faith

A Second Exodus–What does this War have to do with It?

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Difficult times are here for us. Jews and Bible believers everywhere are holding their breath unsure of what is going on in terms of their beliefs and what the Bible says about end time events–especially events that are even now spiraling out of control in the Holy Land! But what is it all about? 

Israel has broken into a catastrophic war just at the time when Jews are returning to the land en masse. It is almost like a second Exodus and this time Pharoah seems to be IN THE LAND as well as on the borders trying to destroy anyone who wants to return. Now it is not only Egypt, but all the bordering nations who have joined in on the daily attacks to steal the land of Israel and kill its inhabitants. Why now?

Ok so Jews have celebrated the first day of Pesach of 2024, and at most seders the question is at least contemplated if not discussed as to why Jews seem to suffer eternally, as if it is our destiny to suffer. This year the celebration of our freedom is questionable. How can we celebrate freedom when the nations want to wipe us out, again! — this time from our own G-d given land? Surely Hashem must not be watching! Why is this happening? We thought the end times was about returning to the land, ending the exile and welcoming the Messiah! Maybe there is something else that we  have not seen. Maybe God’s people need a transformation! Maybe returning to the Land is a test!

Perhaps we can draw strength from the negative things that are happening. Let’s look behind the reality of what is going on.

According to a Times of Israel article dated December 23, 2023, more than 2600 people moved to Israel between October 7 and the date of the article. According to the Jewish Chronicle, over 6500 Jews emigrated to Israel by February 14 and many applications for aliyah have been made.

What can be deducted from this? As of the time of the statement in Times of Israel (12/23) not a lot of anti-Israel protests had taken place around the world– at least not like there have been recently.. So what motivated those who came? Guilt for not being in the land to support it? A feeling of wanting to stand together, come what may? Or is there something else?

During the seder at some friends’ house here in the Golan Heights, we met some new people who had just moved from the United States. They still have not established residency but they claim that Israel is the only place for Jews. They sold everything and high-tailed it over here, with or without aliyah benefits! This is definitely not the first time I have heard people claim this! 

Is Israel really the safest place for Jews as the above article suggests? It may well be, but it does not feel like it at the moment. Feelings aside, what is Hashem’s plan for Israel? Is there a plan? Are Jews going to be forever persecuted and targeted? Is it because they are the Covenant People? Is it because they somehow went astray way back thousands of years ago? Well, maybe, but I don’t see a loving and gracious G-d eternally punishing a people with persecution when they have no idea why. I am sure there is something else involved in the overwhelming drive to return to the land of our forefathers. Why are we here, indeed? 

Another thing, why do Christian organizations, especially evangelicals, believe that the Jews must return to the land?
According to the the Zionist Christian statement in Wikipedia:
“God the Father, Almighty, chose the ancient nation and people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to reveal His plan of redemption for the world. They remain elect of God, and without the Jewish nation His redemptive purposes for the world will not be completed.”
Of course underlying this statement is the premise that the Christian Messiah (Jesus) must return to Jerusalem and as some have stated, “convince the Jews of his “divine mission and Messiahship.”  

Be that false as most of us claim, the outcome is that many Jews are being helped to return. Shall we condemn their good will and refuse to accept their gifts, even though they are motivated by wrong reasoning? Do we throw the baby out with the bath water? I am not so sure. Hashem has worked with nations to bring about his will over the millennia  and I don’t see Him changing plans now. So what could be His purpose in bringing Jews to experience a horrible war against Israel at what many of us believe to be the end times? Are we to see something spectacular?

Some see this war as being completely controlled by a secular government that is not directed by YHVH. Some have stated that G-d is not in our midst and cannot work with this government? Wait!

Did G-d work with Cyrus of Babylon to send the Jews back to the land. Does that not mean that all is in the Hands of the Eternal Architect of History? 

Another thing, besides the attack on October 7 (see my article Dancing with the Devil here), there have been many missiles, drones, rockets, and bombs fired at Israel from all sides. Besides many of our dear soldiers being killed in the fight with Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxies of Iran, there have been very few civilian casualties. Like for example what happened on Saturday night April 13 when over 300 projectiles were fired at Israel from Iran and nobody was hurt except one bedouin girl who was injured. One missile landed in our town between a couple of apartment buildings and left a 10 foot hole in the yard and some structural damage. But curiously, it did not hurt anyone! Is the secret in the strength of our defense forces and our Iron dome? Or is it possible that Somebody Up There is watching out for us? It is true that our government for the most part looks to themselves as the sole protection of Israel. Evil as that may be, is Hashem there working behind the scenes? Is it possible that He alone is guiding the movements of the war? Can you tell me He is not? He can uproot kings whenever He wants to. It just happens that He is working alongside and bringing about what He wants?

