History

End Time Warnings and Assurances

August 31, 2020 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

My good friend, sister in the Lord, and prayer and ministry partner, Joan Lipis, – A gifted teacher and evangelist to Jews and Israelis – has an English website for prayer for Israel: Lunch Time Prayer For Israel. God has called her to do a series on End Time events that we see happening around the world. I (Bella) have been doing the Hebrew translations for the site since 2012. I would like to incorporate some of her insights in this letter, especially for the purpose of prayer and seeking the Lord in these crucial times.*

In approximately 20 BC, King Herod began rebuilding the second Holy Temple that had been built earlier by the Jews who came back from the Babylonian captivity more than 400 years earlier. It took him 46 years to complete it.

In 70 CE (AD), the second temple was destroyed (as Yeshua prophesied 40 years earlier.)

Sixty years after the destruction of the second temple and massacre of hundreds of thousands of Jews by the Romans, there was another uprising by the Jews against Rome, called the Bar Kochba Revolt. Rome crushed the revolt and expelled the Jews from Jerusalem. The majority of the Jewish population of the land were killed, enslaved, or exiled. Thus began the 2000-year dispersion (diaspora) from their covenant land.

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations.” Luke 21:24a

The Jewish people would not regain their national independence until the Zionist era and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 CE.

Yeshua’s warnings

The Temple and the city of Jerusalem distinguished Israel as a people and a land, having a unique relationship with God as His presence was visible and tangible through His Holy Spirit. It is important to remember that the issue and the conflict of the Temple Mount today is a spiritual one and not political. It is the center of God’s activities on the earth and the epicenter of the conflict between the Lord, the God of Israel and His Arch-enemy, Satan. Not surprisingly it was, is, and will remain (until the New Jerusalem) the world’s most disputed property on earth.

At the time Yeshua was on earth in Israel and Jerusalem, the Temple was the center of Jewish life; spiritual, worship, and communal. Although the apostles had been in the temple many times, they still marveled at its magnificent beauty. Now Yeshua prophesied that it would soon be destroyed that not one stone would remain on top of another. (Mark 13:1-2)

When they heard Yeshua prophesy its destruction, the apostles must have been shocked. They all had the same question in mind and asked: “When will these things be?” Yeshua spoke about the signs of “These Things” as well as His second coming and the end of the age. (Luke 21:7, Matthew 24:3) Matthew, like the Jewish people then and still today longed for a Messiah who would bring in the glorious Messianic Kingdom of worldwide peace. He would reign in Jerusalem where all nations would come to hear Him: “from Zion will go forth the Torah and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2) but… “When will these things be?”

In 70 CE (AD), 40 years after Yeshua’s prophecy about the destruction of the second temple, it was fulfilled when the Romans destroyed the magnificent second temple. Other things Yeshua warned in His prophecy happened, are happening, and will happen in the future.

These ‘signs’ would apply to the world, to those who believe in Him, and to the Jewish people.

Firstly, Yeshua warned against deception:

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many” Matthew 24:4

In Luke 21:8 He adds that the deceivers will claim that the ‘time has drawn near,’ so He said not to follow them. Yeshua’s warning was fulfilled shortly after He left the earth, as men rose up claiming to be the Messiah (Acts 5:34-39.)

Ultimately, in the end time, another imposter will succeed in seducing many by using flattery and even signs and wonders, especially by bringing false peace to the world. Discerning between the real Messiah Yeshua and the Imposter will be crucial; it will be a matter of life or death.

