Dear Family in the Messiah Yeshua! Greetings and blessings to you from your brothers and sisters at “Holy Land Ministries” Israel!
Once again we are entering into the Chanukah’s season, also known as the Festival of Lights, observed for eight nights and days, stating on the 25th day of Jewish month Kislev, (this time falls at sundown on Thursday, 10 December 2020 and ends at nightfall on Friday, 18 December 2020 by the Gregorian calendar).
As we reflect on the historical happenings of Chanukah we clearly see the mighty hand of G-d, writing the history according to His own blueprint and time schedule.
Probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Chanukah is the supernatural victory of a band of Jewish soldiers over the massive army of Greek Empire that dominated the ancient world of that time. It was indeed a supernatural event, a pure miracle of G-d, a clear sign from the Almighty, showing to the all men “that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes …”
(Daniel 4:17b).
As we know, the history repeats itself, and as students of the Bible. looking today at the Chanukah’s amazing events, we can clearly see in them the prophetic pattern for the future events preceding the establishment of the Messiah’s Kingdom.
We believe that true understanding of Chanukah will be really helpful for Messiah’s disciples in preparing themselves for the near future. So, as usual, we would like to share with you some important insights on Chanukah events by our dear friend and Israeli rabbi, the committed disciple of Messiah Yeshua:
בס״ד
Chanukah- A Struggle for Worship
Kislev 5781
To many individuals, the days of Chanukah are simply about a miracle that involved oil, which happened more than 2,000 years ago in a distant place to Jewish people. In fact, most Christians do not celebrate this festival nor see any relevance in it for them. Such an understanding and response shows great ignorance concerning the moving of G-d and His message to followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ). However, in our generation, more and more believers are learning from the Gospel of John, that Yeshua went up to Jerusalem specifically to celebrate the feast of Chanukah (see John 10:22) and therefore, if these days (Eight Days of Chanukah) were important to Him, then certainly they should also be important to us.
Although Chanukah did involve a miracle with oil, this miracle only served to confirm a greater miracle; namely, the miraculous victory of the Jewish people over the mighty Greek Empire. This victory was about one thing – the right to worship G-d according to the Torah. The wicked leader of the Greeks who ruled over Israel was Antiochus Epiphanes. Under his leadership, the Jewish people were ordered to turn away from G-d’s instructions, i.e. the Torah, and assimilate into the Greek culture. Such behavior would grieve G-d, prohibit Him from blessing Israel and ultimately bring destruction to the nation. What may be surprising is that most of the Jewish people were agreeable to this assimilation.
Obviously, Antiochus Epiphanes was a tool of Satan and as often is the case, Satan uses governmental leaders to institute his policies; policies that are intended to weaken the people of G-d and turn them towards satanic purposes and away from the will of G-d. At first, only a very small group of priests (led by the Maccabean family) resisted the Greek Empire. However, over time more Jews joined with them and G-d gave to His covenant people a great victory. For the purpose of this article, we will examine what the war was really about. It has already been said that it concerned the right / freedom to worship according to the Scriptures. What one learns about Chanukah provides a most informative perspective concerning the End Times. Having this perspective will help Yeshua’s followers overcome the attacks of the enemy and worship G-d faithfully in the midst of most difficult times.
Many students of the Bible see Antiochus Epiphanes as a typology of the antichrist. In regard to the antichrist, there are two issues which will be considered: The Mark of the Beast and The Abomination of Desolation. The final seven years of this world, prior to the Millennial Kingdom, is known as Daniel’s 70th week. This period will begin with a Temple functioning in Jerusalem. This Temple will not be one that is pleasing to G-d or represent the true worship of Him. It will solely be for the purpose of the antichrist. The “worship” that will be endorsed at this time will be that of religious pluralism, which will assert that all religious views are legitimate and any attempt to present one religion as the true faith of G-d will be prohibited and persecuted. Yet, as the antichrist will strengthen his position as the leader of a one world government (an empire known as the beast), he will eventually demand that all people worship him.