Some of us still question the apparent stupidity of our government for being surprised at the October 7 attack, or even ignoring it until it was too late. Did G-d have a purpose in  allowing it? Did He have a message for us? Did He use it somehow to begin a bigger scale attack on Israel that would play out to show His Mighty Hand at the last? And now, what about our 133 hostages which many of us believe are mostly dead by now? I cannot fathom the reason for their torture and death, but I will not allow my faith in YHVH to fail. I have prayed for them over and over and it is time to leave them with the Almighty who protects the innocent. Does He or does He not? Some say He clearly has not protected any of them. So what do we do? Throw out our faith? Could there be a reason for all of this? I say there is, but I cannot tell you what it is. Shall we place the blame on the government, or is the government just a puppet in Hashem’s hands? 

If we read the prophecies of Ezekiel 37-39, it is pretty clear that something corresponds with what is going on. 

I know I am arguing to save G-d’s reputation. Some may claim that I am a religious fanatic. I may be. But a couple of things are clear to me.

  1. This war is necessary to fulfill the Divine Plan and is hinted at in the Bible.
  2. People have always suffered, especially the Covenant People.
  3. The Bible promises to bring back those who have died (hostages?) in the resurrection. (See Isaiah 26, Daniel 12, Ezek 37).
  4. The Land of Israel belongs to YHVH and He promises to wipe out Edom (Isaiah 63). He says he will do it alone (Isaiah 63:3).
  5. There is to be a separation between the righteous and the wicked. (Wickedness is showing its face especially now. This war is revealing people’s attitudes and secret motivations. Some Jews are hanging onto their money as the most important thing they have. Some are selling everything and moving to Israel, whatever the cost. Many non-Jews are lining up to help, while others are covering their ears so that they do not hear. Some are searching the ancestry of their parents and doing DNA searches  to see if they may be Jewish or from the 10 lost tribes. 

So, yes, there is a lot to contemplate and the best thing we can do is trust G-d to work out His will. He alone is in charge no matter what governments and organizations are doing. Let’s not get in His way!

My hope is for a greater faith while we see mountains crumble and towers fall. May we be faithful through it all!

Ariella

Please like, share, comment and follow if you like any of my articles! 

A Second Exodus–What does this War have to do with It?

Difficult times are here for us. Jews and Bible believers everywhere are holding their breath unsure of what is going on in terms of their beliefs and what the Bible says about end time events. Especially events that are even now spiraling out of control in the Holy Land! But what is it all about? 

Israel has broken into a catastrophic war just at the time when Jews are returning to the land en masse. It is almost like a second Exodus and this time Pharoah seems to be IN THE LAND as well as on the borders trying to destroy anyone who wants to return. Now it is not only Egypt, but all the bordering nations who have joined in on the daily attacks to steal the land of Israel and kill its inhabitants. Why now?

Ok so Jews have celebrated the first day of Pesach of 2024, and at most seders the question is at least contemplated if not discussed as to why Jews seem to suffer eternally, as if it is our destiny to suffer. This year the celebration of our freedom is questionable. How can we celebrate freedom when the nations want to wipe us out, again! — this time from our own G-d given land? Surely Hashem must not be watching! Why is this happening? We thought the end times was about returning to the land, ending the exile and welcoming the Messiah! Maybe there is something else that we  have not seen. Maybe God’s people need a transformation!

Perhaps we can draw strength from the negative things that are happening. Let’s look behind the reality of what is going on.

According to a Times of Israel article dated December 23, 2023, more than 2600 people moved to Israel between October 7 and the date of the article. According to the Jewish Chronicle, over 6500 Jews emigrated to Israel by February 14 and many applications for aliyah have been made.

What can be deducted from this? As of the time of the statement in Times of Israel (12/23) not a lot of anti-Israel protests had taken place around the world– at least not like there have been recently.. So what motivated them? Guilt for not being in the land to support it? A feeling of wanting to stand together, come what may? Or is there something else?

During the seder at some friends’ house here in the Golan Heights, we met some new people who had just moved from the United States. They still have not established residency but they claim that Israel is the only place for Jews. They sold everything and high-tailed it over here, with or without aliyah benefits! This is definitely not the first time I have heard people claim this! 

