September 2020; Tishrei 5781

Dear Family in the Messiah Yeshua! Greetings and blessings to you from your brothers and sisters at Holy Land Ministries Israel!

Rosh Hashana (New Jewish Year ) 5781 is at hand. Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, begins on the first day of Jewish month Tishrei and lays the foundation for one of the most special and significant seasons of the year, – the Fall Biblical Festivals. As many of you might know, there are four of G-d’s appointed times falling within this unique period . After Rosh Hashana on the 10th day of same Jewish month of Tishrei, comes Yom HaKippurim (The Day of Atonement); then within a short interval, on the 15 day of this same month, starts the seven- day Festival of Sukkot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles. And the last Fall Holiday begins right after Sukkot ends; – it is Sh’mini Atzeret (literally, the assembly of the eight day) on which also Simchat Torah (The Festival of rejoicing in the Torah) is celebrated. Rosh Hashana itself is a two-day holiday and it usually falls during September or early October by the Gregorian calendar. In 2020 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 18 and ends at sundown on September 20. Business across the country will be closed on both days and solemn silence will descend all over Israel during this unique appointed time. It is the time to stop, to focus on the inward motivations, to humble the soul and search the heart, seeking for inner cleansing and repentance. This time of rest and reflection always brings a true renewal and joy to the G-d’s children from their Heavenly Father, especially during this blessed season, directly appointed by Him for revelation of His glory and for the fulfillment of His Divine Purposes. As we reflect on the preceding year we can all probably agree that it was indeed challenging and in a some way frightening for everybody, as we all were watching this tiny virus, Covid -19, rapidly conquering and paralyzing the entire world, and destroying the global economy along the way.

Thus, we can be absolutely confident and sure that our Heavenly Father is in perfect control of the present apparent chaos and inevitably works every seemingly chaotic aspect of it to advancement of His eternal plan (Kingdom) and His own holy purposes.And so today, in the light of this reality, our main goal as Yeshua’s disciples, is to stay faithful to His call, focus on His Word, practice His love by keeping His Commandments ( John 14:15) and use every opportunity to reflect His light and glory shining even brighter in our challenging and unstable times. As usual, we are glad to share with you a word from our Israeli rabbi, who is a faithful disciple of the Messiah Yeshua and our dear brother in the Faith.

בס״ד

The High Holiday and the Feast of Tabernacles 5781. When one examines the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, two thoughts should come into a person’s mind: Judgment and Forgiveness. The order of these two thoughts are important, as usually it is the reality of G-d’s judgment that causes a person to seek forgiveness from Him. In this article, I would like to focus upon the third appointed time known as Sukkot, i.e. the Feast of Tabernacles. This festival is mentioned in Zechariah chapter 14,

“And it will come about all who remain from all the nations who come against Jerusalem will go up each year to worship the King, the L-rd of Hosts and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16

The setting for this verse is after the war of Armageddon (War of Gog and Magog), i.e. the Millennial Kingdom. The King mentioned in this verse above will actually be Messiah Yeshua. Hence, one learns that there is a special connection between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennial Kingdom. The primary message of Sukkot is the necessity for each person to live in a manner that demonstrates one’s trust and dependence upon the L-rd. In the book of Revelation, during the entire Millennial Kingdom, Satan will be bound. Throughout these thousand years, Yeshua will reign over a Kingdom of Righteousness, where all Kingdom residents will experience and know the King Who enforces the will of G-d.

It is important for the reader to understand that the Millennial Kingdom will represent what G-d intended the world to be under the leadership of Israel. However, because the Children of Israel rejected G-d and chose to assimilate and become like the nations, G-d’s purposes were not manifested in this world. The emphasis of the Millennial Kingdom will be for those who are born during these thousand years. They will only know a righteous world and they will witness with their eyes the King of Righteousness, Yeshua.

When one of these individuals should err (sin) and violate a commandment of G-d, there will be a swift response from the King. The individual will have two options: The first is to confess their action as sin and offer up at the Temple a sacrifice. Please note that such sacrifices during the Millennial Kingdom are offered to Yeshua and in regard to His death on the tree (Cross).