We must also be aware of false prophets and teachers who change the literal meaning of God’s word for interpretations that make us feel good rather than challenge, exhort, and encourage us to seek God’s righteousness.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 2 Peter 2:1-2

This apostasy is one of the most prevalent and dangerous signs of the end times today. (see also 1Timothy 4:1-5)

The credential of a true prophet comes from the Word of God in the Torah:

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” Deuteronomy 18: 18-20

Yeshua’s word warned that there will come a false prophet who will be the spokesperson for the coming false messiah. This false prophet will lure the unsuspecting away from God’s truth and ultimately demand the world worship that false messiah. Those who will follow him will lose their lives in God’s final judgment.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

There were, and still are great wars around the world, but most have come and gone. However, here in Israel, war, acts of belligerence, terror attacks, and rumors of war occur all the time. Yeshua assures us that when we hear of wars and even when they happen, while the rest of the world is in fear and despair, He is sovereign and we need not fear, but have faith and trust in Him.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass…” Matthew 24:6

“…but the end is not yet.”

In Luke 21:9 He uses the word “uprisings.” A synonym for the Greek word is ‘disorder’.
“But when you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”

As we reflect on these warnings and descriptions of what is to come, it’s obvious that we are standing on the brink of these “End Times.” Not only are wars and rumors of wars increasing, but so are uprisings and disorder. There is an increasing loss of respect for authority as protests and demonstrations turn into violent and deadly riots, as seen in the news broadcasts.

Faith in Yeshua is the only source of hope and peace in these days and the days to come.

Nation against Nation, Kingdom against Kingdom

Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Luke 21:10

Yeshua warned His disciples that “these things” were in their future…but for us, they are also here! We must be prepared and prepare others.

Lately, in Israel, there has been a kind of peace with the occasional outbursts of hostilities. Although they caused property damage, Israelis recognize that God is protecting lives. They are calling those events “miracles” or “luck,” for, despite the rockets against us, there are no casualties, even though there are some close calls.

Famine, Pestilence, Earthquakes

“And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.” Mark 13:8

When any of these events happen, our immediate reaction is fear and hopelessness. In just the last fifty years, cities and entire nations have been devastated and almost completely destroyed.

In our days, famine rages throughout Africa as unprecedented swarms of locusts destroy crops. Earthquakes lead to tsunamis that ravish the prepared and unsuspecting alike. The Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami in 2004 devastated Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia with a death toll of close to 230,000.

And now, this year the “Corona-19” virus has shut down the entire world in varying degrees.

Great signs from heaven

In Luke 21:11 He adds that there will be fearful events and…”great signs from heaven.”

Although this is another sign of the Tribulation, it was part of Yeshua’s prophetic warnings to the Apostles.

The Hebrew prophet Joel warned about these great signs, but also about God’s promise to save all those who call upon Him in faith.

And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said,
among the remnant whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:30-32

The words of Joel’s prophecy were repeated by Peter on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:19-21, which reveals God’s heart of mercy and grace to continually warn Israel of the impending doom. It is likewise a warning to us for whom the Day of the Lord is so much closer.

An asteroid?

Recently there was a scare about an asteroid that could hit Earth this November 2, just two days before the American election.

However, NASA just announced that even though this particular asteroid is estimated to come within 4,994.76 kilometers of Earth – which is very close in space terms – it is very small and doesn’t pose a threat to our planet. Even should it hit Earth, the overwhelming odds are that it still won’t hurt anyone since it is about the size of a car.

NASA can’t promise that a bigger asteroid won’t hit us in the future; they did promise that they are making progress in detecting those ‘near-earth objects’ with the hope of one day even deflecting them.

The Beginning of Sorrows

Yeshua’s warning that these were only the “beginning of sorrows” probably struck terror in the hearts of the Apostles. The word translated as “sorrows” can be described as “intolerable anguish, consuming grief, pain, travail.” In other words, there is that much worse to come.

“All these are the beginning of sorrow.” Matthew 24:8

The Psalmist expresses the same kind of fear and pain, but he is comforted in the Lord:
“The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” Psalm 16:5-6

The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night, but fear not.
“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

As Yeshua told His disciples not to fear, we also should not fear. We have His supernatural protection as He has promised:“But not a hair of your head will perish.” Luke 21:18

For us, His children, death is not the end, for we will be alive with Him through all eternity.

We, who believe in Yeshua, by God’s grace, have been redeemed and reconciled to Him. We will never perish but have eternal life in His presence (John 3:16.)