Is Israel really the safest place for Jews as the above article suggests? It may well be, but it does not feel like it at the moment. Feelings aside, what is Hashem’s plan for Israel? Is there a plan? Are Jews going to be forever persecuted and targeted? Is it because they are the Covenant People? Is it because they somehow went astray way back thousands of years ago? Well, maybe, but I don’t see a loving and gracious G-d eternally punishing a people with persecution when they have no idea why. I am sure there is something else involved in the overwhelming drive to return to the land of our forefathers. Why are we here, indeed? 

Another thing, why do Christian organizations, especially evangelicals, believe that the Jews must return to the land?

According to the the Zionist Christian statement in Wikipedia::

“God the Father, Almighty, chose the ancient nation and people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to reveal His plan of redemption for the world. They remain elect of God, and without the Jewish nation His redemptive purposes for the world will not be completed.”

Of course underlying this statement is the premise that the Christian Messiah (Jesus) must return to Jerusalem and as some have stated, “convince the Jews of his divine mission and Messiahship.”  

Be that false as most of us claim, the outcome is that many Jews are being helped to return. Shall we condemn their good will and refuse to accept their gifts, even though they are motivated by wrong reasoning? Do we throw the baby out with the bath water? I am not so sure. Hashem has worked with nations to bring about his will over the millennia  and I don’t see Him changing plans now. So what could be His purpose in bringing Jews to experience a horrible war against Israel at what many of us believe to be the end times? Are we to see something spectacular?

Some see this war as being completely controlled by a secular government that is not directed by YHVH. Some have stated that G-d is not in our midst and cannot work with this government? Wait!

Did G-d work with Cyrus of Babylon to send the Jews back to the land. Does that not mean that all is in the Hands of the Eternal Architect of History? 

Another thing, besides the attack on October 7 (see my article Dancing with the Devil here), there have been many missiles, drones, rockets, and bombs fired at Israel from all sides. Besides many of our dear soldiers being killed in the fight with Hamas, Hezbollah and all the proxies of Iran, there have been very few civilian casualties. Like for example what happened on Saturday night April 13 when over 300 projectiles were fired at Israel from Iran and nobody was hurt except one bedouin girl who was injured. Is it the strength of our Iron dome? Or is it possible that Somebody Up There is watching out for us? It is true that our government for the most part looks to themselves as the sole protection of Israel. Evil as that may be, is Hashem there working behind the scenes? Can you tell me He is not? He can uproot kings whenever He wants to. It just happens that He is working alongside and bringing about what He wants?

Some of us still question the lame stupidity of our government for being surprised at the October 7 attack, or even ignoring it until it was too late. Did G-d have a purpose in  allowing it? Did He have a message for us? Did He use it somehow to begin a bigger scale attack on Israel that would play out to show His Mighty Hand at the last? And now, what about our 133 hostages which many of us believe are mostly dead by now? I cannot fathom the reason for their torture and death, but I will not allow my faith in YHVH to fail. I have prayed for them over and over and it is time to leave them with the Almighty who protects the innocent. Does He or does He not? Some say He clearly has not protected any of them. So what do we do? Throw out our faith? Could there be a reason for all of this? I say there is, but I cannot tell you what it is. Shall we place the blame on the government, or is the government just a puppet in Hashem’s hands? 

If we read the prophecies of Ezekiel 37-39, it is pretty clear that something corresponds with what is going on. 

I know I am arguing to save G_d’s reputation. Some may claim that I am a religious fanatic. I may be. But a couple of things are clear to me.

  1. This war is necessary to fulfill the Divine Plan and is hinted at in the Bible.
  2. People have always suffered, especially the Covenant People.
  3. The Bible promises to bring back those who have died (hostages?) in the resurrection. (See Isaiah 26, Daniel 12, Ezek 37).
  4. The Land of Israel belongs to YHVH and He promises to wipe out Edom (Isaiah 63). He says he will do it alone (Isaiah 63:3).
  5. There is to be a separation between the righteous and the wicked. (Wickedness is showing its face especially now. This war is revealing people’s attitudes and secret motivations. Some Jews are hanging onto their money as the most important thing they have. Some are selling everything and moving to Israel, whatever the cost. Many non-Jews are lining up to help, while others are covering their ears so that they do not hear. Some are searching the ancestry of their parents and doing DNA searches  to see if they may be Jewish or from the 10 lost tribes. 

So, yes, there is a lot to contemplate and the best thing we can do is trust G-d to work out His will. He alone is in charge no matter what governments and organizations are doing. Let’s not get in His way!