The Mark of the Beast: One of the most frequent questions asked relating to the Mark of the Beast concerns fear. Many believers are very worried that one will take this Mark by accident or unknowingly. This is not a possibility! The primary purpose of this Mark is to affirm an absolute loyalty to the beast, i.e. the empire of the antichrist. It would not meet the objectives of the antichrist for individuals to receive the Mark unwittingly. Although there will be much coercion and pressure placed upon all people to take the Mark (for example, one will not be allowed to do any financial activity without this Mark), nevertheless one must affirm an absolute loyalty to the antichrist’s empire in order to receive it. Believer’s must refuse the Mark of the Beast and therefore our refusal will make it very clear who is to be persecuted, arrested, and eventually put to death. It is most significant that in Revelation chapter 13 the Mark of the Beast is discussed in relationship to making an idolatrous image.
This image is to the Beast and introduces a major shift in a policy of the antichrist’s empire. Although initially there was a degree of freedom to worship whatever and however one desired (religious pluralism), with some restrictions as previously were mentioned; as the antichrist becomes more secure in leadership, religious pluralism will end and there will be abrupt change to only worship the Beast (the government) and its leader (antichrist). This is taught in Revelation chapter 17, when the Harlot in verse 16 is destroyed. It is important for the reader to understand that the Harlot represents the primary tenet of the empire, idolatry.
Idolatry will serve at the beginning of the End Times as the basis for gathering support for the antichrist empire. Idolatry is nothing more than a human attempt to justify and conceal one’s own sinful desires through a “religious” expression. The world will embrace this condoning of immorality and unwillingness to acknowledge the true and absolute standards of G-d. Only believers in Yeshua will oppose these policies of the antichrist and they will be persecuted intensely, suffering much and even being put to death.
One of the most important events during the End Times will be the Abomination of Desolation. Even though religious tolerance was a major tenet of the empire, both the Mark of the Beast and the making of the image to the Beast (Revelation 13:12-17) lay the foundation for the Abomination of Desolation. It is signifiсant that both Yeshua (Matthew 24:15) and Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) spoke of this event in the terms in which they did.
Both placed the Abomination of Desolation in the End Times. Whereas Yeshua said it would take place prior to the time known as Jacob’s Trouble, Paul revealed that it will precede the Rapture. It is vital that one remembers that the promise which believers have from the L-rd is that we will not encounter / experience the wrath of G-d. This is not the case for those of Israel (the Jewish people) who have yet to receive the Gospel.
This means that the time of Jacob’s Trouble will coincide with the outpouring of G-d’s wrath. However, just like in Egypt during the plagues, the L-rd will protect His covenant people from His plagues. This fact does not mean that the Jewish people will not suffer during this period. In reality, the Jewish people will suffer their worst persecution ever in the End Times. But this persecution will not be from the wrath of the L-rd, but from antichrist and his followers. Daniel prophesied about this period in Daniel 12:1 and Yeshua also in Matthew 24:21.
Many Bible students err in assuming the period known as The Great Tribulation is concurrent with the wrath of G-d being poured out upon the world. This is not the case. When Yeshua spoke in Matthew 24:21, He speaks about “great tribulation” and NOT The Great Tribulation. There is no definite article in this verse (Matthew 24:21) in regard to the phrase “great tribulation”. However, when John writes in the book of Revelation, he does in fact speak about those who suffered during primarily the fifth seal as coming out of The Great Tribulation and, although many translations ignore the definite articles, the Greek text does have them. The mistake many make is applying human logic to the text rather than relying on the exegetical indications in the text. In other words, it makes sense to assume that The Great Tribulation will be the worst time of suffering in the world and will relate to Almighty G-d pouring out His wrath. Yet, in reality, this is not what the Scriptures reveal. One must become very familiar with John, the author of the book of Revelation. When he wrote the book of Revelation, he focused upon the disciples, i.e. believers in the end times, who would experience the things about which he wrote. In Revelation 7:14 one reads,
“…and he said to me, ‘These are the ones having come out of The Great Tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”
It is incorrect to understand those ones which John is speaking about as only referring to those who were unbelievers at the time of the Rapture and who came to faith in the midst of the outpouring of G-d’s wrath. There are two primary reasons why such a view is incorrect. The first is that Scripture does not have any references to a great multitude ὄχλος πολύς coming to faith during G-d’s wrath (other than a remnant of the Jewish people). On the contrary, the book of Revelation states emphatically that people would not repent even when experiencing the pain of the wrath of G-d (See Revelation 9:20-21, 16:9, and 16:11).
