too have got our hopes up at times. For example, back in the 80’s, a book was written called ’88 Reasons Why Jesus will Return in 1988’. After He failed to return in ’88, a new book was written with 89 reasons why He would return in 1989!
Unfortunately, the church’s expectancy of His return on those dates, only led to disappointment and discouragement. Just as I at times put aside the vision of marriage, so much of the Church has put aside her expectancy of the Lord’s soon return.
I believe Jesus has given us His promised return for a reason – not that we should put it aside, but that we should embrace the hope. Hope sustained Sarah and I during our difficult moments and during the long journey of waiting. I am convinced that the hope of the Lord’s return for us – His chosen Bride – is likewise crucial to sustain the Church in the dark days that lie ahead.
Hope causes us to live differently. Hope gives us a sense of expectation and excitement. Just as hope caused Sarah to buy a wedding dress 5 years ahead of time, so the hope of the soon return of the lover of our souls causes us get ready with the excitement of an expecting bride.
I believe it is time for the Church to hope again. Time to hope that God has heard our prayers and will fulfil His promises to us on a personal level. Time to hope again that He will indeed return soon for His Beloved Bride. And time to look forward with the riveting excitement of a bride – to that great Heavenly wedding which is to come.
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
“Can we ever live together in peace?” asked my Orthodox Jewish friend. She was despairing over the situation in Gaza and the ongoing fermenting of terrorism by radical Islamists. Like her, many of her fellow Israelis have lost hope in a future peaceful co-existence with their Palestinian neighbours and especially with those living under Hamas in Gaza.
‘Will there ever be peace?’ my Orthodox friend repeated. I found myself unable to answer her question, and decided to study the Scriptures to see what the Bible reveals about the future of Gaza.
What I found surprised and excited me, and gave me hope that this horrible situation will one day be turned into a beautiful picture of co-existence and harmony in submission to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Gaza in Bible Times
During Old Testament times, Gaza was the home of Israel’s feared archenemy – the Philistines. It was from Gaza city that Samson carried away the city gates up to hilly Hebron (an impressive feat!), and it was here that Samson spent his days in prison until his spectacular death while tearing down the Temple of the Philistine god Dagon.
Many might find it surprising that the Bible record places the territory of Gaza within the inheritance God allotted to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 13:1-3, 15:21,47). God has outlined many specific promises to the Jewish people throughout the Scriptures. The unconditional promise of specific land including Gaza as part of their inheritance is one of many yet unfulfilled promises of the Scriptures. We know that God is faithful to keep His promises, and I therefore believe that at some point in the future God will place Gaza firmly under Israeli control.
The Judgment of Gaza
But what about the Palestinians living in today’s Gaza? Although modern Palestinians are not descended from this ancient and long-extinct Philistine people, Palestinians have inherited much the same geographical areas and share a similar antagonistic relationship with Israel just like the ancient Philistines.
The destiny of Gaza and her Palestinian inhabitants is foretold in the prophecies of Zephaniah and Zechariah. In the context of “the day of the Lord’s anger”, Zephaniah 2:4 foresees a time when Gaza shall be ‘forsaken’ or abandoned. In verse 5, the Lord pours out judgment on Gaza, and in verses 6-7, the prophet foresees the coast of Gaza being allocated for the ‘remnant of the house of Judah’.
Similarly, Zec. 9:5 predicts that the ‘king shall perish from Gaza’. Ultimately the spiritual law of sowing and reaping will come into effect, and the terror that has emanated from the mouth of the Gazan leadership will return in judgement upon these leaders. God is a God of justice, and will in His timing render to ‘each his due’.
Is there Hope for Gaza?
It is important to note that the very same Scriptures that predict the judgment and destruction of Gaza, also give a message of radiant hope for the ‘remnant of Gaza’.
Zec. 9:7 (NKJV) says that those who remain in Gaza shall:
“Be for our God”
“Be as a governor in Judah”
“Be as a Jebusite”
The first promise tells us that the remnant of Gaza shall experience a great turning to the Lord – the Lord God of Israel. They shall not all be wiped out, but many shall have a change of heart and turn from a religion of violence to the find the true Prince of Peace.
