GLORY TO GOD

Kabbalistic Tree of Life

Isaiah 60:1-2 TLV

Arise, shine, for your light has come! The glory of ADONAI has risen on you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness the peoples. But ADONAI will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. 

The word "Glory" has special meaning and significance in both Judaism and Christianity. Christmas is a good day to ponder this relationship. Here is what I surmised.

Given the supernatural quality of the birth and death of Yeshua I decided to turn to kabbalistic sources for the Jewish viewpoint. That is why I included the Kabbalah Tree of Life illustration above.

My knowledge of Kabbalah is miniscule, so pardon my limited ability to explain what I am trying to share. 

The Hebrew word for Glory is Tiferet - Hebrew: תִּפְאֶרֶת  - Lit. 'beauty, glory, adornment. On Kabbalah's¹ Tree of Life, Tiferet is the sixth Sefira. In the Jewish Kabbalah, the Sephiroth spheres on the Tree represent emenations of God in the human psyche. In Kabbalah all things are linked to God through these emanations. The lines connecting the spheres are pathways. There is a hierarchical aspect to the Tree with the bottom of the diagram being akin to the base of a tree and the top being the crown.

The sphere of Tiferet/Glory has the common association of "Spirituality", "Balance", "Integration", "Beauty", "Miracles", and "Compassion." You can see Tiferet (Glory) at the center of the Tree.

Tiferet is the force that integrates the Sefira of Chesed ("Kindness") and Gevurah ("Strength, also called Din, "Judgement"). Those two forces are, respectively, expansive (giving) and restrictive (receiving). Either of them without the other could not manifest the flow of Divine energy; they must be balanced in perfect proportion by balancing compassion with discipline/judgment.

Notice in the Tree of Life image above that the Tiferet occupies a place on the middle pillar and it takes a central place in the lower face of the Tree of Life.  It has both a higher and lower reflection.

Tiferet is unique amongst the Sephirot as it is connected to all the other Sephirot except Malkuth.

Malkuth means Kingdom and is associated with the realm of matter/earth and relates to the physical world.

The Tiferet's position down the center indicates to many Kabbalists that it is somewhat of a "converting" Sephirot as all the other words cross over the middle path via Tiferet (Glory). 

With Christmas upon, here are some scriptures with the word glory.  

John 1:14, NKJV

It is written, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Luke 2:14-20

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.” And when the angels departed from them into the heavens, the shepherds were saying to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which ADONAI has made known to us!” So they hurried off and found Miriam and Joseph, and the Baby lying in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the word that had been spoken to them concerning this Child. And all those who heard were amazed at the things the shepherds told them. But Miriam treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as they had been told."

Shechinah Glory

The rabbis teach us that the Word of God is referred to as the Shechinah (שכינה) pronounced Shekhina in English. The word derives from the root Shechen (שכן), which means to dwell.  The term is used to describe God’s manifest glory or His visible presence in the creation.

There is an important Jewish book attributed to a 1st-century rabbinic sage named Nehunya ben HaKanah (a contemporary of Yochanan ben Zakai) that is called the Sefer HaBahir (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַבָּהִיר) "Book of Clarity" or "Book of Illumination."

During the period of the "early church," this 1st Century Rabbinic sage Nehunya ben HaKanah said: “God is the place of the world.” The sages further articulate that the part of the Divine sphere that interacts with man is the Shechinah. This interaction represents God in the lower spheres, which some refer to as the natural realm. 

Isaiah 40:22 

“He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”

In the Bahir, a mystical religious text attributed to this same 1st-century rabbinic sage Nehunya ben HaKanah, it states that the Sixth Sephirot is the adorned, glorious, delightful throne of glory, the house of the world to come. It's place is engraved in wisdom as it says 'God said: Let there be light, and there was light.'

John 3:19-21 TLV

“Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”

Again, on the kabbalistic Tree of Life, to the left of 

Tiferet is the word Gevurah which is the emenation of judgment. To the right is the word Chesed which is the emenation lovingkindness. There are other fascinating relationships on the Tree as well -- even the Hebrew letters in the pathways have a meaning.  

Frankly, as I meditate on this matter there is much more than I have the room or words to express in this post.  There are many online resources available about Kabbalah. I would just caution the reader to seek reputable credible sources. Here is an introduction to the Tree of Life.

There are many aspects of Kabbalah which correspond to an understanding of Yeshua.  For more on this refer to this article:

Jesus and the Mysteries of Kabbalah 

For an overview of Kabbalah watch this video.

The Book of Zohar -- Kabbalah Explained Simply

Finally, to help explain Christmas in a very ironic way I am going to share a very Jewish article from a Hassidic website.  I put a link to it here: 

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/147415/jewish/Make-Your-Own-Sanctuary.htm

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

- John 3:16

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah! "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.”

Epilogue:

By Rabbi and acclaimed author on the topic Kabbalah Tzvi Freeman:

"As much as the human soul yearns to rise up and merge within the light of its Creator, so much more so does the Infinite Creator yearn to be found within the human soul.

If so, what force could stand between them? What could hold back the Creator’s infinite light?

Only His desire that this union occur with our consent, that we be the ones to crack open the door.

Even when the soul’s yearning has faded, forsaking its Beloved, wrestling itself from His love and even openly rebelling…even then, He cries out to us and knocks on our door.

“Open for me just an infinitesimal pinhole,” G‑d pleads, “and I will open for you a vast, infinite portal to all My love, from My very core of being.”

In order to experience spiritual evolution one forms intentions for connection with the Devine. It seems to me that this invitation to receive understanding from the Creator is essential to both Judaism and Christianity.  

"God is unseeable, and yet, he invites us to look for him. God is incomprehensible, and yet he invites us to know him.”

Isaiah 60:19-22 TLV

"No more will the sun be your light by day, nor the glow of the moon be your light, but ADONAI will be your everlasting light, and your God for your glory. No more will your sun set, nor will your moon wane, for ADONAI will be your everlasting light, as the days of your mourning end. Then your people will all be righteous. They will possess the land forever— the branch of His planting, the work of My hands— that I may be glorified. The smallest will become a thousand, and the least a mighty nation. I, ADONAI, will hasten it in its time.” 

Epilogue:

I wrote a blog post about 7 months after this one the I think relates to this. Click here to read "The Perfector."

THE CANARY IS WARNING US

An accomplice of a thief is his own enemy. He hears the oath but says nothing. 

- Proverbs 29:24 TLV

Antisemitism has shot up to levels not seen since the 1930's. This should tell all of us that our society and the world are in very serious trouble. 

