Category: Blog

This summer in Israel there was an overwhelming feeling of heaviness and dread. Everyone knew a war with Hezbollah was imminent, and, with one accord, Israel’s military and security experts were saying that in such a war would be incredibly difficult: we would most likely be spending weeks on end in our bomb shelters, potentially without electricity, because Hezbollah had the ability to rain down large quantities of precision ballistic missiles and attack drones on Israel, overwhelming our air defense systems.

Adding to that, experts were also warning that fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon would be more difficult than with Hamas in the Gaza Strip: Hezbollah is a more professional fighting force, has better and more armaments, and is literally entrenched in the higher ground.

The Prophetic Word

Then in August, Oren, a teacher from Tiferet Yeshua, shared a prophetic word with the congregation leadership. Last year, Oren gave an amazingly accurate word before the October 7^th massacre: it was a great help and comfort to us when we were reeling in fear and confusion after the attack. Tiferet Yeshua’s elders prayed about this new word Oren received and felt that it was from the Lord. While the second part of the word deals with warnings about challenges Israel will face in the more distant future, the first part was a clear and bold encouragement for right now:

“Do not fear war in the north.

A great miracle is at hand.

A miracle that will strike the world with amazement.

Remember Hezekiah.

Remember Jehoshaphat.

Remember what I did in their day, and that I will do in these days.

There is no enemy that can hurt my people unless my people turn from me, leave me, forget me and go after other gods:

You shall not forget the covenant I made with you and do not fear other gods, but the LORD your God you shall fear and He will save you from the hand of all your enemies.

(2 Kings 17:38-39)

Do not be impressed by the balance of military might. Cease counting cannons, rocket launchers and armed fighters…

My name will be on everyone’s lips when the overwhelming victory against all odds comes.”

The Miraculous Turnaround

The month of August continued with a sense of mounting tension that Hezbollah and even Iran might launch a massive attack against Israel. Then in mid September, a series of events occurred which brought about a dramatic turn. On September 17th, the pagers of thousands of Hezbollah operatives exploded, killing 42 and wounding over 3,000. The next day, the walkie talkies of Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon and Syria exploded, killing 12 and wounding 2,750. (Hezbollah had stopped using cell phones to communicate for fear that Israel tracks their locations and communication.) In one fell swoop, the entire Hezbollah communication infrastructure was crippled. Across the Middle East, jaws dropped at this sophisticated attack against the strongest terrorist army in the Middle East. Following the attack, people across Lebanon and Syria unplugged their wireless routers and television sets fearing more widespread attacks.

The Decisive Blow

In the wake of the fear and confusion engulfing the Hezbollah organization, Israel started aggressively attacking their strategic weapons stores. But the surprises weren’t over: ten days after the pager attack, Israel struck and killed Hezbollah’s supreme leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was meeting with his top commanders in a bunker in Beirut. To say the jaws of everyone in the Middle East dropped yet again at the death of this terror kingpin is an understatement.

The death of Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s powerful and charismatic leader, is a massive blow to the terrorist organization, Iran and the rest of Iran’s terrorist proxies. In a matter of days after Nasrallah’s assassination, Israel succeed in killing Nasrallah’s replacement. And then his replacement’s replacement. Not surprisingly, the next man in line announced his plan to take some time off and devote himself to religious studies in Iran.

The Dreaded Ground Invasion

In the weeks following the strategic attacks and the assassination of Hezbollah’s top leadership, Israel launched the ground invasion into southern Lebanon which we had been dreading: sending our forces into southern Lebanon where a hardened, disciplined, highly armed terrorist force was entrenched in the higher ground with an extensive network of terror tunnels at their disposal.

The reality that met Israel’s ground forces was quite different: they found many Hezbollah command centers, force outposts and villages used for staging operations completely abandoned, with vast quantities of high quality and advanced weaponry left behind. A Hezbollah terrorist the IDF captured told his interrogators that, after the assassination of Nasrallah, first the field commanders fled and then the majority of the terrorist force followed. IDF forces in southern Lebanon have been engaging in battles with remnants of Hezbollah terrorists in the area, and there is hard fighting and causalities. But, it is nothing compared to the scenario they were preparing for.