The second promise is that this remnant of Gaza is to be ‘as a governor in Judah’. The word ‘governor’ can also be translated intimate friend. Not only will the remnant of Gaza turn to the Lord, but they will also become true friends of Israel. What an amazing miracle! Furthermore, the word translated ‘governor’ is today used to describe officers in Israel’s army. Perhaps this scripture is foretelling that one day Gazans will become trusted leaders in Israel’s army!
The third and final promise reinforces the first two promises given to the remnant of Gaza. This promise confidently declares that this remnant will one day be ‘as a Jebusite’.
Who were the Jebusites? The Jebusites were an ancient people who once controlled Jerusalem. Many Jebusites remained living among the people of Israel after the conquest of Canaan – and the most famous of these Jebusites in Scripture is Araunah. Araunah was going about his daily business as the owner of a threshing floor, when in 2 Sam. 24 King David comes rushing to him. At the time, divine judgment was coming on Israel, and an angel assigned to destroy Jerusalem was spotted at Araunah’s threshing floor.
As King David encounters Araunah, we can observe several key facts about this Jebusite and his relationship to Israel’s King, People and the God of Israel (2 Sam 24:18-23):
Although he lived among the people of Israel, Araunah was still known as a Jebusite and maintained his separate identity
He bowed down and honoured the King of Israel and even described himself as the King’s servant
Araunah believed in and honoured the God of Israel
Zechariah’s prophecy foreseeing the Gazan remnant being ‘as a Jebusite’ thus tells us that the remnant of Gaza will live among the Israelites, but maintain their own separate identity. It further foresees that they will live in peaceful submission to Israeli authorities, and ultimately that they will turn to and believe in the Lord God of Israel.
Yes, There is Hope for Gaza!
To answer the question of my Orthodox Jewish friend, I believe that despite the current conflict between Hamas and Israel, there is indeed hope for Gaza. A day of reckoning is coming for wicked terrorist leaders unless they repent. On the other hand, the Scriptures give us hope for a remnant from Gaza which will one day live peacefully among Israelis, be in submission to the Israeli government and most importantly be believers in the one true God of Israel.
In these days of escalating Palestinian / Israeli tensions, let us pray for the Lord’s mercy on individuals on both sides of the conflict. Let us pray that His spirit will be poured out on both sides in an even greater measure, and for a continued strengthening of the unity between Arab and Israeli Believers. Let us also look forward to the prophetic destiny of the remnant of Gaza knowing that at some point they will be turning to the Lord and in fact become true and trusted friends of Israel.
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
Isaiah 66:8 records the famous question ‘can a nation be born in a day?’ 2’700 years later the question was answered. Despite insurmountable odds, Israel – armed with help from above and the heroic courage of its men and women – was born in a day on May 14, 1948.
In this article we are going to look at three unique heroes of Israel’s miraculous modern-day re-birth.
Golda Meir – An Amazing Fundraiser
Golda Meir is famous for becoming Israel’s first female Prime Minister in 1969. However, many are unaware of the pivotal role she played in 1948.
Israel desperately needed modern weapons if it’s rag-tag band of Jewish fighters were to stand a chance against the impending onslaught by five modern Arab armies.
However, their main funding source – the US Jewish community – was already stretched to the limit with various local projects such as schools and other Jewish institutions. They were growing tired of the incessant appeals for help from the Jews of Palestine, and it was estimated that they would only be able to raise $5 million for Israel – just a fraction of the amount needed.
Zionist leader Golda Meir immediately volunteered to go to America. Two days later she was on her way having had no time to bring any more baggage than her handbag! Armed with $10 in her pocket, the determined Golda set out in search for the missing millions.
Coinciding with her arrival in Chicago was a meeting of the leaders of Jewish federations from across the US. However, many of these distinguished Jewish leaders were indifferent or even hostile to Golda’s Zionist ideas.
