Tag: jesus

World War and An Army of Voices

There is much talk these days about the necessity of raising up an end-time army. However, it mostly refers to a spiritual one, such that will fight evil through prayer and intercession.

Is That All There Is?

Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week made it clear to me that this army cannot function only in the spiritual realm. Simply because the frontline the Body is facing these days is not only spiritual.

Major parts of the Western church, especially in Europe, embrace the world view called “pacifism”. Simply put, pacifism means that the God of the OT shifted from being a Man of War into the Prince of Peace, and that even in the face of violence, we must turn the other cheek.

For nearly two years, Israel has been fighting on more than seven fronts. Our armed forces usually prevail in all but one – spokesmanship. No matter what takes place on the ground, somehow facts are twisted in the media and social networks, and we turn out to be the bad guys. Mostly because it takes a split second to spread a lie, but much longer to check the facts and find what really happened. In this one front we keep losing the battle day in and day out.

A Great Opportunity

This creates a great opportunity for the church to take her place in this war and own this front.

Church, you need to stand up and speak truth out loud. To shout Truth from the rooftops. Not only on behalf of Israel, but mostly on behalf of Truth, especially for the sake of your next generations.

Kirk understood that well and did not love his life unto death. He adored Truth and believed that in it is the only hope for these lost crowds he was debating with. I listen to some of the questions and statements his audience uttered, and my eyes roll. So much ignorance.

So in light of his assassination and the implications it is already producing, I urge you, dear reader, to ask yourself: “How far am I willing to go for the sake of Truth?”

Most of you are reading my blog because you love Israel and want to stand with her. Will you do that even if it requires active confrontation? Are you willing to engage in this war? Or do you prefer to stay on the defense and for the most part turn the other cheek?

The level of evil we witnessed on October two years ago used weapons that are not only spiritual. That kind of evil constantly digs, schemes, learns our weak spots, and lurks in darkness, waiting for the moment that will enable it to kill, steal and destroy as many as possible. Twisting our minds is not enough anymore for our enemy.

The more authority and voice evil gains in the West, the more violence we will witness. Woke, progress, liberalism, left – however one calls it (I call it “Satan”) – strives to empty God’s names from their meaning and to silence His children. All he needs to do in order to win this front is to say we are wrong and then press the button. He doesn’t even have to prove it.

This front is not only virtual; it’s the very realm in which our children and grandchildren live. For them, whatever exists there IS reality.

Is God a Pacifist and Humanist?

Humanism is a philosophy that developed during the Renaissance, and is based on Hellenism and Greek mythology. It has various approaches, but the common denominator to all of them is the belief that man is inherently good, and will evolve into his ultimate goodness by his own efforts, mostly through education and reasonable living conditions. Obviously, this perception contradicts the Word of God.

God is undoubtedly humanitarian. He commands us to help others and to pursue a policy of welfare. But that does not necessarily make Him a humanist. The Bible contains quite a few stories that are hard for a humanist mind to settle with a good and sovereign God. Why would a God like that allow the killing of dozens or even hundreds of infants in Bethlehem just to save One that wasn’t even there? How can He command to destroy entire nations, or allow horrors such as the story of Rizpah Bat Aya and the concubine in Gibeah?

On one hand, He commands us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies (Mat. 5:39-46), but does that mean a believer is forbidden to actively fight evil?

Can Peace and War Dwell Together?

God’s nature did not change in the NT. The God of the NT – the “child who was born” and “the son given” to us (Isa. 9:5) – embodies two traits that at face value seem contradictory. In that very verse He is both described as the “Prince of Peace” and the “Mighty God” (the word in Hebrew translated into “mighty” means: a man who overcomes, who defeats his enemies, a heroic warrior).

How is this possible? How can these two traits work together? They can, since in reality, peace cannot be established only through love and acceptance, or by turning another cheek. One must actively fight evil, overcome it, at times even use force. The kind of evil that dares to raise its head today is not pacified by providing its carriers with education and opportunities to improve their lifestyle. On the contrary, it only grows stronger and waits for the right timing to manifest.

Israel learned this on October 7th, Europe is learning it the hard way right now, and apparently so is the United States.

Some Practical Ideas

“What can I do?” you ask.

Get actively involved in the discussion. Find someone around you who disagrees with you, listen to what they have to say, and take it back to the Word. Start equipping yourself with answers that are not derived from quotations of super and eloquent speakers like Douglas Murray, Ben Shapiro, or even Charlie Kirk, but from the bottom of your heart. From your own frustration and love for Truth.

Deal with your anger, of course. Bring it to God, let Him wash it with His blood, so that it will be His anger and not your human fragility your audience will eventually hear. It is Him through your voice that lost people need to encounter, not you speaking about Him.

“I believed, therefore I spoke,” said Paul (1 Cor. 4:13). Let it echo in the deepest places of your spirit and inspire you.

