Jerusalem: A Cup of Trembling

Jerusalem:
A Cup Of
Trembling
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a
cup of trembling unto all the people
Round about ... In that day will I
make Jerusalem a burdensome
stone for all people...
Zech 12:2-3

         The new government of Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is now beginning to get it’s feet wet. The coalition that holds the government together is very shaky. Especially problematic are the parties representing the ultra-orthodox community. They have threatened to bring the government down in a vote of no confidence on at least two occasions, unless they get their way on certain issues. So far, collapse has been avoided, hut at some point Bibi is probably going say no to their demands.
         In the meantime a lot of propaganda is being issued from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. Israel fears that once the Palestinian Authority (PA) has gained sovereignty over Gaza and the West Bank, they will once more unleash the Hamas terrorists in their midst. At the moment, Yassir Arafat has been clamping down on the terrorists. Many have been arrested and jailed and there have been no bombings since last spring’s terrible outbreak, when three suicide bombers took the lives of ninety some people.
         Many feel that Arafat’s actions are the result of a deal lie has made with Hamas. This theory holds that Hamas is instructed to lay low until everything that can be gained from the peace talks is realized. They cite Arafat’s speeches where he gives encouragement to the terrorist factions and paints the slain terrorists as martyrs. Others point out that for decades, Yassir Arafat himself, was the world’s chief terrorist. However, others counter that the late Menachem Begin, former Prime Minister of Israel, was also a terrorist in the late 1940’s as the Jewish people struggled for their own independence. They reason that if Begin could become a statesman so can Arafat. (It is a strange world we live in where today’s terrorist becomes tomorrow's statesman.)
         A recent editorial in the Jerusalem Post (August 6, 1996) mentions the kind of rhetoric that so dismays the Israeli people. This is a quote from a speech given by Yassir Arafat this past January in Stockholm, Sweden.
         “‘You see, we are planning to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state,’ Arafat said, ‘I have nothing for the Jews. They are and remain Jews in our view. We need all the help we can get from you in our struggle for a united Palestine under total Arab Moslem domination.’”
         Those who defend Arafat say that these kind of statements (of which there are many) are made to soothe the feelings of the hard-liners in the Arab world. But in reality, Arafat is talking out of both sides of his mouth. If he were a true statesman, he would be encouraging the young people in the Palestinian Authority, to learn peace, not more war.
         A new study by an organization called Peace Watch, states that Arafat never outlawed Hamas as he claimed to have done last March. “The report concludes that the PA’s efforts in this direction were cursory and largely failed to fulfill its obligations under the Oslo accords.” (The Jerusalem Post; August 17, 1996).

Meanwhile, Israel’s most worrisome threat comes from the nation of Syria. Syria has long been linked with the Hizbullah, another group of Arab extremists. ‘this group operates out of Lebanon, Israel’s neighbor to the north. While Lebanon has it’s own elected government, it is really a vassal state to Syria, who calls all of the shots. Others have found a connection between Syria, Hizbullah and Iran. It is believed that Iran is responsible for supplying Hizbullah with the rockets and other war materials that are used against Israel. Syria’s involvement includes looking the other way while the arms are shipped across their country.

         It has recently been learned that Hizbullah now has ‘super’ Katyusha rockets. These were the rockets used last spring to terrorize the residents of northern Israel, sending them into bomb shelters on numerous occasions. It was these attacks that goaded Israel into the air strike on Katyusha positions that resulted in a number of Lebanese citizens being killed. This resulted in a great amount of negative press for Israel, while little was reported of the many attacks on Israel that took place before they decided to retaliate. The ‘super’ Katyushas are said to have a 40-kilometer range, which greatly increases the amount of Israeli territory that can be threatened. It is only a matter of time before Iran and Syria allow them to once again unleash these rockets.
         Meanwhile, the highly regarded military journal, Jane’s Defense Weekly, reports that Syria has developed Scud missile sites in underground bunkers. It was Scud missiles that Iraq used to bomb Israel during the Persian Gulf War. To make matters worse, both Syria and Iran are reported to have chemical weapons factories and the Scud missile is capable of delivering chemical warheads. Jane’s also reports that, over the last several years, Syria has been quietly developing a military capability that far exceeds their need for defense. So even while they were involved in the peace talks with the Israeli doves, Rabin and Peres, President Assad, of Syria, has been preparing for war.
         It should be noted what the prophet Isaiah has to say about the ultimate fate of Damascus, the capital of Syria.