Even in the midst of the most horrible situations, God never forsakes His people.Isaiah 43:1-3a
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
³For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
…”HALLELUYAH!

*(Lunchtime Prayer for Israel is a daily blog in both text and a slightly expanded video that helps Believers pray God’s promises to Israel and the nations. With the short commentary on the predominately Old Testament Scriptures, people have a greater understanding of God’s unique relationship with Israel. The new “End Times” series is written not just for the committed pray-er, but also for the growing interest among non-believing Israelis.
Text:
https://lunchtimeprayer.com
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1cs4SLVgY3zHGadXXcJFQ

New Moon Celebration

June 28, 2020 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Exodus 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.”

The gentile Gregorian calendar, based on the sun, substituted God’s biblical (Hebrew) calendar that was based on the moon as if saying that the substitute was a better way. They made a different day for the Sabbath, they made different dates for the Set Times of the Lord (the Jewish holidays) and omitted the celebration of the New Moon from the calendar.

This month some nations joined in Jerusalem for the first time to celebrate the New Moon, thereby reconnecting with God’s biblical calendar. It’s a huge thing, since the Gregorian calendar is actually part of the root of anti-Semitism, denying that God chose the Jewish nation to establish His calendar in the world.

When God took Israel out of Egypt and established her as a nation, He declared that this would be the first day of the first month (first new moon.) Our New Moon celebrations fulfill the declaration He made, that Israel and the nations would gather on God’s timetable.

The Lord’s Supper – Victory Meal

In Jeremiah 31, God promises: “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. God speaks of the new covenant He would give to Israel. We usually stop at the verse where the Lord declares, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” However, in the very next verse, 35 “This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is His Name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before Me.” He confirms this promise again in the next verse, “ 37 This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.”

God affirms that His commitment to Israel is not dependent on what she does or doesn’t do. It is only because of His faithfulness that He will never reject Israel and Israel will never cease from being a nation before Him. Therefore, taking the Lord’s Supper on the New Moon is a victory meal, like a victory shout, that Israel exists before Him as a nation and that the One who brought us out of Egypt, the One Who was, is still alive and is the One Who is to come. As we line up with this promise, we are on a journey to the throne.

What will all nations sing before His Throne? The song, “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb,” and “Worthy is the Lamb.” This journey started in Exodus, when He said in chapter 12:2, “This is the first of your month and the first of your year” and in the next verse He instructs to choose and take a lamb.

At Passover, all the people of Israel passed through the doorposts covered by the blood of the lamb. That event began the journey to the Throne. And each month, more people enter by one thing – by the Blood of the Lamb of God, Yeshua/Jesus. Each month we get closer and closer to His coming – the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come. We are not just wandering around in this world. We have a purpose; we know where we are going.

The New Moon is a sign of the New Covenant in His Blood, and God’s eternal commitment to Israel. Even before He gave the Ten Commandments, He commanded:

“This is the first of the month”. That was the basis for His people’s calendar. It echoes way back to creation when He made the moon for signs and seasons.

For a long time, it was removed from our understanding. But now we are enlightened.

People may object saying that it is not in the New Testament. But in the Gospels, we see Yeshua honoring the Sabbath, honoring and celebrating the biblical feasts, so we have no reason to think that He didn’t celebrate the New Moon. On the other hand, there are no instructions to eliminate this set time.

We can’t know when Passover is if we don’t mark the New Moon of that month. We can’t go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles if we don’t recognize the first of the seventh month. Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is Christ.”

*At the time of the New Moon, the sliver of the moon is so small that you can barely see it.*

A shadow speaks of something real, a substance, which is Him. It’s all about Him. The New Moon celebration is not to be removed but to be fulfilled; Yeshua is its meaning. Therefore, it’s so significant that the nations honor this day.

Finally, the nations are saying, “We have joined the New Covenant by the Blood of the Lamb, and we recognize God’s eternal calendar by which He moves.”