Warned not to address this particular group, Golda ignored the warning and delivered a rousing impromptu speech to the gathering about the dire challenges facing the fledgling state. Explaining that the survival of Palestine’s 700’000 Jews as well as the whole dream of a Jewish nation was at stake, she stressed the absolute immediate need for funds to fight. As she ended her speech, the hall fell eerily silent – and for a moment it seemed like Golda had failed miserably. Then the audience rose and delivered a resounding applause, and many began telephoning their bankers to take up immediate personal loans. By the time the evening was over, over $1 million dollars had been raised! Over the next few weeks, Golda succeeded in raising 50 million dollars – which was three times the amount Saudi Arabia earned during that entire year from its vast oil revenues!As Golda triumphantly returned to Israel, Ben Gurion solemnly declared that ‘it was thanks to a Jewish woman that the Jewish state was born’.
Haim Slavine – An Engineering Genius
While many people are unaware of Golda’s contribution in 1948, even fewer have ever heard of Haim Slavine.
In the wake of the end of World War 2, the US decided to close down parts of its armament industry and convert the valuable machinery to scrap metal.
Learning of this plan and knowing Israel’s desperate need for weapons, Haim set off for New York. He found technical magazines with pictures of the machinery and used his photographic memory to memorise from these photos all the parts that were needed. He then assembled a team of scavengers to scour through junkyards all over the country looking for the required pieces.
The pieces were sent one-by-one to New York where Haim succeeded in putting them together into working order machinery capable of a daily production of 50’000 bullets as well as an assembly line production of machine guns (requiring 1500 operations!).
The next puzzle Haim had to solve was how to get the machinery past the British blockade of Palestine. He ended up taking every piece of machinery apart again even to the very last nut and bolt and labelled all the pieces with a unique code he invented. He then scrambled all the pieces together and sent them in crates labelled ‘farm equipment’ to kibbutzes all over Israel. Once safely in Israel, Haim re-assembled the 75’000 pieces of machinery into working order and could boast by the end of it that he had not lost one single bolt, screw or washer in the shipment!
It is stunning to read of Haim’s genius, and through this engineering feat we can easily see the hand of God at work – making a way for the Jewish nation to defend itself in the upcoming conflict.
Foreign Volunteers
Over 4’500 volunteers from abroad – both Jews and non-Jews – joined Israel’s struggle in 1948.
One such hero was the 23 year old Esther Callingold from Britain. A nurse by profession, she was sent to assist the beleaguered Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. As the Arabs cut off all supply routes and subjected the area to heavy bombardment, Esther was tasked with running messages between the scattered and isolated Jewish troops. The battle was intense, but ultimately Esther ended up mortally wounded in a poorly equipped hospital. Before her death, she penned this letter to her parents in Britain:
“Dear Mummy and Daddy,
…. We had a difficult fight. I have tasted hell, but it has been worthwhile because I am convinced that we will see a Jewish state…. I hope one day soon you will all come and enjoy the fruits of that for which we are fighting.
…. remember me only in happiness.
Shalom, Esther”
It is hard not to be touched by Esther’s story of courage and sacrifice, and we should remember that she was only one of 6’300 Israeli soldiers and civilians who paid the ultimate price during Israel’s costly War of Independence.
Ultimately through the hard work, creative genius and sacrifice of so many heroes like these we have described, the nation of Israel was born ‘in one day’ as Isaiah predicted. It was not an easy birth, but let us give thanks to God for those who paid so much to see the Jewish nation restored to her rightful inheritance. In honouring their sacrifice, let us follow Esther’s admonition to go and visit and enjoy the God-given Land of Israel.
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
The Corona Virus epidemic has dominated international headlines for months and has resulted in over 300’000 deaths globally as of May 2020.
Looking beyond the headlines, this article will look briefly at the dark agendas which are trying to manipulate the crisis for their own gains, before turning to the exciting news of what God has been doing in this season in Israel and the nations.
The Dark Side of Corona
From a prophetic perspective, it is interesting to note that in English ‘Corona’ is spelt with 6 letters, and the numerical value of Corona’s letters are ‘66’ – leading some to point out the connection with the infamous number ‘666’ from the book of Revelation.