In the same way that the sacrifices that occurred prior to Yeshua’s death pointed forward to the Cross, so too will the sacrifices in the Millennial Kingdom point backward to the Cross. In other words, Millennial sacrifices are made in memorial to the sufficiency of Messiah’s death, which perfectly redeemed the sinner from G-d’s judgment eternally. If a person violates the Law of G-d in the Millennial Kingdom, and will not make such a memorial sacrifice, then the second option will be instituted which is judgment. The message the reader should learn is that the Millennial Kingdom will indeed be a time of perfect Justice and Righteousness, which will be maintained by Yeshua, and those who will rule and reign with Him—believers who took part in the Blessed Hope, i.e. the Rapture and those who were resurrected just prior to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom (see Revelation 20:4,6). Although Satan will be bound for the entire one thousand years of the Millennial Kingdom, one reads in Revelation 20:3 that after the conclusion of this Kingdom, it is necessary for Satan to be released for a little while. Why is this? The Scripture states that he will be released from his prison and go forth and deceive the nations. It is vital that each of us understand why this is necessary. Those born during the Millennial Kingdom will experience first hand the righteous rule of G-d and they will see with their eyes the King, Yeshua. At the end of Millennial, each person born during the Millennial will have to make a decision concerning Yeshua. Do they trust in Him and want to serve Him and be part of the New Jerusalem, the final and eternal state of the Kingdom of G-d or will they believe the deceit of Satan and join him to make war against the saints and the Holy City? In other words, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden had to choose whether to believe in G-d or accept the lies of Satan, so too will those born in the Millennial, in fact all humanity must answer this question. What is shocking is the large number of those individuals who in fact join with Satan. The reader is told that this number is like the sand of the sea. Such people do not want righteousness nor the will of G-d; rather, they want their will and by trusting in themselves they are easily deceived by the enemy. I hope the reader sees the correlation between this prophetic account from the book of Revelation and the message of the Feast of Tabernacles. HaShem placed the Children of Israel in the desert for 40 years for two reasons. The first was for the generation of unbelief, i.e. those who would not trust and depend upon G-d to die out in this wilderness. The Biblical lesson is clear, failing to trust in G-d (His saving message of the Gospel) brings death. The second reason for the 40 years was to instill faith and dependence upon G-d in the next generation.It is truly tragic that today the vast majority of believers do not know anything about the appointed days (the festivals) of the L-rd. I remember quite clearly speaking in one European city to a group of believers and found out that none of them had heard about the Feast of Tabernacles. I learned this because as I was teaching, I mentioned this festival and received a question asking what was the Feast of Tabernacles? This person was not the exception, no one in this congregation (church) had heard that there was a seven day festival in the Bible to commemorate the forty years the Children of Israel were in the desert. I actually met with resistance as I shared about the message of this appointed day. When I had the people turn to John chapter seven to show that it is impossible to understand this section and the words of Yeshua without first knowing about the Feast of Tabernacles, they were quite emphatic that this Festival was a “Jewish Festival” and did not have any relevance for the Church. This brings us back to the passage from Zechariah chapter 14 where is it emphasized that also the Gentiles will keep / observe Sukkot during the Millennial Kingdom. From this section of Scripture, the reader learns an important Biblical principle. Zechariah, in the next few verses (Zechariah 14:7-19), reveals that those who keep the Feast of Tabernacles will receive rain, and those who do not will be punished. It is most significant that the word that the vast majority of translations render as “punishment” in verse 19 is actually the Hebrew word חטאת which relates to sin. In our days, without a Temple in Jerusalem, it is impossible to keep Sukkot or for that matter any other of HaShem’s appointed days. However, this should not lead a believer to assume that these Biblical festivals no longer have relevance. One must remember the words of Paul when he wrote,

“All Scripture is G-d-breathed (inspired) and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for training in righteousness; in order that complete should the man of G-d be, for every good work having been completely equipped.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

