Much is being said and written these days about the UNESCO decision to disconnect the temple mount from its 4.000 year old Jewish history (starting with Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaak, on mount Moriah, which is the temple mount). I want to add my part to the discussion – but from a somewhat different, primarily biblical perspective.
Modern history of the nations and Israel in a nutshell
If we look back, let us say over the past 120 years, we can discern a certain development. To put it in fairly simple terms, it looks like this:
- 120 years ago, it began with Zionism: do the Jewish people have a moral, historical, legal and spiritual right to return to their (at that time mostly desolate and uninhabited) ancient homeland, which they had inhabited for about 1.500 years, as the Bible foresees?
- 100 years ago, after World War I, the League of Nations answered this question affirmatively and gave the UK the mandate to establish a Jewish homeland in their historical / Biblical land. Almost immediately there was a radical negative reaction in the Moslem world against this decision which has been growing ever since.
- Almost 70 years ago, after the Shoah, with the UN vote of November 29, 1947, the promise of Lord Balfour and the consequent decision of the League of Nations became a political reality, though militarily contested by seven Arab armies one day after the re-establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. Israel’s battle for survival began on the very day of its re-birth.
- Almost 50 years ago, with the victory of yet another defensive war, the 6-day-war, Jerusalem was reunited under mostly Jewish sovereignty. The battle for the status of Jerusalem went into a next stage. A mass-exodus of national embassies, moving away from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, was one of the sad consequences.
- For the last 50 years, Nathan Sharansky's 3D plumb line was the point of decision and division for many nations: Who contributed to the demonization, de-legitimation and double standard talk and policy? And who did not?
- And today – 2016/17 – almost exactly 50 years after the reunification of Jewish Jerusalem – we witness the next phase of escalation of a UN-body, moving against the Jewish state of Israel: The dis-attachment of the temple mount from Jewish history, faith and prophecy.
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By Joe Nam, Media Specialist Christians for Israel Uganda.. It’s June 2016. I am entering a coffee café in Uganda’s capital city Kampala. I frequent this place during the evening social hour to catch up on news of the latest happenings in the city. Here, in between sips of coffee and tea, patrons get to discuss the hottest topics of the day. I am just in time to catch animated conversation going on about the Entebbe Rescue. So I sit to listen.
In Uganda, this epic event is referred to as the Entebbe Raid or Operation Thunderbolt. This was when, on the night of 4 July 1976, Israel landed over 200 commandos and soldiers at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, East Africa, to rescue 105 hostages held by terrorists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The story is widely known. Air France flight 139 leaves Tel Aviv Airport on 27 June 1976 en-route to Paris. The plane lands in Athens to pick up more passengers. This is when terrorists enter the plane using forged passports. Half an hour into the flight, the terrorists jump up with weapons and hold up the passengers and crew. The pilot is ordered to divert the plane and fly south. After refuelling in Bengazi, Libya, the plane is commandeered further south, landing in Entebbe on 28 June.
Reminiscent of the Holocaust days, Jewish passengers are separated from non-Jewish passengers. Non-Jews are released while Jewish passengers and crew of Air France remain as hostages. The State of Israel is in a dilemma - should they meet the terrorist demands?
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Drake Kanaabo is called by some “The African Reinhard Bonnke”. He has proclaimed the gospel in over 50 nations using a strategy very similar to that of the German Evangelist - large “gospel-crusades” on the open field or in big stadiums. In fact, the two Ministries have worked together in a number of eastern African nations. His contribution to the conference was teaching about Evangelism. Harald Eckert shared his insight into the biblical teaching on “sheep nations and goat nations” and how Uganda remains under the protection and blessing of God by walking in the spirit of a “Sheep-Nation”.
The first GPC-session introduced the “Global Prayer Call” in its three major dimensions: 1) Revelation and teaching on “Israel and the Nations”. 2) Understanding the “Times and Seasons” in which we live from a Biblical as well as a prophetic standpoint and discovering God’s divine calendar and what it means to us as praying believers. 3) Maintaining a mentality and lifestyle of “networking and partnership” between leaders, between nations and between continents. Harald also called for a “special partnership” between Europe and Africa for the blessing of Israel and with a potentially global impact.
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For GPC, this first conference after 2015 was a milestone in many ways: It made an impact through a conference of national relevance and significance. It continued the German-Ugandan partnership in the footsteps of Reinhard Bonnke. It acknowledged, confirmed and reinforced the excellent cooperation between Drake Kanaabo, leader of Christians for Israel in Uganda with the Israeli Embassy of Kenya/Uganda on the one side and the government of Uganda on the other side. And, in the wake of this conference, a next step was taken: A pan-African council for the GPC was established.
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The core teaching of the book “Israel, the Nations and the Valley of Decision” will be published in October 2016 as a freely accessible 10-part video-online-seminar for all those interested in learning more about this highly relevant and significant prayer topic.
In 10 units of about 25 minutes each, this seminar is especially useful for prayer groups, home groups, Bible studies and anyone who prefers watching and listening to reading. Professionally produced, these 25 minute video sessions with Harald Eckert will draw you into a deeper understanding of this key end-time Biblical revelation leading up to the Lord's return and his judgment of the nations in the valley of decision. Although not yet widely known and appreciated, this teaching is none-the-less central to the wellbeing of all of our nations.