Adding another dimension to the amazing military accomplishments in this past month, last week, the Hamas terrorist leader and architect of the October 7th massacre, Yahyah Sinwar, was killed by young soldiers from an infantry command course operating in the southern Gaza Strip. His death is a major stepping stone in the dismantling of Hamas fighting power and control in Gaza. His death has also renewed hopes for a possible release of our over 100 hostages still held in Gaza.

God’s Name on Everyone’s Lips

On one of Israel’s most watched primetime news programs, a regular panelist who is a former head of the terrorism division in Israel Military Intelligence, said this about the developments in the war with Hezbollah:

“As an expert on Hezbollah and Lebanon, I say if you were to put all the heads of Israel’s security agencies – Military Intelligence (Aman), the Internal Security Agency (Shabak), and Foreign Intelligence (Mossad)—here in a line, and you would ask them, ‘Is there a chance that this might happen to Hezbollah in under a month, that we would see a flag of surrender?’ There would not be one who would honestly say that they would have imagined that even half of what has happened is possible. Within a month, Hezbollah has raised the white flag of surrender, and that is not the result of man’s actions but the hand of God.”

It is important to understand the enormity of the events unfolding before our eyes and to give glory to the only one who is responsible for them – not Israel’s amazing intelligence agencies or the IDF – to God alone. As believers in Israel, we have the burden and also the privilege to worship God with the ancient scriptures that speak of Him fighting our battles and defeating our enemies. It is a spiritual reality for all believers, but for us here in Israel, it is also a physical reality.

With modern media, God is performing these miracles before the eyes of the whole world, and as believers, we must give Him praise, glory and honor for them.

The War is Not Over!

God has given us amazing, encouraging victories, but the war is far from over. Even thought Hezbollah has been mortally wounded and is asking for a ceasefire, Israel is still engaged in a difficult and deadly war with the remnants of Hezbollah in Lebanon which are still launching daily missile and killer drone attacks against Israel. Israel’s war objective is to establish an non-militarized zone in southern Lebanon where our forces have found massive military buildup along our border that was poised for an October 7th-style attack against the Galilee. Israeli forces are still engaged in grueling and dangerous urban warfare against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip where the goal is to secure the release of our hostages, topple the Hamas infrastructure, and pave the way for a replacement civil authority to take over.

Hitting Iran – the head of the snake

Adding to the pressures of the multi-front war we have been engaged in for a year, Israel’s government is poised to deal a massive retaliatory strike against Iran. On the night of October 1st, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles against Israel, an attack which was twice as large as Iran’s first direct attack against Israel back in April.

Since the October 1st attack, Israel has vowed a powerful response, one which has been delayed, apparently, due to intense pressure from the Biden administration to delay it until after the US elections. In the event that a regional war erupts in the wake of an Israeli attack against Iran, the Biden administration is worried that it will negatively affect their position in the upcoming US elections.

Please pray with us!

According to the word we received this summer from Oren, we believe that God will win this war for Israel in a miraculous way, but it is our part to stand in faith, to pray, and to give God alone the glory for the amazing victories He is accomplishing on Israel’s behalf right now. Our desire is to see spiritual revival in Israel and across the Middle East among Israel’s enemies. The Word of God tells us clearly that God’s heart and plan is to bring physical and spiritual redemption to the whole earth through dramatic events here in the Middle East. Our part in that story is to give Him glory, to stand in faith and pray like Yeshua taught us: “Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done here on earth”.

 

Israeli news commentators have been saying, “These are historic times.” Over the past two weeks, Israel’s pinpointed attacks against Hezbollah operatives, top leadership and their communication system brought the most powerful terrorist army in the Middle East to its knees. In the confusion and fear these attacks caused, the IDF began aggressively destroying their vast weapons arsenals.

A month ago, we all shuttered at the thought of what a war with Hezbollah would look like, and the nation’s moral has been at a serious low with the war in Gaza slowly dragging on without clear resolution or the release of our 101 hostages still held there. Then, in a moment, the tables turned, and everyone here in Israel has the sense that what is happening is historical, miraculous even. Despite that, we are fully aware that we are facing serious days of intense, dangerous warfare with a discipled and trained terrorist army who, if they can, will conduct reprisal bombings on the Homefront. As I write this, I am hearing the boom we’ve come to be familiar with of the iron dome shooting down rockets in neighboring towns and villages.