Jews are the scapegoat for the ills of society.  Jews are like some sort of supernatural thermometer.  A thermometer doesn't cause the temperature; It is a means of telling the temperature.  So it is with Jews and the level of sickness in society.  That's why they call us Jews the "canary in the coal mine." 

There is always antisemitism but very high levels of it are generally limited to certain countries or regions.  Today it's a worldwide phenomenon. 

At the same time that the antisemitism gauge is flashing red warning signals, we have a worldwide leadership vacuum. 

There is a lack of strong ethical moral leadership in the world. In America we have a President who get's confused laying a wreath on Veterans Day and can't find his way off stage. In Europe there is no central leader.  

Invented the first air pump and
used it to study the phenomenon
of a vacuum in the 1600's.

The combination of a very ill society and a leadership vacuum is a very risky and dangerous situation!  This combination sets the stage for a charismatic leader with oratory talents and the ability to capture and channel the passions of the populous.  Such an individual can rapidly rise to power. They can seemingly come out of nowhere and quickly command the masses!

The question is which side will they appeal to? Will they give voice to and unite the angry antisemitic population and propell the world into darkness? Or will they seek to return us to a better place?  Will they have good or evil intentions?  

The world, societies and each of us has to choose. When it comes to good and evil there is no middle. We have to pick a side.  It is time to recognize the consequences of our choices.  When dealing with true evil the options are never easy and good people often have to do things they never would otherwise.  We need to have the courage to take uncomfortable actions.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

There is an opening for both a messiah figure as well as an anti-messiah figure.  Surely, deception will be at work.  Will you be able to tell the difference? Don't be so sure!!

"For not only one (enemy) has risen up against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up to destroy us."  From the Vehi Shamda passage in the Passover Haggadah 

Living Water

Mount of Olives, Jerusalem 

Living Water in Hebrew is מַֽיִם־חַיִּ֖ים mayim-ḥayyîm. The expression "Living Water" appears in both the Tenach and the New Testament.  What is it?

To be a living water means constantly being in a state of refreshing, replenishing, and refilling. 

In Hebrew culture, the term "living waters" described pure, flowing water untouched by human hands. Living water is naturally filtered through rock which removes impurities while leaving behind beneficial minerals like magnesium, calcium and bicarbonate. Magnesium plays many crucial roles in the body, such as supporting muscle and nerve function and energy production.

The prophet Zechariah described Jerusalem as a source of "living water," "half [flowing] east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter" (Zechariah 14:8). The city of Jerusalem was abundantly supplied with water by many conduits and subterranean channels. 

Zechariah 14:4 prophesied  "On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward."

In Ezekiel 47, the prophet speaks of waters that heal and promote life.  "...wherever the stream flows they shall be healed and live." (Verse 9) Ezekiel continues to describe waters with a special nature. In Verse 12 he says "the waters will emanate from the Sanctuary, and its fruit shall be for food and its leaves for a cure." These waters "will grow every tree for food; its leaf will not wither, neither will its fruit end; month after month its fruits will ripen."  Surely these are living waters. 

In Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13, the prophet describes God as "the spring of living water," who has been forsaken by his chosen people Israel. 

Water from the Rock sustained the children of Israel during The Exodus from Egypt. Water from the Rock of Miriam supplied living waters to millions of people and their livestock too. 

At the end of their journey after Miriam died the Rock went dry and the people rumbled greatly. Adonai instructed Moses to speak to the Rock rather than to strike it as he had in the past along the way when water was needed. 

Numbers 20:7-12 TLV

ADONAI spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff and gather the assembly, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give out its water. You will bring out water from the rock, and you will give the community something to drink, along with their livestock.” So Moses took the staff from before the presence of ADONAI, just as He had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock. He said, “Listen now, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with the staff. Water gushed out and the community and its livestock drank. But ADONAI said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me so as to esteem Me as holy in the eyes of Bnei-Yisrael, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.”

Moses paid high price for his disobedience and lapse of faith. 

Why did God want Moses to speak to the rock? Was He seeking a different means for a relationship? Was God seeking to display something to the people? Why did Moses strike the Rock in a deed that seemed to signify anger or perhaps fear that with his sister Miriam dead the Rock would not perform?  Even Moses did not seem to understand. As it says in Deuteronomy 29:2-3 - "the great trials that your eyes saw, those great signs and wonders. But to this day ADONAI has not given you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear."

Fortunately God's Everlasting Covenant with Abraham remained intact. Sustaining Waters flowed from the Rock and the Israelites continued on their path to the land that God showed and promised to Abraham.

In the New Testament, Yeshua claims to be the "Living Water." Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman saying, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

The Gosple of John, chapter 7 verse 37-38 Yeshua says, 

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 

Note: The "last day of the great Feast" is Shemini Atzeret. That is the day Hamas attacked Israel and massacred Jews.

The Jews would not have survived 40 years in a desert without Water from the Rock. There would have been no life in Jerusalem without מַֽיִם־חַיִּ֖ים mayim-ḥayyîm.  

I shutter to think of our world today without faithful believers in Salvation (Yeshua). There are only about 15 million Jews against a world of 8 billion wanting to destroy us and Israel. For survival Jews and Israel are depending on the prayers and support of believers.  The source of the living waters promises eternal life for all. 

Am Yisrael Chai!

IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE

 

A Tzadik is someone who is righteous. Tzedaka means charity or good deeds.  These both have their root in the word justice - צֶ֥דֶק

The bible says:

"Justice, justice you must pursue, so that you may live and possess the land that ADONAI your God is giving you." Deuteronomy 16:20

צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָֽרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ

Notice the word for justice is repeated 2x. That is a significant! God emphasizes that way.

In war the army - the  commanders and soldiers -  are prosecutor, judge and executioner.  Death sentences are handed out and exercised with no "due process." The accused enemy has no "defence lawyer." There is no "judge" overseeing matters. The "execution" is carried out on the spot with no opportunity to appeal.

Israel doesn't start wars but once it goes to war it operates by principles of the laws of war.  Israel goes above and beyond those laws and to great lengths to avoid civilian deaths. 

Hamas, on the other hand, is the antithesis. Their ways are the direct opposite.  They are the manifestation of "evil." Israel uses violence -- Hamas literally IS "violence." 

That is why this war is different than a war to settle a dispute. This war won't determine whether the Palestinians have a territory or state.  This war is not only to defeat an enemy. This is a war to blot out the enemy.  

The historical tragedy is that Israel missed it's chance to do so.