The second reason is that when John speaks of this great multitude which came out of The Great Tribulation, he also states that they will be before the throne of G-d, serve Him day and night, neither hunger or thirst and nor shall the sun or heat harm them.
Such blessings are not reserved only for the limited group who came to faith at one particular time, but for all believers who came to faith throughout the generations. Hence, The Great Tribulation refers uniquely to the persecution that believers will endure in the End Times which is carried out specifically by the empire of the antichrist.
One additional issue which is often discussed concerns the Temple that will be functioning in the End Times. It has already been stated that this Temple will not be pleasing to G-d and will not involve proper worship. However, the Temple that will be in the Millennial Kingdom will indeed be pleasing to G-d and true worship will take place there according to the Torah. It is of this Temple (Millennial Temple) that the Prophet Zechariah spoke in Zechariah 6:12-15.
In conclusion, a proper understanding of the events and circumstances of Chanukah greatly assist believers to perceive the events of the End Times and the faithfulness of G-d to provide victory to His covenant people so we can worship our L-rd in Spirit and in Truth.
Dear Friends, we are asking your prayers for our new guests, the young family of new Jewish emigrants that arrived at our place in Ashqelon. Ruslan and Tatjana with their two beautiful children, Valentin of nine years old and Vera of 3 years old, have arrived to us last month from Ukraine.
It’s so nice to see their excitement while they are happily making plans for a future in their new home, in Israel. And yet we know that the only way to receive essential, lasting blessing in the Land of our Messiah is to listen His voice and obey His commands: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
Sad to say, but our new friends, as usual, have a very vague idea about the G-d of Israel and consequently about His Word teaching His Holy Commands as the essential instructions for life. As we often mention, this is the main problem and challenge of the majority of the Jewish people who are emigrating to Israel from the former Soviet Union today. That is why we see our primary goal and tremendous responsibility to share the Word of G-d with these precious people, whom the Lord brought today to inherit the Land of their fathers. Inviting them for Shabbat celebration is a wonderful opportunity to talk to them about the Life giving Commandments of the G-d of Israel and His Blessed Messiah.
As we celebrated Shabbat with Ruslan and Tatjana’s family we had a chance to answer their many questions about the life in Israel and especially explain the meaning of Shabbat as a wonderful blessing given by G-d to his children. Last time, as we celebrated Shabbat together, Tatjana had brought her younger brother Igor, who came from Jerusalem to spend the weekend with his sister’s family.
Igor has arrived to Israel a couple years earlier and now lives and works in Jerusalem. Like most of the Jewish emigrants with his background, Igor does not know much yet about the Biblical history of Israel and its significance. But he has a true hunger for G-d that gives us a strong hope for the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit in Igor’s life. We presented him with the Bible and pray for the further revelation of the Messiah in his life.
Dear Friends, please pray for this newly arrived family and Igor, for these young Jewish people, who came to live in the land of their fathers. Pray that the will of G-d will prevail in their lives and His word will penetrate deeply their heats, so that they can truly inherit the wonderful blessings promised to their forefathers by the G-d of Israel and come to the saving knowledge of His Blessed Messiah Yeshua!
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Please remember in your prayers, our former resident of the Ashqelon guest house, Baruch Stolkiner, who stayed in our shelter last summer. He really needs your prayers today. To update you on the further development of Baruch’s life in Israel, we briefly remind you of his story.
Baruch, just like all the rest of our shelter guests, has emigrated to Israel, as a new Jewish immigrant, on the Law of Return, but his main reason for “Making Alijah” (emigrating to Israel), was his major personal health challenge. Before arriving here, back in Ukraine, he was diagnosed with the 4th stage stomach cancer.
Doctors in Ukraine couldn’t help Baruch, and since then his only hope had become the “miracle” of the world famous modern Israeli medicine. (We detailed Baruch’s story in our last July’s newsletter).
Baruch made the impression of a sweet and really gentle person, very grateful for all the help that we could provide for him, but unfortunately, he, like almost everybody else coming from the former Soviet Union, had no grasp of the spiritual reality and had no concept on G-d at all! The Bible describes this condition as “dead”. Of course, we have witnessed to this poor desperate man. We spoke to him about the love and resurrecting power of the Living G-d, prayed for him and exhorted him to call upon G-d for himself.
After staying with us, Baruch was hospitalized and successfully operated on in one of the Israeli clinics in Tel Aviv.