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.”
(Isa. 17:1)

On a brighter note, Jordan and Israel have, what analysts call, a ‘warm peace.’ King Hussein has long desired a real peace with Israel because he understands that peace will help to bring needed prosperity to his people. However, because of Jordan’s weak position in the Arab community, Hussein had to remain officially at war with Israel for years. During the Persian Gulf War, Jordan was in an especially vulnerable position, because of their geographical position directly between Iraq and Israel. If Israel had become involved in that war, much of the fighting would have taken place either on or over Jordanian territory.

As a result of it’s ticklish position, Jordan gave unenthusiastic support to Saddam Hussein during the war. In turn, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (two of the regions richest nations) cut off all aid to Jordan. This has really hurt the Jordanian economy. Jordan had hoped for a large ‘peace dividend’ as a result of their peace treaty with Israel. So far this has not materialized. The hoped for economic ties have not developed as rapidly as desired and tourism, although on the increase, is not yet to the point of making a significant difference in the Jordanian economy. Recently, King Hussein had to cope with ‘bread riots’ that were brought on by sharp price increases for food. These increases were mandated by agreements made with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and are a cause for unrest in much of the so-called Third World.

         The average Westerner does not realize that the majority of the Jews in Israel are not religious. In fact, Israel may contain a higher percentage of atheists and agnostics than any other nation in the world. This is in part a result of the terrible Holocaust against the Jewish people (and other so-called undesirables) during World War II. Many of the Jews, (and their descendants) who survived that ordeal, lost their faith in God as a result. Since 1948, Israel has primarily been governed by people, who do not have religious convictions. There have been some notable exceptions; Menachem Begin, the first Likud party Prime Minister, was an Orthodox Jew. The current Likud government is a mix of Orthodox, Ultra-orthodox, conservative, and non-believing Jews. No wonder it is so difficult for them to agree and to accomplish anything.
         Many of the Ulta-orthodox Jews are steeped in a mysticism called Kabbala. Kabbala became a major force in Judaism during the Middle Ages. In it’s current form it is part mysticism, part Eastern religions, part superstition and part New Age. (The New Age movement, in all of it’s forms, is really very old.) The Jerusalem Post reports a recent meeting at the Ohel Rahel synagogue in Jerusalem which was advertised as being a mass prayer to exorcise ‘dybbuks’ or evil spirits from people who suffer emotional or mental problems. Other manifestations of this type of activity include incantations, praying at the graves of important rabbis, amulets and death curses. It was reported that an Ultra-orthodox rabbi had pronounced a death curse on Prime Minister Rabin shortly before he was assassinated.
         It is interesting to note that Israeli law prohibits anyone from causing a minor to change his religion. This law is specifically directed against Christian missionaries who like to work among the young people. However, it is reported that the Orthodox Jews are free to use whatever enticements they can devise, in order to obtain converts to their flavor of Judaism.
         While this seems grossly unfair to those of us in the Western world, there is a simple explanation for it, During the last 1900 years, and especially since the Middle Ages, the Jewish people have suffered untold horror at the hands of people that claimed to be Christians. Of course, anyone who studies the New Testament teachings of Yeshua HaMashiach realizes that true Believers and Followers of the Messiah could never have perpetrated such unimaginable horror upon any group of people. But the Jews have their history to contend with, and Christianity, to them, is considered totally pagan. They see the statutes, the beads, the symbols from ancient pagan religions, the forsaking of the Sabbath, etc., etc. and feel they have been persecuted by the descendants of the ancient Babylonian Mystery religion. The ultimate horror, at the hands of these supposed Christians, was the Holocaust. To make matters worse, they are now seeing a new rising tide of anti-Semitism taking place among the so-called ‘Christian’ nations. They wonder if history is about to repeat itself. The modern, nonreligious, Israeli says; “Never again!” There are many Jews who would be willing to bring down civilization as we know it rather than see their people burned in the ovens another time. This could well be the catalyst that will trigger the endtime war. If Yassir Arafat, along with extremist Moslem Arab leaders, continue to try and ‘push the Jews out of their nation and into the sea,’ there will be hell on earth to pay.
         With all of this persecution at the hand of ‘Christians,’ is it any wonder that the Orthodox Jews of Israel (and other nations) see Christianity as the ultimate descent into paganism? It will only be when God reveals to the Jewish people that His Son, Yeshua is truly their Messiah, and that the people who hate the Jews are not His true followers, that we will see large numbers accepting Him. However, this is not prophesied to take place until Israel and Jerusalem have their backs to the wall.