One who has true faith in the Messiah will want to completely serve G-d and will certainly agree with Paul that a believer must utilize ALL SCRIPTURE, and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, apply the Word of G-d to one’s life. In doing this, the believer will be serving G-d not in the oldness of the letter; but rather in the newness of the Spirit (see Romans 7:6). Biblically the concept of “new” or “newness” relates to a Kingdom character as John, in the book of Revelation, when he beholds the Kingdom states, “…all things are new.” (see Revelations 21:5). This means that as believers, we are called to demonstrate in our behavior obedience to the Kingdom intent of all the Biblical commandments. This is what Paul meant when he stated, that those who walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, fulfill the righteousness of the Torah( see Romans 8:4). Here is what should be the guiding principle of the believer’s life: A desire to demonstrate one’s faith, trust, and dependence in G-d, by applying the truth of the word of G-d to one’s life; in order that G-d is glorified and others are blessed in the Name of Yeshua. May each of us utilize the truth of the Fall Festivals into our lives and experience the joyful response of the G-d of Israel, to Him be the glory, the honor, and the praise, now and forever, Amen!

Dear Family in the Messiah Yeshua, as this New Year 5781 begins we want to thank you from your bottom of our hearts for your most faithful support of our ministry in Israel! For us it is really obvious that our over twenty year’s service to the poor and needy in Israel is only possible because of your ongoing partnership and commitment. Your support is not only a practical means that allows us to bless the poor, but it is also a tremendous testimony to many Israelis who are deeply moved and strengthened by the Love and Faithfulness of our Heavenly Father shown to them by the Messiah’s Family outside of Israel. As usual we are going the share with you a prayer requests of the local people here whom we are seeking to minister in the name of our Blessed Messiah Yeshua. Of course, it is only a representative, and far from an exhaustive list, of many dear souls who praise the Lord for His incredible provision and help, coming to them through G-d’s children, whom they never met, living in different countries and nations, so far away from Israel…————————————————————————————-

Dear Friends, please pray for another special family staying in our guesthouse at the moment. This beautiful family came to us from Odessa, Ukraine. There are three of them: Valentin, the father of the family, his wife Angela and their sweet daughter Anfisa, 14 years old. All of them are in good health and are cheerfully making plans for their new life in Israel. Though there is one circumstance in their life that requires a special grace and assistance. Valentin and his wife Angela are both deaf from their childhood. This condition, of course, in some ways, makes more difficult their adjustment to the new life in Israel and yet everything is going very well at the moment – Baruch HaShem. Anfisa their lovely daughter is a very smart girl and has no physical problems. She is richly blessed with excellent hearing, clearly audible voice and many other useful talents with which she is constantly serving her family and everyone around. Considering the circumstances, this dear family will need to stay with us longer than usual. At this time we are seeking to assure the best possible options in the next steps of their absorption process – finding the optimal rented apartments for their next accommodation, right school for Anfisa etc

Please pray for the Lord’s special protection and guidance for this precious family, as they begin their new life in Israel. They seem to be really open to the Good News of the Messiah of Israel and His plan for their lives. It is quite often in life that people with the best abilities and education cannot grasp the spiritual reality and comprehend the Love and tremendous riches offered by our Messiah, and yet people with seemingly less capabilities are truly able to appreciate and embrace the provision of their Heavenly Father and receive His incredible Love and blessings.