1 Samuel 15:1-3 TLV

Then Samuel said to Saul, “ADONAI sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, listen to the voice of the words of ADONAI! Thus says ADONAI-Tzva’ot: ‘I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike down Amalek and put all he has under the ban of destruction—so have no pity on him; but kill both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” 

Sadly, a war cannot blot out "evil." A war cannot end "violence."  As history shows, there is no war that ends all wars. The ideology of Amalek, Haman, the Nazis and Hamas will still exist after this current war is over.  

Israel will forever need to fight. Israel will have to go on pursuing justice so that Jews may live and possess the land that ADONAI our God gave us. 

Until ...

Isaiah 2:2-4

It will come to pass in the last days that the mountain of ADONAI’s House will stand firm as head of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills. So all nations will flow to it. Then many peoples will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the House of the God of Jacob! Then He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of ADONAI from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and decide for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war any more. 

Am Yisrael Chai! 

Epilogue:

IRAN IS FIGHTING A GLOBAL JIHAD WAR -- A RELIGIOUS WAR AGAINST EVERYTHING THE WEST STANDS FOR.

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire

“The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he is the good guy”—Ken Ammi

Jordan Peterson breaks it down extremely well. 

https://youtu.be/3s-22sMkYAs?si=nRWR67N9awGk6yVU

A SUPERNATURAL BATTLE

In Lebanon, Iran, London and elsewhere there have been massive crowds of bloody thirsty haters calling for the destruction of Israel and the killing of every Jew on the planet.  Even in the USA we see disturbing evidence of large scale antisemitism.  

We have national leaders in Muslim countries blaming Israel for the massacre of Israelies. Russia and China are siding with Israel's enemies. Many are starting to wonder about the times we are in. 

Israel's last major war, fifty years ago in 1973 started on Yom Kippur. The war Israel is in now started on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which landed on October 7th. It is no accident that Iran and Hamas chose to attack Israel on this special holiday.  

Sukkot is a seven (7) day Jewish holiday. It is the last of the fall festivals in the bible. Sukkot goes right into the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar called Shemini Atzeret. The Book of Leviticus 23.36 declares this day, the eighth day to be a Holy Convocation.

Evil Chose the Most Joyous Day

Integral to all the festivals on the Jewish calendar – Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot is the mitzvah to rejoice. The Torah enjoins us to "Rejoice on your festivals!" Of all the festivals, however, only Sukkot is described as "the season of our rejoicing." The joy of Sukkot eclipses the joy of the other festivals as evidenced by Sukkot's nightly "Water Drawing Celebrations."

Then, on the last day of the Great Feast, there's the utterly unbridled joy of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah), which surpasses even the joy of Sukkot.  

The Evil that is Hamas (violence and hate) sought to rob, steal and destroy Israel's joy!

8 IS SPECIAL! 

Creation lasted 6 days and the 7th day God reserved for Rest, the Sabbath. 8 represents a new beginning, a new order or a new creation. 8 has a supernatural quality.  

Seven is solid, perfect. 7 represents the natural order. 7 days in a week. 7 colors in a rainbow. 7 notes of the diatonic scale make one complete octave. 7 branches on the Temple menorah with 7 candles to illuminate the natural world with the glow of Light. 

While 7 symbolizes perfection, 8 has supernatural associations. Judaism teaches that eight symbolizes that which is beyond natural limits and higher than the natural order. 8 transcends the natural. 8 is infinite. 

After Sukkot and the 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles, is the 8th day and the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, called the Last Great Day. It is also called Hoshana Raba, the day of "Great Salvation." 

On the previous 7 days the temple priests gathered water from the Pool of Siloam. On Hoshana Raba, the 8th day, is the ritual of the great outpouring of the spiritual waters.

Jubilee - 50 - Pentecost

Jews literally count every day during the 7 weeks (Seven 7's) before Pentecost/Revelation at Sinai.  It is called "counting the Omer." Then something supernatural happens on the 50th day. There is a great outpouring.  After 7 Shmita Years (seven periods of seven years) is the Jubilee. 

Jews who practice Kabbalah, work on perfecting 7 emotions: love, fear, compassion, ambition, humility, bonding and receptiveness (one emotion per week). Perfection leads to transcendence. 

New Beginning

Eight symbolizes a new beginning. God saved eight people on the ark in order to have a new beginning for mankind after the flood. Jews perform the brit milah, circumcision, on the 8th day of a new baby boy's life.  

Hanukkah, the holiday to rededicate the Temple to God after the Maccabees miraculous victory, lasts 8 days. According to most scholars, Hanukkah was born out of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, an eight day celebration. So the Maccabees rededicated the Temple and immediately set out to celebrate for eight days.

Psalm 27 is read at the end of Sukkot, which is the day Hamas attacked Israel. Read this prophetic Psalm. 

Iran and Hamas's choice to massacre Jews on Shemini Atzeret is an attack on Christians too. In the Gosple of John, chapter 7 verse 37-38 it says, 

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 

A Supernatural Battle

The 8th day, the last and greatest day of the Feast, Hoshana Raba, is when Iran and Hamas attacked Israel.  The day Jews are rejoicing in order to bring the Great Salvation, the ultimate evil, Hamas, strikes. Think about that! 

This attack marks a key moment in a battle between Supernatural Good and Supernatural Evil. It is a battle that is as old as Mankind on earth.  The Evil of Antisemitism is evidence of this battle. It is the only logical explanation for Antisemitism. 

This battle has a Supernatural origin and it will have a Supernatural ending.  When this battle comes to an end there will be a new beginning. 

The Torah tells how it all began. The Prophets and Writings foretold the future. The Book of Revelation tells us how it ends. Then there will be Supernatural New Beginning.  The earth will be born again. 

DEMONS, DIVISION AND DESTRUCTION

Abraham Lincoln in May 1858

President Lincoln's second inaugural address became one of the best-known of his career. It begins with the following words, which became the best-known passage of the speech, 

"A house divided against itself, cannot stand."

CAN PARALLELS BE MADE BETWEEN CURRENT EVENTS AND BIBLE PROPHECY? 

Even though Abraham Lincoln's famous line drew from the bible he stopped short of suggesting that the Civil War would end our Nation. As horrific as that period in history was, evidently Lincoln knew he was not living in "End-Times." 

There was more to Lincoln's famous quote, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand."

In this blog post I explored what Lincoln didn't say and what the biblical and prophectic implications may be.

President Lincoln drew from the bible verse Matthew 12.25, which contains the words, "... every city or house divided against itself will not stand." 

Lincoln went on to say:

"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

It will become all one thing, or all the other."

The Civil War to settle the future of the "House" over the matter of slavery was possibly the most perilous and difficult period our nation has faced. 