“Where do I start?” you ask. With any theme of your choice. Study thoroughly and systematically what Scripture has to say on subjects that burn deep in your heart. Is it gender identity, God’s plan for the nation of Israel, abortions, family values? Discuss these topics with people who disagree with you, and keep looking for facts and researching it in the Word, until they run out of answers. That is how one sharpens their weapons, that is how we develop our own battle cry – Truth spoken through our mouths.

Ps. 85:11-12 describes what happens when Truth comes forth from the earth: Justice, Grace and Peace – everything we long for. Well, the earth realm is our responsibility. If we want to reap justice, grace and peace, we must bring forth Truth from within our earthly bodies and vocal cords.

Join this army! Fill up and enrich your quiver, let Truth breathe passionate boldness into your heart, until you love it more than you love your own life.

Using Force in the New Testament

The Sermon on the Mount confuses us in that sense because it demands that we turn the other cheek. But this confusion can be sorted out once we understand that the sermon is not speaking to entire nations or groups, but to the individual. Nations or groups were not required to give their cloak when someone asked for their tunic, for example, or to pray in secret so that no one would see. The sermon is meant to make the individual excel in their spiritual conduct.

Matthew 5:39 cannot be interpreted as opposition to the Lord of Hosts or the Warrior described throughout the Old Testament. If the sermon was written for a group or nation, then there would be no place for public prayers, since we would be required to pray only in secret.

Examples From the New Testament

Does the NT teach we should use force and weapons at times?

Tax collectors and soldiers came to John the Baptist. These were the two professions most despised by the people. John, who was not afraid to rebuke Herod for his relations with his brother’s wife, surely was not afraid from the authority these people carried. Interestingly, He did not tell them to change careers, only to behave fairly (Luke 3:12-14).

Yeshua healed the centurion’s servant, praised him for his faith and the way he used his authority. Not once did he ask him to put away his weapon (Mat. 8:9-10).

When Peter stroke the ear of the high priest’s servant, Yeshua did not tell him to break the sword or get rid of it, only to put it back into its sheath (John 18:10-11).

Cornelius was a centurion, and thus equipped with arms. Yet the NT describes him as a devout and God-fearing man, whose righteousness and prayers God remembered (Acts 10:2-4). He had a God-fearing soldier (v. 7), who served with him, and none of them were required to change professions.

By the way, most members of the Roman community were retired soldiers. Throughout the epistle, there is no mention that any of them were required to repent of their occupational past.

Paul clarifies to believers in Rome that governing authorities are God’s servants who hold the sword to execute wrath on wrongdoers (Rom. 13:4). He demands that they pay taxes properly to fund these authorities.

Is God a Pacifist?

On one hand, He commands us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and to walk the extra mile with them. On the other, He describes Himself as a man of war and as the Lord of Hosts. How can these two be reconciled?

In Germany, there are many Christians who intercede for Israel, who understand its role in God’s plan and stand as watchmen on its walls through faithful prayer. How should they pray in the current situation – ongoing war and claims of famine in Gaza, inflicted by Israel? Should Israel turn the other cheek, or act as the arm of the Lord of Hosts, the Man of war?

How are Christians in Europe, especially in Germany, meant to deal with the wave of wars rising across their continent, which at any moment could escalate into another world war? What does God say about this?

From August 21st to the 28th, Orna will be visiting various congregations and organizations in the Saxony region in Germany, teaching about the Tabernacle that God wants to build inside each one of us – as well as about these important topics.

Here are the dates and locations. We’d love for you to join us and meet her there.

21.8 – 09429 Wolkenstein: SEMINAR IN GEHRINGSWALDE (WOLKENSTEIN)

22-23.8 – 08468 Reichenbach: SEMINAR IM BBZ REICHENBACH I.V.

24.8 – 08141 Reinsdorf, OT Vielau: GOTTESDIENST IN VIELAU

24.8 – 08359 Breitenbrunn, OT Rittersgrün: GOTTESDIENST IN RITTERSGRÜN

25.8 – 08064 Zwickau: SEMINAR IN ZWICKAU-PLANITZ

26.8 – 08297 Zwönitz, OT Brünlos: SEMINAR IM ERLEBNISGARTEN BRÜNLOS

All the events can be seen on the web page of the “Saxon friends of Israel”: VERANSTALTUNGEN

Check-Mate

Was it born in India or China? Some insist it originated in Persia. Either way, there is no debate about the meaning of the name in Persian: Checkmate means “the Shah (king, top leader) is dead.” Or literally: “remove the king”, “the king is stunned”, “an ambush for the king.”

How Does One Win the Game?

The game is over when one opponent is threatened by the other side’s (“check”), or unable to strike its king, block the threat with another piece, or escape anywhere else on the board. You can all draw the parallel to the modern version of Checkmate going on this week in modern Persia.

Here on earth

Mediating the news and events here is not my calling. There are so many channels that provide this data. You probably don’t need my 10 cents worth of that. But I do want to give you a small glimpse into my own life these days.