All of this is coming at a deeply significant time for Jews worldwide: the Day of Trumpeting (Yom Teruah), a biblical holy day which God commanded the children of Israel to observe. This day is most commonly called Rosh Ha Shanah (New Years), but it in fact has no connection to the new year – this was a rabbinic tradition that developed during the generations because a holy day just being about “trumpeting” seemed like there should be more to it. So what is the meaning of this day that requires us to blow the trumpets? The Bible tells us:

“Make two trumpets of hammered silver to be used for calling the congregation and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole congregation is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.… When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.”

(Num. 10:2-3, 9)

The trumpeting described in the above verses is for two purposes. One is to gather the assembly of the people together and to send them marching forward. The second is to purpose of trumpeting is to act as a cry to God to save us from our enemies. What is the connection between these two purposes for trumpeting?  I believe that we are to cry out to God on this day to save us from our enemies, and, in response to our trumpeting, the armies of heaven gather together and begin moving forward in response.

We believe that this it is no coincidence that this historical and critical moment of war for Israel is happening right before the biblical Day of Trumpeting. Of course, this holy day points first and foremost to that day at the end of the age when the people of Israel will call upon the Lord as the armies of the antichrist overwhelm the Land. Then God will send the great ultimate salvation and redemption of Israel at Messiah’s return.

We know, however, that biblical prophesies also have partial fulfilments or foreshadowing throughout the generations. And we believe that a partial fulfilment of the prophetic meaning of the Day of Trumpeting is happening right now.

War violently broke in upon us a year ago on the very last day of the fall feasts – on October 7^th. Now, a year later, this war is entering a new phase, more intense and serious, but also the stakes and the upper hand have changed. Now is the time —the biblically appointed time, no less— to cry out to God, to blow the trumpet in Zion and plead for God’s mercy and protection from our enemies.

We ask that you, our brothers and sisters in the nations, would join us in this cry to God to grant us physical salvation from our enemies.  It is our prayer and belief that this physical victory will bring about a spiritual one: a revival in the land of Israel and in the lands of our enemies who need spiritual salvation just as much as we do!

Since October 7^th, Hezbollah has attacked Israel’s north with thousands of rockets and armed drones where over 100,000 residents have been evacuated. In surrounding areas which do not have evacuation orders, dozens have been killed in the attacks, but the worst came on July 27^th: a massive rocket hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights, killing twelve children and injuring many others.

The entire nation was gripped with grief over the massacre, and, in the week after the tragedy, thousands of Israelis made the trip to Majdal Shams to stand in solidarity and express condolences to the bereaved families and the Druze community.

Shosh Navon, Tiferet Yeshua’s official savta (grandmother) at 92-years-old, suggested that we do the same: organize a group from the congregation to make the 4-hour trip to the Golan Heights to share our condolences in person. We tried organizing a visit during the public morning period in the week after the attack, but it did not work out. On August 19^th, six of us set out to Majdal Shams. Our visit was three weeks after the attack, but we would soon find out that God’s timing was perfect.

NAVIGATING WITHOUT GPS

Ever since the start of Hezbollah’s bombing campaign, Israel has scrambled the GPS signals in the north, making it impossible to use navigation apps. Before we left, I looks at the maps and tried to memorize the way to the village though the Golan. As we left, we all prayed that God would guide us and help us remember the way. Amazingly, Tamar was able to keep a GPS signal on her phone almost the whole way, enabling us to get to the village on the small winding mountain roads in the Golan Heights.

A VIP DRUZE CONNECTION

Savta Shosh has connections with people all over Israel from all walks of life, including in the Druze community. On our way up to Majdal Shams, she called a friend of hers in the Druze community of Isafiya on Mt. Carmel (a Druze Sheikh she’s known for years) and told him, “We are driving right now to Majdal Shams to comfort the mourners. Please get me in touch with someone there who can receive us when we arrive.” Shosh’s friend gave us the number of his personal friend in Majdal Shams and instructed her to call him when we arrive.

GOD’S LOVE TOUCHES THE HEART

After a four-hour drive, we arrived at Majdal Shams and called the man whose number Shosh’s friend had given us. He told us how to get to a certain point and instructed us to wait there for him: he would arrive in ten minutes. I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, and we got out of the car to stretch our legs and wait. A  young woman came out of her nearby shop and called to us to come in and have a coffee, she just made a fresh pot. I told her I had to wait with the car because we were awkwardly parked while waiting for someone to meet us, but two of the ladies in our group went over to the woman to talk with her.