Although Lincoln drew from the Book of Matthew, there are some distinctions I would like to call to our attention. Lincoln spoke of the "Divided House" -- our government. Lincoln believed the Union, our Nation would endure. He actually said so in his very next words. The Nation would settle the division in the House one way or the other. 

I think Lincoln was also implying through means of punctuation, a simple comma, that how we settled the division in the House would ultimately determine whether or not the Nation would be destroyed.  I will come back to this point at the end. 

I think there is a parallel to be drawn to today's House, the People's House of Representatives. The division could not be more obvious looking at the tally of the recent vote for the new Speaker.

The Democrat party has moved to the far Left. It is increasingly standing on a more Socialist Platform. In fact, many in the party aspire to Democratic Socialism. Biden's campaign slogan "Build Back Better" mirrors the globalist agenda, which aims to rebuild America based on a new more Socialist vision and values.

In sharp contrast, the new Conservative House Speaker, Mike Johnson, stated his core principles which mirror the Founding principles of our nation including but not limited to: Judeo-Christian values, meritocracy and excellence, fiscal responsibility, sovereignty and security, etc. 

Our House is clearly divided with no apparent willingness for Democrats to come back to the Center. One has to wonder whether our House can stand.  

Following Lincoln's line of reasoning, the House is either going to "Build Back Better" or "Make America Great Again." The USA is either going to go in the direction of Socialism and follow the "One World Order" vision put forth by the Global Elite at the World Economic Forum (WEF) OR we are going to return to the core values that made our Country great. 

There is a more ominous dimension to where our Nation stands in my opinion.  Perhaps it even explains why "America" is not in the bible. To appreciate my concern, which is shared by tens of millions of Americans, we have to look at the full biblical verse from which Lincoln paraphrased. 

Lincoln left out the preceeding words in the same sentence from the bible that his famous quote is from. The full passage of Matthew 12:25 TLV reads as follows:

Knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. - 

Evidently Lincoln saw slavery as a matter that would be resolved in order for the House to Stand. But Lincoln believed the Nation, the Union, would endure. 

If the expression "Kingdom divided" can be applied to a nation, then I think the consequences spoken of in Matthew are more drastic. 

In the biblical Book of Matthew, Yeshua speaks of the destruction of the Nation.  Ancient Israel was divided over Yeshua, and 40 years after his crucifixion the Kingdom was destroyed. The Roman wars began, the 2nd Temple was destroyed and Jews were slaughtered or take off as slaves. 

It wasn't until when America was founded that Jewish and Christian values came back together. Thus we are a nation built on Judeo-Christian values.  America paved the way for the prophecy of Israel being created in "one day":

Isaiah 66:8 TLV

"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children."

If America played such a key role in bible prophecy, it seems to me that being a divided nation like Yeshua described is to risk destruction.  

Here is the full actual bible verse that Lincoln's famous quote is drawn from. 

Matthew 12:22-28 TLV

Then a demon-plagued man, who was blind and mute, was brought to Yeshua; and He healed him, so that he spoke and saw. All the crowds were astounded and saying, “This can’t be Ben-David, can it?” But hearing this, the Pharisees said, “This fellow drives out demons only by beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” Knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If satan drives out satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Ruach Elohim, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

Yeshua turns the Pharisees argument on it's head. Afterwhich Yeshua accuses them of being an "evil and adulterous generation." Yeshua said "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed." Is that where we are? 

If America has turned it's back on God and turned away from our Founding Judeo-Christian values, what can we expect will happen? This is how the demons come in.  I realize how crazy it sounds to think that demon spirits have anything to do with the division and destruction of America. All I will say is that religion in general sounds crazy so why not at least hear the theory about demon spirits before you excuse it. 

In his book "The Return of the gods," author and Messianic Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Cahn writes about what is happening politically and spiritually in the USA. He explains how these events parallel what happened in Israel.  

I want to come back to what Lincoln actually said for one last but profound question. After the sentence about a divided house, Lincoln said, 

"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free."

Why did Lincoln insert a comma??  Did Lincoln have a prophetic vision of the future and was the comma a clue?

If parallels to current events and bible prophecy can be made, then at this point I say WATCH DAMASCUS. 

WATCH DAMASCUS

Preface: This post is both speculation and prediction. I am not a reporter with the responsibility to have credible sources. I am a blogger sharing my thoughts and opinions.  

Damascus is the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. It's population is over 2 million people!!

WILL DAMASCUS BE BERUIT ONLY 10X WORSE?

In this blog post I am going to lay out a basis for future events that fulfill this ancient End-Times prophecy of Isaiah.  

Isaiah 17.1  -- "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."

Hezbollah missiles and ammunition supplies come from Iran, Russian, China and North Korea through Syria. Syria is the land bridge between Iran and Lebanon.  Those weapons are stored in buildings in and around Damascus.  The large civilian population and density of buildings affords Iran cover. It's Iran's old strategy of using human shields. 

It is broadly accepted that Iran controls Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Evidence already proves that Iran was heavily involved in the planning of the Oct 7th massacre in Israel. It stands to reason that Iran has been building up weapons stockpiles to supply Hezbollah in anticipation of a large attack on Israel. 

Thus far, Israel has been playing "whack-a-mole" with Hezbollah, however, Iran has repeatedly warned of a much larger attack on Israel.  If/when Hezbollah fully engages in combat with Israel, Israel will not permit resupplies to reach Hezbollah fighters, artillery and missile launchers.  

WHAT IF? 

Do you remember what happened in Beirut in 2020?

On 4 August 2020, a warehouse at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded. That explosion caused at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage and left ~300,000 people homeless. Adjacent grain silos were badly damaged and collapsed following a weeks-long fire.  

The blast was so powerful that it physically shook the whole country of Lebanon. It was felt in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Israel, as well as parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km (150 mi) away. The blast is considered the most powerful artificial non-nuclear explosion in history.

The massive Beirut explosion was possible because of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures. Though it is not certain what or who detonated the material and triggered the blast, it was not caused by an Israeli missile.  

Back to Damascus. Imagine how much larger the explosion in Damascus would be if warehouses filled with even more poswerful explosives are somehow detonated!  Such a blast could level Damascus. Ensuing fires and toxic gasses would render Damascus uninhabitable.  The loss of property and life would be unfathomable. 

STOP: Don't think like a Westerner with Judeo-Christian values who loves life! Think like a religiously fanatical Ayatollah fighting an apocalyptical holy war. Remember, Iran could care less about lives in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. They are all pawns, being used as martyres to provoke worldwide Jihad. The Ayatollahs' believe the martyres are glorified in their death.  