My hope is for a greater faith while we see mountains crumble and towers fall. May we be faithful through it all!

Ariella

Please like, share, comment and follow if you like any of my articles! 

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Whose is the Land anyway?

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The war in Israel raises many questions and I switch back and forth in my views that Israel is winning the war and creating a safe place for Jews to live and be at peace, but then, on the other hand, I have reason to suspect that some evil agenda started this war and that leading politicians and globalists are somehow involved in creating a footstool for their agenda. The second idea is very troubling and I know there are many who see suspicious things that happened at the start of the war. Questions are raised about a lot of things that happen in the ongoing alliances of countries who are sworn to fight against us while a few others opt to support us.

It all can be very worrying, or should I say, crazy making? Planes turn on their afterburners over our heads as they fly in the direction of Lebanon or Syria, missiles find their targets in nearby cities, the news tells us what we are supposed to believe or not believe. With all the confusion, those who believe in the Bible or even have the slightest inkling of a God in Heaven are asking how this all fits into any Divine plan for the Land that belongs only to the Eternal who claims Israel as His own. Is there anything that makes sense? I hear my own thoughts and others asking where is Hashem? Does He not see? Has He removed His Hand? Some say God is punishing the Jews with this war for their ongoing belief in tradition rather than the Bible. But I don’t think any of what people are thinking is one hundred percent accurate.

I believe that the land of Israel belongs to the God of the Universe. I believe He will place and protect the people of the Eternal Covenant—that is, those who obey their part of the covenant, in the land. There may be a lot of mopping up that has to happen before it is over.

I believe that Hashem, YHVH, the Eternal is still involved, even when we don’t understand how.

And I believe that in the long run and at the end of the battle, all will be made clear and that nobody, not Gorge Soros, Not Klaus Schwab, not the UN or UNWRA–nobody will stand in the way of what Heaven wants for the Holy Land.

I do not doubt that it will get ugly and still uglier. But can we recommit ourselves to the Covenant that we once made with our Creator and stop following the doctrines of mere men? Can we cling to Hashem throughout this very rough time that is probably going to get very messy soon? Do we have enough faith to stand while the towers fall around us and we see blood flowing in the streets?

So let’s imagine that Israel is somehow destined to become a stronghold for the New World Order! And supposedly a lot of stuff gets blown up and goes away. Ok, perhaps it all seems to be destined to total destruction, and maybe that is what is needed. Maybe the Eternal Covenant Maker even then will execute his plan and all those who came against Israel will be dead on the mountains of Israel and therre will be months and months of burying corpses or burning the bones of those who come against the Land! See Ezekiel 39.

“11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there for burial in Israel, the valley of the passers-by to the east of the sea; and it shall stop the way of the passers-by; and there shall they bury Gog and all the multitude; and they shall call it, Valley of Hamon-Gog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land; 13 and all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them for renown in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord YHVH.” Eze 39:11-13

People tell me that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews. Not so fast! Who does the Land belong to? The Covenant Maker and He is going to clean it up so that those who keep His Covenant will have a safe place to live so that they will finally be a light to the nations. Do we really think that it doesn’t matter how we live? That it doesn’t matter what we do if we just learn to repeat certain prayers over and over, light Shabbat and Holiday candles, avoid mixing meat and dairy and wear wigs or scarves? Is this stuff even mentioned in the Bible? What is in our hearts? Do we have a clear conscience or do we do all this external stuff to cover up what we really are? I know these are hard questions, but Hashem is watching and He is making His list and checking it twice or three times to see who really deserves to be part of His Covenant People who live in the land of the Covenant.

So how do we fight the war? I do not mean we shouldn’t support the war effort, by no means! But at the same time, we need to fight the personal war of renewing our covenant with our Creator, making sure we are ready to be among those who finally win the right to the Land.

Yours for a final victory, both personal and for Israel!

Ariella

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Vayechi: Birds on a Wire

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If you have ever meandered around in the town center of Katzrin at night perhaps to eat a bite at a Shawarma or Falafel shop, you may have seen dozens of swallows perched near the ceiling in one of the dark hallways.

Katzrin, a small town located in the Golan Heights of Israel is a favored tourist spot, still shown on Google Maps as outside of the green line that Google is willing to accept as Israel.
But Israelis know it belongs to them and not to Syria, since Israel reclaimed this land in the bloody Six-Day War of 1967.