They shared with her about who we are  and why we had come. At one point, I noticed that Ma’ayan was praying for the woman; as she prayed, the woman started weeping. Ma’ayan tenderly embraced the woman while she wept, and I went over to ask if everything was ok. The woman told us, “I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel something so strong”. The love of God was powerfully present, and the woman was deeply touched.

“GOD IS WITH YOU”

The woman from the shop was standing with us when the man we were waiting for arrived, and she said, “Ah, this man is our father, he is our Sheikh!” The man with whom were we put in contact turned out to be one of the main village leaders and a prominent political figure in the Druze community. The woman began telling him in Arabic about what had happened when the ladies prayed for her, and he was visibly touched by what she shared.

I introduced myself to the Sheikh and presented to him, “Dr. Shosh Navon, 92-years old, who was willing to drive over four hours to comfort the mourners in Majdal Shams.” The Sheikh was amazed by this and said, “I don’t know who you are, but God is with you.”

The Sheikh then went on to explain that he had made some calls, thinking that he would be able to arrange for us to meet with one of the mourning families. However, he told us that it turned out that all the families of the 12 children were at that very moment in the community center – they had just finished a workshop the education ministry had hosted for them on grief and mourning. “The families are there waiting to meet you,” he told us.

AN INTIMATE MEETING WITH 12 MOURNING FATHERS

We arrived at the community center where the twelve fathers of the murdered children were there waiting for us. We all went and shook each one of their hands, telling them, “We have come to comfort you in your mourning and to tell you that God loves you.” They invited us to come sit with them – they arranged chairs and a table of refreshments for us. We also brought along food and refreshments that we added to the table. They asked us who we are, and I presented Shosh to them so that she could represent us before the mourning fathers. Shosh began speaking to them in such a loving and eloquent way, it was clear that the Holy Spirit was upon her as she spoke. Shosh explained that we are Jews from a Messianic fellowship in Tel Aviv. “If you are interested in learning more about who we are and what we believe, we have brought some brochures where you will find our website.”

When it was my turn to speak, I also briefly shared about our congregation and that several times in our main services we had prayed for their comfort, healing and protection. After several of us had shared, we asked if we could pray for them now in person, and they agreed. It’s hard to explain, but God was there in a powerful way: we spoke simple words of comfort, but the fathers wept there with us and were visibly touched by what we shared and when we prayed. The Shekh who had brought us to this meeting and stayed there throughout kept saying, “Something special is happening here.”

 

 

A COMMUNIUTY THAT INVESTS IN ITS CHILDREN

We stayed with the fathers for nearly an hour, and when it was time to leave, we parted with hugs to all of them. Before we left, one of the mothers who had stayed to listen approached me and began telling me about her 15-year-old daughter who was killed in the attack.

“My daughter was gifted, and she knew four languages.”

I asked her which languages she spoke, and her mother replied, “Arabic, Hebrew, English and German.” “Why German?” I asked her. It turns out that her daughter’s dream was to study at the University of Munich. Two weeks before the attack that killed her daughter, the whole family had been to visit the university of Munich to check out the dorms and meet students.

People in the village we spoke to shared that their community invests in the lives of their children and encourages them to higher education, and many of them go on to work in the medical field.

“I FEEL SOMETHING FROM GOD”

The ladies who were with us embraced this mother and asked if they could pray for her. She agreed, and when they did, she said, “I feel something, something from God!”

Often we heard from the people we met and prayed for at Majdal Shams, “You are bringing us the love of God!” In their brokenness and morning, the precious members of the mourning families and the community at large opened their hearts to us, and God graciously touched them with His love.

 

 

THE SHEIKH’S PERSONAL INVITATION

After visiting with the families for nearly five hours (they brought us to the soccer field to see where their children were murdered), I was amazed and blessed but starting to feel tired and thought we should probably get on our way. At the moment, the Sheikh said, “I want to host you at my home; it is important to me to introduce you to my family. I’ve already called, and my daughters are coming with the grandchildren.”