We just saw how Hamas falsely blamed Israel for bombing a hospital in Gaza. Even though there is strong evidence that the bomb was a Hamas rocket and that Hamas staged that in order to blame Israel, the world believes Hamas. No matter how the explosion of weapons in Damascus happens, Israel will be blamed. The entire Muslim world will be on fire 🔥.  That is Iran's ultimate objective.

If Damascus were to be ruined, thereby fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy, what are the implications? How will Russia and China respond? At what point will there be a popular realization that we are living out prophecies in the bible including Ezekiel's wars of Gog & Magog?  

Let me be clear about this, if I haven't been already. The destruction of Damascus will be the end result of Iran and it's allies stock piling explosives in Damascus which will be detonated while they are still in storage. 

Daniel 12:8-10 TLV

Now I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, ‘My Lord, what will be the outcome of these things?’ Then he said: “Go your way, Daniel. For the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand. 

Read your bible. The Book of Daniel chapters 10, 11 and 12. There is a "trajectory" to events concerning Israel that is being sensed by tens of millions of people. The numbers are growing daily. I blogged about this phenomenon just yesterday in this post titled Trajectory. 

WATCH DAMASCUS!

THE TRAJECTORY OF FEAR

Definition: tra·jec·to·ry  /trəˈjekt(ə)rē/  noun

1. The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.

One of the most amazing features of intelligence is the ability to calculate trajectory in our mind.  To shoot at arrow and hit the target, one must be able to take into consideration forces and factors including distance, the strength of the bow, angle, gravity, wind and more in order to hit the target.  There are similar calculations happening in the brain when one hits a golf or tennis ball.  To hit a major league pitch takes amazingly fast reflexes and lighting fast trajectory calculations.  

People can sense a trajectory when it comes to anticipating outcomes.  A human can sense a pattern of events leading to a future event. We sense the trajectory in relationships and behaviors.  We even have expressions for this sense - "I saw [that] coming" or "I knew [that] was going to happen" and "It was leading to [that.]"

From birth to death, there is a trajectory to an entire life. Some can even sense a trajectory in the life of someone else. 

When people sense trajectory in the context of a desirable or undesirable outcome, people often have an emotional reaction. For example, a crowd of Golf enthusiasts watching a golf tournament will react from the moment the golf ball leaves the tee and even more so as it approaches the pin or possibly a hazzard.  

Civilizations have a very long trajectory.  When we look back over history we can see the trajectory leading to major events such as wars and economic disasters. We can see the trajectory of major advances in civilization such as flight, computers and weapons.  

There are times when large portions of the population collectively sense trajectory and have a shared "community" reaction.  Generally speaking this happens when the people have a shared interest or concern. A simple example of this is during a baseball championship game. Imagine the score is tied in extra innings and the batter hits a long fly ball. You can hear the emotional roar of the fans as they sence the trajectory from practically the moment the balls leaves the bat. 

A sence of trajectory can lead to fear and ultimately panic. An example of this is during 9/11 when the 1st tower came down and produced a massive cloud. Citizens there ran for their life because they sensed the trajectory of the cloud that was going to overtake them. 

There is a trajectory to the planet's and the entire Universe. When God created the Universe and filled it with the planets and stars He set everything in motion and on a coarse. Astronomy and astronautics heavily analyze and calculate trajectory. 

God gave the world the bible to show us the "End from the Beginning." Someone with the word of knowledge and prophecy sees the trajectory of events and nations. Prophets warn people and even kings of trajectories that lead to future natural and supernatural events. So it was with Daniel, Jonah, Jeremiah and all the Bible's prophets. God warns peoples, nations and the world. God prepares us. God gives us the power to change coarse - to alter the trajectory.  

There is a growing group of people who are sensing the trajectory of God's plan for the world.  There is an increasing sense that "something is coming." Many people are expressing concerns about where the world is heading.  

People's expectations of biblical events are increasing. There is a feeling of a supernatural trajectory.  It is inevitable that along with these shared expectations will be shared emotional reactions. 

It is pretty obvious that there is an increasing sense that we are living in "End-times." That is a thought which is sure to produce fear in the hearts of many.  As events unfold and people sence the trajectory of God's plan for the world, fear can lead to all out panic. If you have read the Book of Revelation you can certainly understand why!

Like all of our instincts, fear is by design. Our instincts serve a purpose. It is God's way warning us to perseve us. 

Antisemitism has a trajectory that was set in motion in Genesis 16:1-2.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne to him, and she had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar.

"And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up from her." And Abram hearkened to Sarai's voice."

Jews don't see the logical explanation for Jew hatred because there isn't a logical explanation.

Evangelical Christians teach the reason. Here is one of hundreds of sermons explaining the hate. 

God tells us that he knows the end from the beginning.  There is a trajectory to the bible.

Isaiah 46:9-10 TLV

Remember the former things of old: For I am God—there is no other. I am God, and there is none like Me— declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient time, what is yet to come, saying, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will accomplish all that I please.’ 

God warns us in many places in the bible such as:

Matthew 24:15-25 TLV

“So when you see ‘the abomination of desolation,’which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one on the roof must not go down to take what is in his house, and the one in the field must not turn back to get his coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that your escape will not happen in winter, or on Shabbat. For then there will be great trouble,such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. And unless those days were cut short, no one would be delivered. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise upand show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen. See, I have told you beforehand."

Isaiah 17:1 TLV

The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus will cease as a city and will become a ruinous heap. 

WATCH DAMASCUS!

There are even Signs in the Heavens.  

Are somebody who is sensing the trajectory of the times? Do you sense the fulfillment of bible prophecy?  If so, you might be feeling accompanied emotions of fear and trepidation. What can you do? 

DO WHAT THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH DID. 

Jonah 3:6-9 TLV

When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. He made a proclamation saying: “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, herd or flock, may taste anything. They must not graze nor drink water. But cover man and beast with sackcloth. Let them cry out to God with urgency. Let each one turn from his evil way and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent, and turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish.”

A Great Fish delivered Jonah and Jonah delivered the word to the Gentile and the Ninevite heard God. Read the word of God and repent. Pray that God gives Israel and the world mercy and relents. 

You can also do what David did. Read Psalms (Tehillim) for that. 

THE GREAT UNKNOWN

Israel's Prime Minister said "This war will take time and it will be extremely difficult." Israel now has nearly 400,000 active reservist called up, which is close to it's total number available to serve.

What lies ahead:

While we do not know exactly how or when these events will unfold, we do know they lie ahead.  These are the known unknowns:

- There will be a ground attack in Gaza. Incredibly difficult, tedious and dangerous.  How bad will Israel's losses be? 

- Hezbollah is likely to be a factor in the war with Hamas.  Will Israel leave thousands of missiles pointed at it's population any longer?