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” Matthew 11:25 ————————————————————————————-

We are also asking your prayer for Ksenia, a poor girl from Ukraine who is sick with leukemia. Ksenia approached us a few months ago as she was seeking help in her desperate situation. Ksenia is 36 years old at the moment. She came to Israel on a tourist visa some years ago, worked in different temporary jobs, enjoying a busy and noisy life in Israel. All this lasted for a while till suddenly she fell sick and was diagnosed with a terrible disease, blood cancer. Ksenia’s medical insurance did not cover her cancer treatment and she has found herself in a really difficult position. As we learned Ksenia’s story, we believed that she is of Jewish descent and has a right for Alijah, i.e to became a legal citizen of Israel on the Law of Return. In that case all the medical treatments would not cost her anything, but Ksenia could not present enough proof of her Jewish heritage to the relevant authorities and thus till this day is staying in Israel as a visitor on a tourist visa, which her lawyer is managing to prolong on a regular basis.This temporary arrangement is also a grace for Ksenia’s situation, because back in Ukraine due to the overall crisis there, she wouldn’t be able to receive any treatment for her serious disease. Also by the Lord’s grace we were able, along with many others, to help Ksenia with her medical bills and other practical help that she needed, so that she is still going through the necessary cancer treatment, although doctors do not have much hope in her physical recovery. It is a very sad situation indeed, but there is also a bright side to this story. During the last months many of us were able to minister Ksenia, to share the Good News and call her to repentance. We are really glad and relieved to know that just before her last admission to the hospital Ksenia prayed a “sinners prayer” asking for the Lord’s forgiveness and His will for her life.` At the time of writing this she has received further chemo treatment and is slowly recuperating after this hard procedure.Please pray for this dear girl, for her true repentance and saving faith, for eternal healing for her soul and for the Lord’s abundant grace in her situation. Please pray that whether Ksenia stays longer in this world or leaves, that her name will be written in the Book of Life because of the precious blood shared by our Blessed Redeemer and Savior for the sins of all of us.

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” John 11:25

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Please remember in your prayers Boris Litvak, an older Jewish man, and former resident of our Guest House in Ashqelon. We arranged Baruch’s arrival to Israel earlier this year on the Law of Return. Though the documents proving his Jewishness were in order and he was entitled to move into his historical homeland as a legal citizen, something else had to be done to secure Baruch’s arrival to Israel. Somebody from our local Israeli team had go to Ukraine to escort him to Israel, because Baruch is disabled and currently confined to a wheelchair. In spite of many challenges it was a successful story. We brought Baruch to our shelter in Ashqelon, completed all the necessary papers with his medical insurance, old age pension, etc. Sometime later Baruch was ready to move into a new build nursing home in Ashqelon, where he is living at the moment. He really likes it there, the personnel in the home are responsive and caring. The only problem right now is that our access to him is quite limited. All visitors and even family members of nursing homes residents are only allowed infrequent and short visits due to the situation with the Corona virus. Thus the main challenge for Baruch right now, as for many others in the same situation is the isolation and lack of fellowship.While staying with us several months ago Baruch was truly moved by the Lord’s grace in his life and went through the process of repentance and cleansing. It was a blessing to minister to him at this time and all of us were rejoicing as we witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart.

A few weeks ago we were permitted to visit with Baruch and celebrate his 81st Birthday.We were only allowed a short visit due to the rigorous safety restrictions, but even that brought much joy and encouragement to our friend, as we could fellowship together and pray for him on his birthday, to strengthen and encourage him in His faith. He has shared with us that he is making a good progress at his sessions with the physiotherapist and he can already make a few steps by himself. Baruch’s own prayer request is that he will be able to walk on his feet and gain some physical strength, so that he will be able to go through baptism in the near future. He really hopes to do it soon and asks your prayers for the Lord’s help in this matter. We are rejoicing about Baruch’s heart desire and asking your prayers for this sweet elderly man, who seems to have a child’s faith, a precious gift from our Heavenly Father. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 18:3.Please pray for the Lord’s special blessing and protection for Baruch. May he receive all the wonderful gifts and joy from our Heavenly Father and fully experience His grace even at this later stage of His earthly life. This will be a tremendous testimony not just to Baruch but also to many people around him, including the doctors, social workers, personnel of the nursing home, -all of them who are witnessing the beautiful things that the Lord is doing in the Baruch’s life.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Messiah (Christ) was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”. Romans 6:4

May you have a Blessed Rosh Hashanah, dear Family!

William and Debra Wright, US HLM Office,On behalf of Holy Land Ministries