At the Sheikh’s home, a table was set before us with coffee and all kinds of sweets, including fresh cherries and apples from their orchards. The Sheikh introduced his wife and each of his daughters with their children. The Sheikh explained to us that he works as an interfaith and cultural advocate and has had many meetings with different religious groups in Israel. “But you,” he said, “have something different.”

I have to add that I was surprised to discover that three in our group knew Arabic, including Savta Shosh, and they were able to connect in a special way with the family members who did not speak Hebrew. At the Sheikh’s house, God continued to move, providing opportunities through the open and personal conversations we were having with the family and to pray for them. Before we left, I asked the Sheikh if it would be alright with him if I prayed for and blessed his family in the name of Yeshua’s. “Of course,” he said.

PARTING WITH TEARS

When it was time to leave, the Sheikh himself guided us out of the village and explained to us how to get to the Sea of Galilee where our GPS would start working. When he was saying goodbye to us, suddenly he broke into tears. “You are such special people!” he said. “In just these few hours you were with us today I feel a special connection with you.” On our way home, every 45 minutes or so he would call to make sure we were on our way safely. His last call to check on us was at midnight when we were close to Tel Aviv.

THE SHEIKH’S PERSONAL MESSAGE

Late at night, after I arrived home, I saw that the Sheikh had sent me a personal message right after we left. This is what it said:

“We were privileged to receive the visit from amazing people who came to comfort us in the loss of our precious children who were murdered in a painful terror attack, our twelve shining stars whom we will never forget. Despite the pain, you all were ambassadors of peace. You brought something precious, and we were privileged to meet people who are clean and pure. Your visit was a very emotional and special time for us with tears, sympathy and mutual affection. This disaster unified us and transcends all boundaries of religion, politics or language. You are an example of humanity, and you left a precious seal on our hearts. For me and my dear family, your visit has become a treasure. I want to thank you for your initiative and the effort you made to come from so far.”

Please pray for all the precious people we had the incredible privilege to spend time with in Majdal Shams, that God would continue touching their hearts with His love, that He would comfort them and reveal Himself to them as the one who seals ours hearts with His perfect love!

**The Druze are a religious sect which split from Islam in the 10^th century. The Druze are highly integrated in Israeli society, serve with distinction in the IDF, in the highest halls of government and military leadership.**

From the covid crisis to the horrific October 7^th attacks, fear, isolation and trauma are forcing Israelis to look for answers to existential questions, and many of them are looking to the New Testament. Here at Tiferet Yeshua, seekers and new believers reach out to us on a regular basis. Each month, we receive requests for copies of Hebrew New Testaments. I am grateful to be a part of our discipleship team and have the opportunity to meet with and disciple these people whose search for the truth will not be deterred by religious or cultural stigma.

A YOUNG MAN WHO READ THE NEW TESTAMENT SEVERAL TIMES ON HIS OWN

About five months ago, Yaniv started coming to our services. On his first visit, one of our team members spoke to him and discovered that he had read the New Testament several times already and deeply connected with what he found there. Yaniv was put in contact with me and Moti, and we began meeting with him every week.

The process of discipleship with Yaniv was very special: we discovered that God had already revealed deep spiritual truths to him through his reading the New Testament, things which usually take new believers time to understand. Because of this, we were able to delve deeply into the Word and explore important spiritual issues.

We were excited when Yaniv was ready to make his public confession of faith in water immersion at the beginning of August. Many new believers who start discipleship with us are anxious to be immersed in water right away, even before they have a clear understanding of all the foundations of the faith. This is surprising because there is a deep-seated Jewish religious revulsion to what is perceive as “Christian baptism” due to forced baptisms of Jewish children throughout the history of Church persecution (Jewish children would be abducted, baptized and then taken from their families).

Interestingly, though, many Hebrew-speaking Jews who read the New Testament intrinsically understand water immersion (mikveh) as it has been a purification ritual in Judaism for millennia and is the culminating step for anyone converting to Judaism. At Tiferet Yeshua, we make sure that people have a clear understanding of the foundations of the faith and what it means to follow Yeshua before making their decision to be immersed.  Moti and I were honored to be with Yaniv at his immersion along with some of his family members who are not believers but are amazed at the positive transformation they are seeing in Yaniv’s life.