Though he wouldn’t join us in prayer while he was staying in our shelter, later on, he did express a strong desire to go to Jerusalem and pray at the Wailing Wall. He felt very weak back then, but was determined to offer his prayers to G-d in this special place, hoping that the Lord somehow will manifest to him personally there. Baruch did not share with us what happened to him at the Wailing Wall, but we can see that his attitude and understanding are changing.
Please pray for Baruch. Though quite recently he did not understand the meaning of prayer, today he is truly appreciates them and in every way is looking for prayer support and intercession from G-d’s people.
We believe that the Lord in His mercy did allow all this trial in Baruch’s life, so that He can reveal Himself to him and not only heal his temporal body, but ultimately give him eternal life through the Messiah Yeshua. “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly” John 10:10(b). (NAS)
Please pray for continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Baruch, for the deep repentance and cleansing process in his heart, and for G-d’s miracle of the resurrecting power giving new birth and life in the Messiah Yeshua. (John 3: 1-18 ). May all of us witness soon the Messiah’s wonderful healing and glory in the life of this precious Jewish man!
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Dear Family, at this time we have decided to include in this report and ministry updates letter from our new sister in the Messiah:
Dear supporters and Friends of Holy Land Ministries, I have not met you in person, but my heart is filled with love and gratitude to you, which I am trying to express in this letter.
My name is Olga, I am an Israeli Jewess and for most of my life I have lived in Israel where I arrived many years ago from Moldova, former USSR.
For the first time I have learned about you through the local volunteers of Holy Land Ministries during the last Passover, through whom you sent your financial help to the Israelis in need just before the Passover Holiday.
It was a wonderful answer to the urgent need of many destitute and needy families, who struggled then to put a Passover meal on the table. These were mostly families with many children, single parents, elderly and disabled people.
I also was one from this list.
About twenty years ago I have survived a serious car accident and since then I suffer from multiple physical and psychological effects that drastically changed my life. For the last five years I am also leading the support group for the handicapped in Ashqelon, seeking to encourage these lonely suffering people, who are often on the verge of despair.
I met HLM local volunteers in Ashqelon, during this last Pesach as they were distributing the help to the poor in my town. They also have specifically approached me as I knew many needy people in person because of my special involvement with this group in Ashqelon.
Of course, I was very grateful and overwhelmed by all this sudden unexpected blessing and attention! So often my friends and I feel very lonely and useless because of our vulnerable position and isolation from the “normal” people in this life. As I was thanking the HLM volunteers for bringing this help to us, they were constantly saying that all this help comes from the G-d of Israel in the name of His Messiah and it was sent to us, to Israel by His children, living in different countries and nations across the world. It was really amazing to realize that someone can reach us this way, that all these kind and generous people are helping and blessing us though we never met them and hadn’t done anything to deserve their kindness.
I have also stayed in touch with HLM friends after the Pesach event. They kept helping practically my needy friends and thus we continued our relationship.
At the same time while as I was interacting with my new friends I have heard from them many new things that I never heard before. They were mainly telling me about the Messiah and His teaching. All this information was absolutely new and surprising to me.
I came from a secular Jewish family which was never involved in any religious activities.
I never read the Word of G-d or any other religious literature. Though throughout my life I was always fascinated by one beautiful statement and tried to keep it as much as possible. In my own simple words I expressed it, – ‘Do to others as you want them do to you’. I don’t remember who told me that phrase or where I heard this many years ago, but I always kept it in my heart.
Until very recently when my friends explained it to me, I never knew that these are the very words and the Command of the Messiah of Israel to His followers.
Luke 6:31 (NKJV) “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
I would like to share with you about another event that took place in my life since my involvement with HLM mission. This happening has a tremendous significance for me personally and I would really like to share this with you.
For many years I cherished one desire that I kept deep in my heart. I realized that it would look at least strange to most of the people around me, to my friends and family, so I didn’t share this with anybody.
I was always supernaturally attracted to the one mystical Person whom Gentiles call Jesus. In my mind He personified such indescribable love and kindness that we can never find in this world. From my childhood I dreamed to do the “Christian baptism” so that I can be connected to Him somehow.
On the other hand, as a Jewish woman, I realized that I couldn’t even imagine that.