May the nations reject the false calendar they set up and celebrate the New Moon to say, “We are joining in and honoring Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, the Coming King.”

Celebrating with the blowing of the silver trumpets in “My House”.

We are thankful for “My House” where we can celebrate every first of the month on God’s calendar until He returns to rule and reign from Jerusalem. This is a thanksgiving feast. To God be the Glory! Amen!

Judea & Samaria – Known as the West Bank

February 28, 2020 By Bella Davidov 1 Comment

Views of Judea and Samaria from Bella's recent trip. — *Welcome to Judea and Samaria (from Bella’s recent trip.)*

Moses led the Hebrew nation out of Egypt about 1,300 BC. Muhammad originated Islam about 600 AD, about 1,900 years later. The offspring of Jacob, the Jews, predate the Muslims everywhere in the Middle East. The land of Judea was the Jewish nation before the Roman occupiers expelled and killed a large portion of the population during the Jewish wars of the first century and renamed it Palestina in an effort to blot out every connection of the Jewish people to the land. Palestina was the name of the small part of the land that was occupied by the Philistines along the southern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. [Read more in the article: “The Origin of Palestine”.]

Before the Muslim conquest in the 7th century CE, the land was occupied by both Christians and Jews. The population remained essentially unchanged from the days of the Byzantine occupation (324 CE – 640 CE), and the majority of the population consisted of Greek Orthodox Christians and two minorities – Jews and Samaritans. The number of Arabs settled in Palestine was negligible. Most of the Arabs who now declare themselves Palestinians immigrated to the area between the 19th and 20th centuries, during the Ottoman rule (1516 – 1918) and the British Mandate period (1918 –1948).

Proof that Judea and Samaria belong to the Jewish people are cities that the Oslo Accord gave to the Palestinians –Jericho, conquered by Joshua; Hebron, where Abraham bought the burial place for his wife Sarah and where Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Rebecca, and Leah are buried; Bethlehem – where Rachel is buried nearby and where Yeshua (Jesus) was born to Jewish parents; East Jerusalem with the Temple Mount, the City of David, and Golgotha, where Jesus the Jewish Messiah died, was buried and was resurrected.

There has never ever been a Palestinian state nor a political entity that belonged to the self-proclaimed Palestinians. Through all the international agreements from 1917 until 1947, the land designated Palestine was divided into three entities: Jordan, east of the Jordan River, and the suggested Jewish and Arab future states to be shared in the land west of the Jordan River. While the Jews reluctantly accepted this painful partition as better than nothing, an area much smaller than originally allocated to the Jewish state, the Arabs refused anything less than everything and launched a war of aggression against the new Jewish state of Israel in 1948. As a result of Israel’s victory, it gained additional land but was unable to hold Judea and Samaria or East Jerusalem which fell to the Jordanians who immediately occupied and annexed the areas, a violation of international law. At the same time, the Jordanians expelled Jews from their homes in East Jerusalem creating Jewish refugees.

During the Jordanian rule of Judea and Samaria, Arabs who were kept in refugee camps never claimed to establish a Palestinian state in that area. Rather, they adamantly refused to share the land with the Jews–land they previously refused and consequently lost in the 1948 war. Until today, the Arabs who now call themselves Palestinians want to replace the land of Israel with what they still call Palestine. [See the article “The Origin of Palestine”.] In the1949 cease-fire, the Arabs refused to accept Israel’s victory and claimed that the borders drawn had no legal significance.

What is the Legal Status of Judea and Samaria

As of 1967, the territory legally belonged to no one, since the annexation of Judea and Samaria by Jordan was considered illegal. The British vacated in 1948 at the end of their mandate whereupon the War of Independence began. In 1949 at the end of the war, armistice boundary lines were drawn up but the Arabs refused to recognize them, insisting that the boundaries had no legal significance.

Therefore, according to international law, the land cannot be considered “occupied” but is considered “Disputed Territories”, a term used when there are territorial disputes.