But I am not writing about that war. We are in another war called “Al Aqsa Flood” by Hamas and “Swords of Iron” by Israel—a war that started with a most horrible massacre. But let us step back even farther and look at what is happening behind the blood stained curtain. This is not all about the current war, though it certainly plays into it. It is about brothers and sisters coming together just as Jacob’s 12 sons came together after his death, put away differences and became one people. But let’s get back to the story!

On October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists and many radical Palestinian Muslims, though technically classified as civilians broke through Gaza’s border fence and entered the Nova music festival and surrounding villages, killing and raping at random, burning and beheading babies and adults alike. At the same time many of them entered by air in para-gliders, which appeared as giant blood sucking mosquitoes as they filled the dawn sky.

That fated Shabbat, found many religious Israelis attending synagogues, completely disconnected from the news. In several towns, there were soldiers who passed by and alerted some synagogues as to what was happening, and the congregants increased their fervor in prayer with deepened emotion and passionate pleas to the Almighty who alone can save Israel from her enemies.

As I said, this is not about the horrors of war, though that may be the pressure that brought about what has happened since. The swallows in the picture represent the togetherness, the solidarity of togetherness that many Israelis and Jews are feeling around the world.

Soldiers in the field come in from a day of battle, arm in arm, the secular with the religious and feel a camaraderie that few have felt in the recent past. We are one people. And that is what is important here. Not that God is not important. Not that one’s observance is not important—but there is an overriding value that has been missing and is now coming into view. That of brotherly unity and the service of one’s fellow man and especially the right to claim the land of our ancestors. The importance of winning this war against evil is partly to reestablish the Jewish right to exist. And the war is being fought for the good of humanity. This is not just about the Jewish people. It is about good versus evil, hatred versus love, a good God versus an evil god. We fight on for the honor of the name of our God and the place of righteousness in the world. We fight for meaning in our own existence. And YHVH, the Eternal, the Most High, the Creator of the World is supporting this war and when all seems lost, He will come alongside and do things that other wars have not seen. But first we must learn unity. Though it seems to have little to do with God, it virtually has everything to do with Him. We must heal the breach before He can come to us. Love your fellow as yourself. And when we do so, a body will be formed, just as we see written by the prophet Ezekiel:

Eze 37:7 “So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied – I heard a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I watched, I saw tendons on them, then muscles appeared, and skin covered over them from above, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, – prophesy, son of man – and say to the breath: ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these corpses so that they may live.'” 10 So I prophesied as I was commanded, and the breath came into them; they lived and stood on their feet, an extremely great army.”

At this time in the war we see other elements trying to disrupt the unity. We see left-wing factions presenting their pressure to undo our current government. Can we allow this? Would this not be our undoing at this time? Doesn’t the enemy know about weakening us? and perhaps these ones are and were involved in inciting the ones who called for division in our land! This is a time to stand together and not back down. And for the sake of the soldiers, for the elderly, for the young people, for the children and for those who volunteer to support our soldiers, we must not give in to these demons who divide the nation and who were involved in weakening us in the very beginning, pre-October 7. Military people in charge were asleep at the switch. Why? Many ask this question, but when we look at the political scenario during the last year we see division in our people.

So what do the swallows represent? There they are, night after night, clinging to shredded electric wires draped along the ceiling in a dark hallway of the town shops, protected from the chaos of wind and storm. They are almost touching each other. They are there every night and they stand for something. No, the halls are not nicely painted or decorated. The ceiling is peeling, the wires are bare in places, loose ends hang in different places. It is not about luxury, fame or status, and they don’t care! It is about being together—sharing safety in each other’s company; standing together against the elements as one of a common creation. Can we learn something here? Can we see the foreshadowing in the Parsha that we read week after week?

If you ever come to Katzrin, please hang out with us in the evening in the town center! Check out the lighted fountains and venture down the dark hallways behind the shops to see the swallows. They seem to be a symbol of what we must stand for. And we are indeed getting there—are we not?

Ariella

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Mass Uncertainty and a Candle of Hope!

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A year and a half of uncertainty and lies has brought the world into a condition where the most intelligent see reality as, at best, a gray area. Mass psychosis is rampant among those who believe in personal freedom and basic human rights. On the other hand, those who have drunk the Kool-aid are confident that they are doing everything right and saving themselves and the world. Those who have resisted the fated shot are now the enemy. Nothing is working for those who are not vaccinated. Their sense of truth says that no compromise can be made with those who impose experimental medicine on individuals and use threats and bribes to accomplish compliance. And we are seeing this in every country on the map. We see behind this conspiracy a global power grab.