I though that Jesus is a G-d of the Gentiles and Jews can’t have anything to do with Him.
Even so, about twenty years ago, I have found some representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and actually hoped to arrange my secret baptism there with them. The only thing that stopped me at that time, was the price of this ritual.
It was very expensive. At least for me. I came from the poor family that can hardly meet the necessities of life, so I simply couldn’t afford it back then.
By the Fall Holidays I felt confident enough with my new friends, so I decided to ask their help and advice concerning the “Christian baptism” that I was thinking for so long. I still wasn’t 100% sure at that stage that “Jesus” and “Yeshua” were the same character, and that my friends and I are talking about the same person. The image of “Jesus” that I was attracted to since my youth was a mystical, ideally beautiful figure, the Deity of the Gentiles, widely painted in their religion, and who probably doesn’t exist in the real world, but “Jesus” (Yeshua) that my friends have told me about was a King of the Jews and the long awaited Messiah of Israel who is soon to return and establish His Kingdom here on earth.
At first I couldn’t reconcile in my mind these two so seemingly different characters. But eventually my friends have explained to me that historically this “Jesus” of the Gentiles and Messiah of Israel is the same Person. When I finally realized that, I was filled with such a joy and relief! There was no longer any conflict in my heart! I was ready to be baptized in the name of Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, my Redeemer and my Lord.
Needless to say that my new friends did not charge me anything for my baptism ceremony and thus my dream has finally come to pass.
Before this special so long-awaited event in my life, I was introduced to the Jewish rabbi who believes in Jesus as a Jewish Messiah and teaches HLM team here in Israel. (This also was something absolutely unheard of and unimaginable for me till very recently!:)).
This nice rabbi had given me a Bible and showed me many places explaining who Yeshua is and what my new position is in Him since I am going to make a covenant with Him through the water baptism.
He also explained to me that since I am already determined to be baptized in Yeshua’s name, – it would be good to make the Covenant event with my Messiah before the Yom Kippur, because His Holy Blood that was shed for me is the eternal redemption for my sins and transgressions and thus I will be “covered” in the Day of Judgment (commemorated and remembered in Israel on Yom Kippur) So my Baptism took place just before the Fall Holiday this year, before Yom Kippur (The day of Atonement) and thus today, I have eternal life in Yeshua HaMachiach, my Messiah and my Redeemer!
Dear Brothers and Sisters, please pray for me!
I have so much to learn and so much to do. I am just at the beginning of my journey and wish I could catch up for the years that I was in “darkness”. I am so grateful to my Messiah, for all of you, for your help to my fellow Israelis, for your prayers and support to the poor people here in Israel, whom you never met and yet have such an amazing influence on them.
I am overwhelmed by the power and love of our Messiah and His incredible ways as He uses you to reach and bless His people in Israel.
Please pray that the Lord will make me His practical and useful tool and that I will serve Him well till the end of my life.
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The story of Olga, our new precious sister in the Messiah, is indeed motivating us to press on, filling us with hope and strength, but at the same time shows the true spiritual state of most ordinary Israelis living in Israel today. So many are still in darkness!
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Hosea 4:6a (NKJV)
By Olga’s estimation at least 95% of people whom she ever met in Israel during the last 30 years, starting from the municipality officers (she was one of them), policemen, social workers etc and to the local poor, – have no idea about the spiritual reality of Israel, are not familiar with the Word and have no concept of the Messiah.
In this way, modern Israel is a place of confusion and challenge for many mislead people, the overwhelming majority of whom have never heard the Gospel, not even once.
There are so many weary and wandering souls scattered everywhere , waiting and looking for the true Shepherd.
In the light of this reality, please pray for Olga and for the many other precious souls like her, who are still to come into the saving knowledge of their Messiah.
Please pray for the Harvests of souls in Israel today!
‘… when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” ‘ Matthew 9 : 36-38 (NKJV).
Please pray with us that the Lord of the Harvest will indeed send us the help, the committed, faithful laborers into His Harvest, so that even today many will see the Glory and Power of our Blessed Messiah and enter into His wonderful Light!
Have a blessed and joyful Chanukah, dear Family!
William and Debra Wright, US HLM Office,
On behalf of Holy Land Ministries
Holy Land Ministries
P.O. Box 10226
Beer Sheva, 84002, Israel
Holy Land Ministries 