Our part does not end here: as a spiritual family, we are committed to continue meeting with Yaniv and encouraging him as he begins his walk as a new creation in Messiah. Please keep him in prayer that he would grow and be strengthened in his faith and that God would complete the good work of transformation that He has begun in Yaniv!

 

A MAN FROM A RELIGIOUS BACKGROUD SEEKS A CONNECTION WITH GOD

Several months ago, Uriel got in contact with us to ask questions about the New Testament. Uriel is a young man who lives in an orthodox community and is currently serving in a combat unit in the army. Our initial contact was through text messages or short conversations once every two weeks or so. After a while, we began meeting on zoom every couple of weeks to talk about faith in Yeshua. Because Uriel was serving in a reserve combat unit, our communication was not weekly. At the beginning of the Gaza war, he was called up to army reserves, at first to the south and then to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

What Uriel was looking for most was a personal connection with God. Our conversations centered around his question about how and where to seek God, how to feel His presence and know Him, and how to pray (in orthodox Judaism wrote liturgical prayers are read and recited instead of spontaneous personal prayer).

At first, Uriel was not willing to read the New Testament himself. However, he was willing that I would read to him from the New Testament or send him portions of verses in text messages. But, he refused to touch a New Testament himself.

After a while, I finally told Uriel, “Listen, you need to read the New Testament yourself. You need to get to know it yourself, not through me.” I thought that this might put an end to our meetings and discussions, but he surprised me by saying, “Ok, where should I start?” Staring in Matthew, Uriel began reading the New Testament, and suddenly our conversations changed. He was anxious to discuss what he was reading, and I could see that God was touching his heart in a powerful way.

Please pray for Uriel, that God would continue touching him with a revelation of Himself through His Word, that He would give Uriel his heart’s deep desire to experience a real personal connection with God. This is what Uriel is seeking with all his heart, and he openly says he has not been able to find it in the orthodox community or the traditional religious framework. Please pray with us that God would remove any hindrances or fears in his heart, that the Holy Spirit would guide him in all truth, and that he would accept and experience that Yeshua is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him.

 

by Katy Sorsher Smith

For as long as I can remember, worship at Tiferet Yeshua Congregation has been a special experience. In fact, when I first walked into the “meeting hall” in the basement of congregation founders, Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram, in a Tel Aviv suburb in 1996, God met me as soon as the music started. With tears flowing down my face, I welcomed the Jewish Messiah Yeshua into my heart.

DEFINING GENERATIONS

Throughout history, but especially since the development of recording technology, music is one of the primary things that defines each generation. By listening to songs from each decade, one can feel the mood and even character of nations during that time.

Naturally, this is true for both secular and biblical music. Biblical music, what we call praise or worship today, is, I believe, the quintessential expression of music intended by the One who created it. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that when God created the heavens and the earth, not only did He SPEAK everything into existence, but that there was MUSIC accompanying every act of creation. The Words hints at this when God rebukes Job by pointing out his absence at the creation of the heavens and the earth:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
…On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(Job 38:4, 6-7)

In Judaism, the tradition of singing the Word which began in the Temple has been preserved throughout the generations. In every synagogue in the world, when the Torah scrolls are rolled open on the platform, each word is sung out with beautiful melodies, some of which have been passed down for  generations.

KING DAVID KNEW IT

One of the people who understood the preeminence of worship in God’s order was King David, an understanding he didn’t receive once he became king. It was there, an integral part of his heart for God, as he tended his father’s sheep in his youth. Even King Saul’s servants knew the power of music, advising him to call on a skillful musician whenever he was distressed by an evil spirit so that he could experience relief. The musician they called on, of course, was none other than David himself, “a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.'” (I Samuel 16:18)

 

Once David became king, he dedicated his life to building a dwelling place for the Lord, even after realizing he would not see it in person. David, called a man after God’s own heart, was perhaps first and foremost a worshipper: he continued writing songs his whole life, taught them to others, invented new musical instruments, and prepared instructions for Temple worship.

Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
(Psalm 33:2-3)

 

A DESPRATE NEED FOR A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP

Since October 7, there has been a noticeable shift in our praise and worship at Tiferet Yeshua as the Lord has been allowing us to enter deeper into His glorious presence. People who come each week are more hungry and thirsty for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit than ever before, and they are being filled just as the Yeshua promised:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

(John 7:37)

The struggles brought on by the violence, uncertainty and confusion we experienced in the wake of the October 7^th attack are forcing us to fight daily spiritual battles to maintain our faith, courage, joy and peace. By the end of the week, as we gather on Friday afternoons, we often feel the heaviness of the battle that rages around us. Yet, once music begins to play, within moments the atmosphere changes. It is as if the entire sanctuary is transported into a different dimension, separated from this world, and filled with joy, comfort, love, peace and adoration for our Creator and Savior.

As the atmosphere changes, our hearts change, allowing the Spirit of God to move in power with words of wisdom and encouragement, with healing and deliverance, creating our little piece of the Garden of Eden where, if only for a little while, we can escape into God’s presence through worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.

Of course, this escape into worship (for what else can you do in God’s presence but remain in awe of His goodness, mercy, grace and beauty all-around) cannot be a once-a-week occurrence. For me, this is the “secret place” we are to continuously seek to dwell in, being in this world but not of this world – as if we are in a different, protected dimension under God’s wings and in His shadow.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

(Psalm 91:1)

 

***Katy has served for years on worship teams at Tiferet Yeshua, studied Worship and Technical Arts at Christ for the Nations in Dallas TX. Today Katy serves at Tiferet Yeshua with her many talents as a worship leader, songwriter, writer, and office manager.***

The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

-Jeremiah 1:13

Today, Israel is in a precarious position: while we continue fighting an incredibly difficult war in the south with an enemy embedded in densely populated civilian areas in the Gaza Strip, the winds of war are blowing more fiercely from the north. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist army which exerts de facto control over Lebanon, has been increasingly aggressive and provocative in its bombing against Israel’s north.

The Northern Threat

Hezbollah poses a much greater threat to Israel than Hamas. It is perhaps the most powerful terrorist army in the Middle East, and it is sitting on Israel’s northern border. Hezbollah manufactures and possesses a massive arsenal of deadly precision weapons, and, with the help of North Korea, it has invested in digging a vast network of terror tunnels considered much more dangerous than the Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.

While it is much more powerful than Hamas, Hezbollah shares similar ideologies and modes of operation with Hamas: it openly states its goal to destroy Israel and does not care about endangering Lebanese civilians in achieving its war goals. Like Hamas, Hezbollah embeds its military infrastructures in populated civilian areas and stores weapons and deadly chemicals in schools, homes and civilian infrastructure all over Lebanon, including at the Beirut international airport.

Multi-Front War

Israel is in a dilemma and our enemies know it. For the past two decades, our top military commanders have been operating under the brilliant idea of turning the IDF into a “small and smart” army. Since the deadly October 7^th attack, we have discovered what “small and smart” really means: the IDF is unable to fight on more than one active front.

In the 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars, Israel had at least three active fronts. Right now, military experts are saying that we cannot open a war with Hezbollah in the north while we are still actively engaged in fighting in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, they are saying that our troops are tired after months of intense fighting in Gaza and are not ready to jump into a war with Hezbollah in the north. Israel’s government is currently doing its best to come to a negotiated settlement in which Hezbollah withdraws from our northern border, and we both agree to fight on another day. Whether that will happen is anyone’s guess. What Israelis are left with is the feeling that the “boiling pot” in the north is tilting dangerously toward us, and a broader more catastrophic war with Hezbollah and Iran could break out at any moment.

But we are forgetting something important: we have faced and overcome, by God’s grace alone, much more dangerous, existential threats in the past.

Small and Surrounded

In 1967, Israel was a smaller, weaker and younger country than it is today. In May of that year, Egypt’s President Nasser evicted UN peacekeeping forces in the Sinai Peninsula, blocked the Straits of Tiran to cut Israel off from Red Sea commerce (an act of war), and deployed his troops on Israel’s southern border. At the same time, Syrian and Jordanian armies, in conjunction with Egypt, amassed on Israel’s eastern and northern borders. It looked as if Israel was poised on the eve of a multi-front invasion which it had no hope of overcoming.

International leaders warned Israel not to pre-emptively strike any of the Arab armies deployed on its borders, even though for months Nasser had been warning that they would wipe Israel off the map and throw all the Jews into the sea. Israel’s top military commanders were pushing for a pre-emptive strike, but the government was fearful and wanted to avoid war.