- Iran is coordinating and supplying a proxy war against Israel. It has come to the point that Israel must deal with Iran. Will Israel finally cut off the head of the snake?

- The USA moved two nuclear carrier groups into the region.  If/when Hezbollah and Iran enter into the war, what will the USA do?

Those are the known unknowns. Then there are the unknown unknowns:

- How will Iran's allies respond? Russia, China, North Korea. Since the USA overthrew Saddam Hussain Iraq has been largely controlled by Iran.

- What will other nations in the region do? (E.g. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc)

- To what extent will terror cells and one off lone-wolves inside Israel, Europe and the USA reap death and destruction?   

The Big Unknowns:

- Will Israel be forced to use nuclear weapons?

- Will China exploit the focus on wars in Ukraine and Israel to move on Taiwan?

- Will Iran's missiles land on Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or other Israeli cities? 

The Great Unknown הלא ידוע הגדול

Many are looking to the bible for answers. Do Isaiah, Ezekiel and other ancient biblical prophets provide us any?  Are we in End-Times? 

What will God do? 

WATCH DAMASCUS!

"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."  Habakkuk 3:2

 

LOVINGKINDNESS - CHESED חֶסֶד

Psalm 117 reads:

Praise ADONAI, all you nations! Glorify Him, all you people. For great is His lovingkindness (Chesed) toward us, and ADONAI’s truth endures forever. Halleluyah! 

Torah Sages say the "The light that was created on the first day shone from one end of Creation to the other". Or, in the language of Kabbala, "In the beginning, an infinite, uncompounded light filled all of Creation." This is the light of Chesed חֶסֶד which permeates all of Creation and through which all of Creation is built."

Chesed, like many Hebrew words, does not translate precisely into English. The word means more than simply “kindness.” Often translated as “loving-kindness,” chesed means giving oneself fully, with love and compassion.

The concept of chesed appears in the Torah more than 190 times. For this reason, many Jewish thinkers hold the value of loving-kindness up as Judaism’s primary ethical virtue.

Psalms 89:3 tells us "The world was built with chesed." Chesed חֶסֶד denotes the unbounded loving-kindness with which G‑d created the worlds and with which all of creation is permeated.

Chesed is one of the ten Sephirot on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Sephirot are the 10 emanations, or powers, by which God the Creator was said to become manifest. Sages say Chesed preceds (comes before) all the other Sephirot. Characteristics of Chesed are: lovingkindness, devotion, mercy, strength, grace, purity, loyalty, tenderness, and steadfastness.

Rabbi Simlai in the Talmud claims that "The Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed." It is a Jewish belief that "the entire Torah is characterized by chesed. It's said that the vision of the ideal life is characterized by behaviors which are merciful and compassionate. Chesed is properly described as an act that has no "cause." 

Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen says "chesed is more appropriately understood as a trait that is characterized by overflowing and lack of boundaries. One significant outgrowth of this is kindness in that chesed causes a person to want to unabashedly share with others, breaking his boundaries of selfishness."

According to Jewish mystical belief, Kabbalah "The World is Built on Kindness."

How the World is Destroyed 

If the world is built on Chesed, it is destroyed on Evil (רוע in Hebrew, pronounced Ra) and Hate (שִׂנאָה in Hebrew, pronounced Saw-nay). Hamas and Iran have made it obvious.  Like Haman from the Book of Esther and Hitler, Hamas is an animation of Evil and Hate. They illustrate, they show us, how (Eicha) Evil and Hate look, act and what they are capable of.

Right now in Israel we are witnessing how evil and hate destroy the world. It is painfully obvious to see -- in what Hamas did to little children living on Kibbutzim in Israel.

Make no mistake, the evil and hate we are witnessing began with words spoken and taught to the children.  We see the same evil and hate displayed at the rallies in support of Hamas around the world at which are chanted the same words heard at Nazi rallies -- "Kill the Jews." They have the same objective as Haman.  But God ... and we know how Purim ends for Haman!

The Source of Hate

I see the number of the shortest Psalm about Chesed, 117, as a clue of the darkness hidden in the light. According to the Tzava'at Harivash, the anthology on the deep mystical meanings of the Tenach, 117, relates to the Yetzer Hara. Yetza Hara described as mankind's "inclination or impulse to evil," otherwise known as the "evil inclination" in mankind and the world. It is said that the Yetzer Hara seeks mankind to "cease." 

Psalms 36:4 tells us "The words of his mouth are evil and deceit; he has ceased to be wise, to do good.” The Yetzer Hara seeks to do evil through “The words of his mouth.” 

In the Christian bible it says in James 3-6 that "The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell."

In the Beginning 

Before the 4th day of Creation when God creates the Sun, Moon and Stars, Genesis 1:1-4 TLV reads:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. God saw that the light was good. So God distinguished the light from the darkness. 

The Sage says"The light that was created on the first day shone from one end of Creation to the other."

Light and Darkness have been in the world since Day One, but "Chaos and waste, darkness" existed before God said "Let their be Light."  This was the Light of creation. God saw that the Light is Tov, good, but not the darkness, so God separated them.  I believe the Light creates. Without the Light we go back to chaos and waste again. 

The Light of Creation is in us, but Darkness is as well. We are "in the image of God." We can distinguish good from evil. God gave us free will to choose. The Ruach Elohim, God’s Holy Spirit, is hovering over us to offer us discernment and understanding. 

We can speak good or evil into the world. If we choose good it manifests through Chesed, lovingkindness. If we give in to the Yetza Hara, the evil inclination, our tongue is destructive. 

Proverbs 18:21 TLV says:

"Death and life are in the control of the tongue. Those who indulge in it will eat its fruit." 

It is said we will be known by our fruits. 

CHOOSE THE LIGHT! BE THE LIGHT!

P.S. Click here for some additional explanation of the "Chesed Personality" by an Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva source.

Epilogue: 

i blogged about the opposite force to Chesed (Hebrew: חֶסֶד) on Jacobs Ladder.  Here is a link to my blog post about Gevurah.  

PROOF THAT THE BIBLE IS THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

Approximately 3,300 years ago God gave Moses the Tablets with the Ten Commandments. Or so the bible says. The Book of Daniel and other apocalyptic scriptures were written from 3200 to 2100 years ago. According to the Talmud, much of the Tanakh was compiled by 450 BCE, and it has remained unchanged ever since.

Historical books such as the Books of Maccabees that are not in the Tanakh (the Hebrew bible), and yet is the basis of Jewish holiday Hanukkah, concerned significant events that are less than 200 years before the destruction of the 2nd Temple. 