In 1964 Arabs in those areas formed the Palestinian Liberation Organization (the PLO), under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, in order to reclaim Israel as their land of “Palestine.” It had nothing to do with the territory of the West Bank. They only began demanding rights to the West Bank once it too was in Israeli hands.

UNSC Resolution 242 doesn’t call for a complete and total withdrawal from ‘ALL captured territories’ nor does it call for a unilateral withdrawal only on the Israeli side, but just calls for a withdrawal from ‘captured territories’. The language of the resolution states that withdrawal must be made towards ‘Secure and Recognized Boundaries’ or defensible borders. Judea and Samaria is a special case because it was never part of a Palestinian state. Israel, Judea and Samaria and Gaza were all part of British-ruled Palestine, and Britain previously promised a national home for the Jewish people in the area, without specifying boundaries. On that basis, Israel maintains it has the right to extend sovereignty over the territories with a simple Cabinet vote, a position backed by the Trump administration.

However, most of the international community refuses to accept these facts and insists on referring to annexed east Jerusalem and the so-called West Bank as “occupied territory” because, they claim, the area was seized in war.

Israel insists that the Palestinian’s demand for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 boundaries is absolutely not secure and safe borders. For years, Palestinian propaganda has claimed falsely that Israel is occupying their land, resulting in a new generation that does not know the facts of history. They believe the Palestinians are being ruled by Israel which has taken land that rightfully belongs to them.

According to all agreements with the Palestinians, beginning with the Oslo Accords of 1993, a permanent status solution of Judea and Samaria should be determined solely through negotiations, which have never taken place. According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, Israel has agreed to give parts of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians, but only in return for recognition as a Jewish state and guaranteed security, which has also never occurred.

Previous Prime Ministers of Israel, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert agreed to negotiate the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in Gaza and in parts of Judea and Samaria. They offered both Arafat and Abbas respectively almost all of Judea and Samaria in exchange for real peace and security and mutual recognition.

Not only did the Palestinians refuse Barak’s peace offer to Arafat in the 2000 Camp David talks, but they began massive terror attacks as well as a campaign war of political propaganda to delegitimize Israel. In 2007, the propaganda intensified after Abbas refused another peace offer from Olmert’s offer in Annapolis.

More Views of Judea and Samaria from Bella's recent trip. — *Judea and Samaria*.

Out of the Ashes

January 23, 2020 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me…The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley (near Jerusalem) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

In many prophecies, the Lord God of Israel has promised to bring back His people, the Jewish people, from the diaspora back to the Land of Promise.

For 2000 years, the Jews were scattered around the world, at the mercy of the nations, hated, despised and persecuted. Their homeland, the Land of Israel, was devastated and overtaken by strangers. During the Holocaust in WWII, the German Nazis finally came up with the plan of their “Final Solution” to annihilate all the Jews. They were gathered from every European country into concentration camps to be murdered in gas showers and then cremated in gas. They were shot and tortured in ghettos. Six million Jews were murdered in the worst racial genocide the world has ever known. But out of the ashes of the dead bodies, the Jewish nation and the land of Israel was reborn.

Today, seventy-two years later, Israel is considered a miracle that could only have happened by the hand of God according to His prophecies in the Bible.

*The Royalty, Presidents, Dignitaries who came to the Fifth Forum in Jerusalem this week.*

“Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:8)

Most of the surviving, Jewish remnant was on the brink of starvation and Gentiles possessed their homes. Most were homeless and penniless. They were gathered by the Jewish Agency into refugee camps, waiting and hoping that Israel, which was changed to Palestine, would once again be the Land of the Jews.

For centuries the Jews were victims of pogroms, blood libels, forced conversions, expulsions and other forms of religious persecution. A small remnant, the holocaust survivors, reached the lowest point of human dignity.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied of a time when the people of Israel would say: “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” Yet God assured them that He would “cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:11-12)

In May 1948, just three years after the end of the Holocaust, the Jewish people rose from the ashes, and in one day a nation was born – the Nation of Israel. The resurrection power of God did this miracle.