Jesus taught His disciples to watch for End Time signs, and one clear event to watch was when former UK PM Gordon Brown recently advocated publicly for a temporary one world government with executive powers. While Mr Brown touted it as the solution to deal with the Corona crisis, his call fits hand in glove with the warnings of many prophecy teachers of a coming one world government.
A Call for Repentance
While Globalists such as Gordon Brown certainly are trying to exploit Covid-19 for their own agenda, we will see that God is also at work in this crisis.
In March 2019, a little-known pastor from South Carolina, Ps. Kadesha Jenkins, prophetically warned of a coming deadly virus plague. In a Facebook video she declared “It’s going to be like a viral sickness almost like a deadly flu…. and it’s gonna take people out.” Interestingly she specifically felt that the coming virus was a call to repentance because God’s ‘people have turned away’.
As we entered 2020 and the virus broke out on the global stage, another unexpected voice emerged to speak a message of repentance – none other than the world-famous flamboyant wrestler Hulk Hogan. Sharing a message to his 1.5 million Instagram followers, he stated “God said, ‘you want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums… You want to worship actors, I will shut down theatres. You want to worship money, I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market’”
Hulk Hogan’s post went on to call for repentance and was reported on by media in the US, UK and Australia. While the media were largely mocking his message, they none the less copied his message word for word to their readers!
As nation after nation have been impacted by Corona, unprecedented prayer has also been rising from the nations. Footage has emerged from many countries including Brazil, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mozambique, India and the US of people passionately crying out to God for mercy – along main roads, in public squares, outside hospitals and even inside the four walls of prisons. You can see some of the video footage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKqo0xftjPg (or by searching in youtube for ‘Enoch Lavender Corona Virus’)
Across the globe, prayer movements have been springing up bridging traditional denominational lines. Government leaders have been calling for prayer, including President Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Here in Australia our Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined an online prayer call with hundreds of intercessors – and interestingly it was not long after this prayer event that we began to see an early slowing down of Corona in our nation.
A Significant New Interest in the Gospel
With all this prayer rising across the nations, there appears to have been a shift in the spiritual atmosphere. For example, in the UK, there has been a surge of interest in prayer and online church services, with a survey finding that a third of young people have watched an online church service. Fascinatingly, one in five of those who have watched church online have NEVER gone to any church service before in their lives.
Meanwhile in the US, 22% of non-Christians have started reading the bible since the crisis began (yes you read that number right!!). In fact, some secular stores such as Walmart have been running out of bibles, and bible sales across the nation are up between 40-160%.
Israel and Corona
Israel has not been immune from the Corona Virus despite early and strong intervention by the Netanyahu government. To date there have been 279 confirmed deaths in Israel from Corona, with over 16’000 cases.
Yet on the spiritual level, God is also at work in Israel through this crisis. Local Messianic ministries have reported a doubling in interest in online video presentations about Yeshua since Corona began.
A key part of God’s End Time agenda is the regathering of the Jewish people (or ‘aliyah’) to the land of Israel. The Corona virus plague has generated an unexpected global surge of interest in aliyah. The reasons for this increase are mixed, with Jewish communities in several countries including France, Britain and the US being disproportionately affected by the outbreak. On the other hand, Israel has been seen to handle the outbreak well – making the prospect of moving back home more attractive to many Jews.
Once travel restrictions ease, the Jewish agency expects close to 100’000 Jews will make aliyah this year – which would be almost a trebling of the usual rate. One day the Jews of Jerusalem will welcome back the Messiah with the familiar words ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord’. Thank God for those who are returning to Israel right now in preparation for that glorious day!
Summary
While we have seen a lot of evil that has come with Corona and have seen some dark agendas lurking in the shadows of this crisis, it is clear that God is at work in the midst of the crisis! Perhaps the quiet time of lockdown has caused us all to re-evaluate our priorities – it has brought Christians to their knees in fervent prayer, it has brought a remarkable new interest in the God of the Bible among non-believing Jews and Gentiles alike, and it has sparked a fresh wave of Jews returning home to their land of Biblical promise.
Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