The Christian Gospels were written by Jews starting not long after Yeshua's (Jesus's) crucifixion. Obviously these were written in the Common Era. The book of Acts covers the early Church in the 1st Century after Yeshua. 

The most amazing quality of the biblical scripture is that for past 3300+ years every generation and every nationality have believed that the bible was addressing them. Jews and Christians alike believe the Bible is speaking to them personally. Regardless of generation, time period, whether one is black or white, male or female, rich or poor, joyful or fearful, any believer can find a deeply personally meaning.  

The bible has a stories and characters that speak in profoundly personal ways to everyone who dives deeply into it. Many of the characters in the bible correspond to people who actually lived and effected the very history that relate to the books in the Bible. 

As of 2023 the Hebrew Bible has been translated into 736 languages and the Christian Bible, which includes the Hebrew Bible, has been translated into 1,658 languages. 

According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies distributed.  For comparison sake, that is 625 times the Quran.

The Bible is perceived to be both fact and fiction, historical and non-historical.  It is about the past, present and future. It tells the future from the past and the past in ways that speak to present.  It contains prophecies fulfilled and prophecies yet to be fulfilled. 

Some percieve the Bible's message to be a blessing while others feel it to be a curse. Some believe the Words in the Bible offer Salvation and lead the way to Heaven, while others believe the bible is powerless. 

The bible offers a moral code, a foundation for living, a basis for healing, a path to peace and a promise of resurrection, all on a completely voluntary basis. And yet, many of society's actual laws and customs are rooted in the bible. Incalculable numbers of other stories, books and movies have been created which borrow from the bible. 

The bible contains great mysteries. There are astounding patterns and codes. There are names that have relevant deep meaning and collectively compose stories. There is math and science before that particular math and science was even "discovered." There are events on earth that align with things that happened with the sun, moon and stars. Archeological and geological findings substantiate or at least match up with the bible. 

There are ancient rituals, ceremonies and prayers drawn from the Bible that are still practiced to this day. There are 10's of millions of people who read the Bible every day. There are weekly portions assigned to set weeks for the entire year that manage to apply to the events in our lives in ways that reliably astonish us.

In literary ways the Bible is the greatest story ever told. It offers great wisdom. It can make us feel safe and secure. It can comfort us and give us reasons to be fearful. It is the story of creation and the purpose of mankind. 

Last but not least there is the tiny Land of Israel and the miniscule world population of Jews. Just 0.001875 who have managed to defy all the odds. And one particular Jew who had a lot to say. 

It can legitimately be said that the Bible is for times such as these. Whether you are a believer in the Bible or not, I think it is undoubtedly the most amazing book ever produced by God or Man. The bible is too coincidental to be a coincidence.  

So many are looking for proof. What more proof do you need? Are you looking for a sign? God hears that a lot.  Besides, it has been said, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 

Speaking of HOPE...

ISRAEL HAS ONE WEEK TO FULFILL ITS PROMISE

Newly discovered top secret Hamas documents by Israel show that Hamas TARGETED children's schools including nursery schools. In my video I explained that is a tactic of Hamas's mission to DRAW Israel into Gaza in as large a way it could! 

I maintain that Iran privately WANTS Israel to move militarily into Gaza and kill Palestinians. Iran wants to use images of Palestinian deaths as justification for Iran ordering Hezbollah to launch far more lethal attacks on Israel from Lebanon and Syria. 

We can expect that as these attacks are launched, terror cells and lone-wolf radical actors inside Israel will launch terror attacks in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. (Israelies must stay home and out of public places, especially where there is larger groupings such as markets, restaurants,  etc) 

Ultimately, this war WILL reach Iran's own country soil, regardless of where the first strike comes from. Iran is making sure that Israel is under as much war pressure from all sides and internally before it launches its attack with missiles. 

The KEY to Iran's goal to destroy Israel is its strategy to exhaust Israel's Iron Dome capacity and missiles!  Iran wants as many of its ballistic missiles to land on Israel's cities as possible and that requires Iran to reduce Israel's missile defenses. Iran is using Hamas rockets and next Hezbollah to draw down Israel's supply of Iron Dome missiles. 

The USA just announced that we are sending Israel Iron Dome missiles "at the speed of war." Only God knows whether these supplies will come fast enough. 

All this means that the war is currently going according to Iran's plan. Israel and USA need to gain the upper hand strategically. 

Enter the USA. There is a possibility that Iran underestimated the US reaction. I do not see how the USA can avoid entering this war!  We have the largest naval/air power power in the world off the shores of Israel. I have little doubt that we have submarines off Iran in the Arabian sea. For multiple important stratrgic reasons to the USA as well as Israel, the US cannot sit idle in these locations while Iran is launching ballistic missiles at Israel!!  

Israel should attack Iran proactively prior to waiting for Hezbollah to attack Israel.  Israel needs to supercede Iran's plans and cut off the head of the snake!  The body of the snake without its head is aimless and defenseless!

THE FUSE IS LIT:

Keep in mind that according to experts, Iran needs 12 days to enrich uranium to make a nuclear bomb. It is very likely that clock started just prior to the launch of the attack on Gaza. Therefore, Israel has LESS THAN ONE WEEK to do what it has PROMISED it will do for over a decade -- STOP IRAN FROM GETTING A NUCLEAR WEAPON!! 

I REPEAT: IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DID THE FIRST EVER TEST OF OUR NEW EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM 5 DAYS BEFORE IRAN ENTERED GAZA AT 220PM. 

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THIS>>

To the radical Islamist executing women and babies as well as the AYATOLLAH'S, THIS IS A HOLY WAR. The enemy delights in martyrdom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE KNOWN UNKNOWN: Only God knows at this very moment whether Russia or any other country will enter this conflict. 

"The harsh prophecy concerning Damascus; Behold Damascus shall be removed from [being] a city, and it shall be a depth of ruins." Isaiah 17.1 

WATCH DAMASCUS!

P.S. I find it encouraging that the next two Jewish holidays coming up, Hanukkah and Purim, both celebrate miraculous victories by Israel over powers that ruled over Syria and Persia (Iran).

P.P.S. In the words of the Mishnaic sages:

One should thank G‑d for the bad, just as he blesses G‑d for the good, as the verse says, “You shall love the L‑rd, your G‑d, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all of your means.”

"Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, the true judge." Baruch dayan emet

Epilogue:

It could just be a coincidence that today on Shabbat, beginning at 12:08 pm, there is a rare "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse. Here is God's time table.

THE HOPE

For thou art my hope [tikvah], O Lord God; thou art my trust from my youth. Psalm 71:5

Hope can only be as strong as what we believe. Hope indeed often hinges on the strength and depth of our beliefs, giving us resilience and direction in challenging times. It aligns well with many themes in Proverbs and Psalms, which often emphasize the power of faith and belief.