God promised He would fight for His people Israel, and He did. When Israel’s leader David Ben-Gurion declared independence on May 14, 1948, the Jewish state was immediately attacked by five neighboring Arab armies. These large trained armies were well-armed, while the new nation of Israel hardly had an army or weapons. Frail Holocaust survivors arriving in Israel by sea were given guns upon stepping down from the ships without even shoes on their feet. Arab leaders who had vowed to “drive the Jews into the sea” were sure they would win, but against all odds, Israel won.

Jews are the only people who were uprooted from their homeland, scattered among the nations, speaking their languages, and then after two thousand years have returned to that same land to re-establish their national sovereignty while reviving their ancient language. Yet, anyone who reads the Bible can see it was foretold in His word. One prophecy that repeats itself more than any other, by nearly all the prophets in the Bible, is God promising to gather His people Israel from all the corners of the world and bring them back to the Land of Israel as He promised their forefathers.

The Jewish people clung to God’s Word and promises in the Bible, which kept them together as a people even in all those nations where they were scattered. They never lost hope that one day God will fulfill His promises and they will come back to the Promised Land. In their prayers they said confidently: “Next year in Jerusalem!”

God’s ultimate purpose for the ingathering of Israel to the Land physically is Israel’s ingathering to Himself spiritually. His love for Israel is everlasting: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. 4 I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.” Jeremiah 31:3-4

God is faithful to His Word both physically and spiritually. His faithfulness to His people Israel is expressed by Paul the apostle in Roman 11:15, when he writes about Israel (the Jewish people) who temporarily were “set aside” after rejecting the Gospel, which led to many gentiles coming to God. “what will their acceptance be? life the dead.” Roman 11:15 “and so all Israel shall be saved.” Roman 11:26

Who Are the Kurds?

December 31, 2018 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

In the 16th century, after prolonged wars, Kurdish-inhabited areas were split between the Safavid and Ottoman empires. From then until the aftermath of World War I, Kurdish areas (including most of Mesopotamia, eastern Anatolia, and traditionally Kurdish northeastern Syria) were generally under Ottoman rule. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies contrived to split Kurdistan among several countries. However, they were forced to accept Turkey’s conditions in the peace treaty. Turkey was willing to give up much of its empire’s territory in favor of setting new borders for the modern Republic of Turkey, which included parts of Kurdistan, leaving the Kurds without a self-ruled region. Other Kurdish areas were assigned to the new British and French mandated states of Iraq and Syria.

In the 1970s, a group of radical Kurdish nationalist students led by Abdullah Öcalan in Turkey formed the militant group called Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK). PKK adopted the Marxist political ideology, with the goal of founding a separate independent, Marxist–Leninist state known as Kurdistan. The PKK fought an armed struggle against the Turkish state for cultural and political rights and self-determination for the Kurds in Turkey. PKK tactics were based on ambush, sabotage, riots, protests, and demonstrations against the Turkish government, and it has continued its guerrilla-type militant offensive for over thirty years. Turkey and the International community has listed PKK as a terrorist organization.

The YPG was formed in 2004 as the armed wing of the Kurdish leftist Democratic Union Party. It expanded rapidly in the Syrian Civil War. A sister group, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), fights alongside the YPG. The YPG is active in northern and eastern Syria.

In early 2015, the group won a major victory over ISIL (ISIS) at the Siege of Kobanî, where the YPG began to receive air and ground support from the United States and other coalition nations. Since then, the YPG has primarily fought against ISIL (ISIS), as well as on occasion fighting other Syrian rebel groups.

Several western sources have described the YPG as the “most effective” force in fighting ISIL(ISIS) in Syria. A light infantry force, the YPG has limited military equipment and few armored vehicles.

The YPG has been criticized by Turkey for its alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), especially since a rebellion in southern Turkey began in 2015. Turkey has designated the YPG as a terrorist organization, and in 2018 Turkey captured most of the Afrin Canton area in Syria from the YPG.