Even many simple folk, though they may not see the big picture, are not happy with government telling them that now they have no choice over their own health. And this group is fast becoming the object of universal excoriation. All the major media sources are zeroing in on the promotion of this totalitarian regime and the threats of more and more loss of freedoms and all “because of the unvaxinated.” Friends and family are now divided so that people don’t know whom they can trust. Public broadcasts from the health ministry speaks of those who refuse the shot as unwanted irredeemable lice in the hair of society. It becomes dangerous in many cases if they do not play along with the humiliating charade of masking and double masking. Video clips of violence are filmed and sent out. These, by the way, may be sent by well-meaning non-vaxxers who do not realize they are aiding and abetting the fear problem.

The temptation to act with pretense is immense: pretend to be something you are not in order slide by! And the urge to isolate after so many months of lock-downs has become an ingrained habit—one that leads to more and more psychosis.

Has anyone set aside his fear to scrutinize the war itself?– for it IS a war, a psychological war to subvert and imprison the souls of mankind. A war that encourages voluntary enlistment by the populace to hand over their rights to the control of the enemies of freedom. Threats, bribery, manipulation, confusion…all these are tools used to intimidate and control the masses. And they are succeeding, unfortunately, more than anyone knows.

But what is this war and how do we escape the weapons of their all invasive warfare? Must we become hermits and pretend to be what we are not? Should we go out one by one and face an unseen and unknown reality? And what are our weapons? How does anyone organize anything? When every device used by modern humanity is available to the all-seeing eye of Globalists, how can anyone do anything secretly?

Consider that whatever effort stems from a reaction to their methods is not a tool that will succeed in the war for truth and freedom.

What offensive weapons do we have? Indeed anything in our human arsenal has been tried and failed. Shall we allow the enemy to decide which tools we are to use? Protests, marches, exemptions from lawyers…? Where the rubber hits the road, logically speaking, is if the enemy is big enough and reason and laws of the constitutions of countries are not of value against the system that has arisen, either there must be more power on the side of those destined to slavery than there is on the side of the Globalist billionaires, or there must be Divine intervention. Do we think Trump is coming back to fix it? Really? After what happened on January 6? Do we think that the coup d’état that came into being and illegally rigged the 2019 US election, called for the impeachment of the 45th president of the USA and took over the government of America is going to listen to logic and reason? I beg to differ. Who stand in the courts that count?–Are there enough of them to make a difference? Are most of the good guys banished?

But, despite the shadowed outlook from a political and freedom standpoint—an outlook that holds almost zero hope, there is and must be hope available to us through Divine intervention. But! Will God deliver His people at this time? How can we conjure up spiritual assets when our God seems to be on vacation? What is required for us to be counted as His people? Is it our chosen blood-line that assures us of our destiny? The Torah says that blessings require obedience to the covenant, but which covenant? If we are somehow replacing God with the teachings of man, have we cloaked the Word of God in such a way as to not understand the clear path to deliverance?

Once we know that we are in close connection to Hashem and that we, as faulty as our past may have been, are now seeking Him with all our hearts, souls and minds, we must take hold of His strength with sheer will-power. Some of the tools include: Faith, optimism, truth, prayer, singing, trust, conversing with others of positive mind, helping the poor, the sick, the orphan and the widow…

Can we believe regardless of consequences? and can we, like Abraham, trust the voice that calls us to perform a sacrifice to stop the knife before we use it to destroy our destiny? Isn’t this all a test of our Emunah (faith) somehow? And what about Daniel who refused to stop praying at the open window when it was against the law under Darius the Mede, punishable by a night in the lion’s den? Are any of us that brave?

What about the 3 Hebrews that refused to bow to the image built by Nebuchadnezzar on the plains of Babylon and ended up in the furnace of fire. Who stands in their shoes today? It is high time we put our faith into practice.

If we do not hear Hashem’s voice, then our prayers need to be more direct. What if we secluded ourselves for an hour or more each day just to pray and listen, to understand what God is trying to say to us? Surely God understands our native language. Why pray in a language that He does not need and that does not speak from the depths of our hearts? Do we think He is limited to Hebrew in the case of Jews or Latin in the case of Catholics? There is no transformative magic power in the use of languages that do not touch our hearts!

Oh Israel, arise and conquer! We must not bow to the image that is everywhere. Stand together, hope in God and pray for one another. We must persevere until the enemy is vanquished!