The word for hope in Hebrew is Tikvah (תִקְוָה). HaTikvah (הַתִּקְוָה), "The Hope" is the national anthem of the State of Israel. (Click to listen Hatikvah)

Kol od ba’le’vav p’nima,Nefesh yehudi ho’miyah.

U’lefa-atei mizrach kadimah,

Ayin le’Tziyyon tzofiyah.

Od lo avda tikva-teinu,

Ha’tikvah bat sh’not al-payim

Lih-yot am chofshi b’ar-tzeinu

Eretz Tziyyon v’Yerushalayim.

 

Translation:

As long as within our hearts

The Jewish soul sings,

As long as forward to the East

Our hope is not yet lost,

It is two thousand years old,

To be a free people in our land

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Some may percieve "hope" to lack certainty. But in Hebrew, the word for "hope" is more concrete. 

Hope is rooted in expectation and Tikvah comes from the Hebrew root "kavah" meaning "to bind together, collect -- thus a tikvak can be a cord or thread. Tikvak can also mean to expect: tarry, wait (for, on, upon)." 

The first occurrence of the word tikvah in the Bible is in the biblical Book of Joshua during the account of Joshua and the Israelites conquering the city of Jericho after entering Eretz Israel.  Two Israelite spies encounter a famous biblical woman named Rahab. She is a prostitute -- an interesting choice for God to use.  The spies make an arrangement with Rahab whereby she is to tie a scarlet cord from her window to identify and save her and her family. 

Joshua 2:17-18

The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread  (a tikvah) in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household.

Rahab responded: 

Josuah. 2:21:

She said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord (a tikvah) in the window.

The bible tells us to be hopeful, with an expectant assurance and Rahab waited expectantly.

One of the most difficult things to remember is that hope is rooted in waiting. There too, in the Book of Joshua, is a reminder. The tikvah, the cord was Rahab’s only guarantee that her household would be spared by the Israelites. Rahad tied a physical cord to her window to ensure her family's safety, but Rahab still had to wait for the realization of the spies’ promise.

Within the list of faith champions in Hebrews Chapter 11 of the New Testament, Rahab is mentioned right after Moses, and instead of Joshua. Wow! The only other woman mentioned on the list is Sarah, Abraham’s wife and mother of Isaac. It is a high honor to be included in this group of believers.

Hebrews 11:31

It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 

Rahab is one of five women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus; they are Tamar the wife of Judah, Rahab the wife of Salmon, Ruth the wife of Boaz, Bathsheba the wife of King David (after being the wife of Uriah), and Mary the Mother of Jesus. Other then Mary, Rahab is the only one mentioned again in the New Testament.

Keeping the Faith Equates to Keeping the Hope:

A verse in Hatikvah is "Our hope is not yet lost," which is a way of saying "never to lose hope." In the Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 2:4, Jewish sages say that even on the worst day, the 9th day of Av (Tisha B'Av), when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans, hope is not lost because a "Redeemer has been born."

There is a well-known legend found in Jewish tradition, reflecting the belief that even in the darkest moments, there is a glimmer of hope and redemption.

"On the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed, a Jew was plowing his field when his cow suddenly called out. An Arab was passing by and heard the low of the cow. Said the Arab: 'Jew, Jew! Unyoke your cow, free the stake of your plow, for your Holy Temple has now been destroyed.' The cow then lowed a second time. Said the Arab: 'Jew, Jew! Yoke your cow, reset the stake of your plow, for the Redeemer has now been born...'"

This tale captures a profound moment of loss and the simultaneous promise of renewal. This narrative emphasizes the idea that from great sorrow can come great hope, and it encourages faith in divine providence and the eventual redemption.

The rabbis teach that though the meaning is ostensibly the destruction was a consequence of the Jews' sins, there was a deeper reason for it all. From the ashes of the destroyed temples will arise an infinitely greater Temple, one constructed by God Himself, one that will stand for all eternity.

THE HOPE -- OUR REDEEMER:

As scriptures tell us, in times of our deepest despair our Redeemer gives us hope. 

The "Hope of Israel" is a multifaceted concept in Jewish and Christian traditions. In Judaism, it often refers to the messianic hope—the anticipation of a future Messiah who will bring peace, justice, and restoration to Israel and the world. This hope is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly in the prophetic books. 

Moses received the Torah the around 1250 BCE, which is approximately 3250 years ago. Hatikvah specifically tells us that our hope "is two thousand years old." 

Acts 28:20 — The New International Version (NIV)

20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

In Christianity, the "Hope of Israel" is seen as fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the promised Messiah. Christians believe that through Jesus, the promises of God to Israel are realized, bringing salvation not only to Israel but to all humanity. This hope is emphasized in the New Testament, especially in the teachings of Paul, who often speaks of the fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs of Israel through Jesus.

Now, here is an interesting "coincidence" as it relates to the timing in the National anthem.  Hatikvah is based on a poem by Naftali Herz Imber, a Jewish poet from Złoczów, Austrian Galicia. Imber wrote the first version of this poem in 1877. However, the song Hatikvah wasn't officially declared the National Athem of Israel until 2004. The song says the Hope of Israel is 2000 years old. 2004 minus 2000 is the year 4. Now consider this.

In the Gospel of Luke, there is a famous reference to a census that took place around that time. This census is linked to the period when Quirinius was the governor of Syria and is notable for its connection to the nativity story of Jesus. In other words, "The Hope" of Israel can be dated back to just about the year Yeshua was born. 

 

WAITING EXPECTANTLY FOR THE HOPE:

Jeremiah 29:11

For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you—declares the LORD—plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future. 

"Waiting" is associated with patience. The Hebrew word for patience is savlanut (סבלנות). The root, s-v-l (ס-ב-ל), literally means “to bear” or “to suffer.”  

To the believer, patience is a way of saying "long-suffering." Tikva (hope) helps us endure long-suffering. 

Jewish suffereing is literally biblical. Jews have suffered throughout history and to this day. Every time Hatikvah, the national anthem, is sung it lifts the spirits of Jews, especially Israelies, and gives us the hope to bear the suffering of the Jewish people with expectancy.  The Hope (Hatikvah) of Israel, the Messiah (Hamashiach - המשיח), the anointed One, maintains the Jew and the Christian.

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" 

Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)

In conclusion, I see a message in Hatikvah that is relevant to Jews and Christians alike.

Lord, may HaTikvah (The Hope) in my heart bear fruit. 🙏

Hatikvah in English