Before this war with Persia even started, I moved to my sister’s home in Modi’in, about half an hour from my home. Far enough to be away from my routine and slow down, yet close enough to run back and grab what I need or check on my plants. I didn’t feel like flying anywhere for vacation, but I needed to allow my soul and body to breathe and process. And anyway, things change at a drop of a hat here these days. So much is happening every hour, goodness!

I was planning on slow hikes up the gorgeous hill right around the corner, downloading my thoughts on God’s shoulders and into my computer, enjoying nice coffee shops in the mornings, that kind of stuff.

Until Friday, around 3 am

Our phones were all taken over by the Home Front Command, with a frightening and rather unusual alert. We were instructed to stay near safe zones and be prepared for the siren that might go off in the next 15-30 min.

We’re pretty much used to staying in these safe zones by now. The missiles regularly launched at us by the Houthis from Yemen kept this particular muscle well trained. We know where to run to. Safe rooms are stocked with water, a radio and batteries, chargers, snacks, torches- whatever is needed to stay there for a few hours. At this stage, our level of panic is relatively low. We’re tired, yet prepared.

Later on Friday morning I went shopping. The streets were empty and events were canceled all over the country (including the massive Pride Parade planned in Tel Aviv, thank God). But as soon as Home Front Command announced that the drone threat sent our way was removed, the cafés opened, and stores filled up with shoppers who wanted to prepare for Shabbat.

Israel’s Channel 14 is the most right-wing channel in the land. They have always been Netanyahu’s staunch supporters. Yet, I’ve never heard their commentators and hosts ascribing the events to God the way they have been doing since that morning. It is a big source of comfort for me in this unusual time. “Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known in all the earth” (Is. 12:5). Go for it, channel 14!

That’s what’s happening here on earth.

A Divine Situation Room – what’s happening in heaven?

I don’t exactly know, but I would like to share what’s happening in the alleyways of my own heart when I seek God and try to connect to His.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been immersed in the Book of Isaiah. Many prophecies from this book are coming true before our very eyes, yet, I’m not reading it in search of fulfilled prophecies, but rather seeking a vocabulary I can turn into arrows to store in my prayer quiver. I read it verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Sometimes I pause for a while on a single verse, sometimes I go through several chapters at once.

Every time I come across a verse that describes the current state of things or what needs to transpire, I stop and declare it. I don’t plead, I hardly ask. I mostly declare. I put Isaiah’s lofty words into my mouth and soul, into my weariness and apathy and fears, and I launch them toward invisible targets. I do this with tears, mostly repenting for our national stubbornness and blindness, which has brought upon us God’s wrath and judgment.

I thank Him for the fulfillment of Isaiah 12 – that His anger will turn away and He will comfort us – and I declare that the people of Israel will begin to draw water with joy from the wells of salvation (v. 3), will call upon His name and exalt it (v. 4).

Or chapter 14. It speaks of the king of Babylon, but since everything said there has already been fulfilled concerning that evil empire, I feel confident to now declare it about the leadership of Iran.

Yesterday morning I reached verse 23 and just fell in love with it: “I will sweep it with the broom of destruction.” I grabbed a broom and started sweeping and proclaiming.

The broom of destruction – what a beautiful term. I can see God with a divine broom in His hand, sweeping away – beyond the ends of the earth – all those whose hearts are arrogant, all those who think they can sit above His throne. That’s one of His weapons! The fact that He signs this verse not as the God of Israel or the God of the nations, but as “the Lord of Hosts”, as the General – that says it all. I’m enlisting and continuing to sweep.

I do this out of complete faith that in doing so, I’m cooperating here on earth with what God is doing in these very days. Right now, the Middle East is a chessboard on which He is moving His pieces at an unimaginable pace and in unexpected directions. And I want to make sure I don’t get caught in a spiritual ambush that can paralyze me. I want to be sure that no one can declare “checkmate” on me.

I’m not talking about my personal life, but about that place within me that carries Israel like a widow who doesn’t recognize her husband, who insists on continuing to turn her back on Him. I repent every time Isaiah’s rich vocabulary reminds me of another area in which our people behave as if we are the hand moving the pieces on the board and not just one of the pieces.

Friends, brothers, sisters, co-heirs: I invite you to join me on this journey into the depths of Isaiah’s vocabulary. The IDF and Mossad agents may indeed excel in the precision and depth of their strikes, but these are not enough. They were not enough on October 7th, right? Our arm of flesh might be impressive, but it is only flesh, a piece on the board.

All of us – even you who are not in the Land – can enlist these days in the army of the Lord of Hosts. In the face of “the sound of a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! The sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together”, each of us can line up behind “the Lord of Hosts mustering the host for battle” (Is. 13:4). Even if you are “from a far country, from the end of the heavens”, you can serve as an instrument in the hand of “the Lord and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land” (verse 5).

Shall we broom together?

https://ornagrinman.com/2016/12/21/wounds-intercession-entreating-part-1/