The Miraculous Outcome  

Finally, despite their fear and reservations, Israel’s government gave the green light for a pre-emptive strike. The result was nothing less than a jaw-dropping miracle: in six days, Israel prevailed over the armies of three of its most powerful neighbors against all odds. Not only that, it gained control of the Golan Heights (from which Syrian snipers had been constantly shelling Israeli farms), Judea and Samaria, and, most importantly, Israel’s capitol, Jerusalem.

Overnight, Israel went from being a small, weak country on the verge of annihilation to being the most powerful force in the Middle East – and not because it was receiving large amounts of the most modern armaments from its big brother, the United States. In fact, up until 1967, France had been Israel’s reluctant supplier of arms which it stopped just before the 1967 war. Israel’s startling victory was nothing less than God’s miraculous intervention – just like in 1948 with Israel’s miraculous War of Independence.

Victory in the Physical, Revival in the Spiritual

It is not a coincidence that right after Jerusalem came under Jewish control for the first time in over two thousand years a major revival broke out among Jewish youth in the counter-culture movement in the west at the end of the sixties and early seventies. Almost every major Jewish outreach ministry in existence today was established by Jews who came to faith in Messiah after 1967, including Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram who founded Tiferet Yeshua congregation.

The End-Time Northern Enemy

Ezekiel 38 gives a clear description of the antichrist [called Gog] leading his armies from the north against Israel, “a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate.” (Ez. 38:8) As horrible as the October 7th Hamas attack from the south was, we know that “[f]rom the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land.” (Jer. 1:14).  The threats of a more dangerous and disasterous war coming from Iran through Hezbollah on Israel’s norther border has some wondering, “Is this that war?”  Ezekiel 38 which speaks of the antichrist coming against a re-gathered Israel gives us some clear indications that such a war is not immediately imminent:

 “

 In the latter years you [Gog] will enter a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely…

You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates…”

-Ezekiel 38:8, 11

Right now Israel is at war, on high alert and ready for a potential strike or is actively preparing to strike its enemies pre-emptively. That is a far-cry from being “a land recovered from war”.  Furthermore, after the October 7th attack in which peaceful, unsuspecting villages and towns were intfiltrated by hoards of murderous terrorists, towns and villages all across Israel began establishing armed civilian guard units, something only border communities or settlements in Judea and Samaria had in the past – the opposite of the “unprepared” villages in Ezekiel 38 without defences. 

Additionally, the Apostle Paul gives us further context that the Day of the Lord – when Messiah Himself comes to judge the nations and defeat the armies of the antichrist in Jerusalem – will come at a time when people are saying “peace and security”. (1 Thess. 5:1-7) No one in Israel today would describe our current reality as either peaceful or secure.

A Possible Broader War and How to Pray

If Israel ends up going to war with Hezbollah\Iran in the coming months, it is possible that another “Six Day War” miracle could happen – a situation in which Iran and all of its proxies are defeated, ushering in a period of calm and, ultimately, grace – time for more Jews and Arabs in the Middle East to discover and choose to follow the true Prince of Peace!

We ask that you pray together with us that God will give wisdom and courage to our leaders to make bold decisions like He gave to Israel’s leaders in 1948 and 1967, and that He would pour out the Spirit of revelation on the Middle East unto a great harvest before the coming of the great Day of the Lord. That day will ultimately come, but it will not come upon us as believers “as a thief in the night” if we reamain awake, steadfast and sober like Paul exhorts us. Until that day, may we all have our hearts and eyes focused on Him to become light- and love-filled witnesses to His holy name!

 

Every year right after Passover, there is a somber week during which Israelis observe Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. This year, in light of the October 7th massacre, the ensuing war against Hamas and the dramatic rise of global antisemitism, Israelis are experiencing this week of memorials from fresh wounds of tragedy, loss, increasing antisemitism and global isolation.

In particular, we are seeing some haunting similarities between 1948 and 2024 through which we feel God challenging and encouraging us with meaningful lessons from the past.

The Context of Israel’s Declaration of Independence

To give some context to the developments leading up to the moment the fledgling Jewish settlement in their ancient homeland bravely announced their independence, it is important to know that from 1920 to 1948 the British controlled the area called “Palestine” after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI.

It is worth knowing the source of the name “Palestine”: it does not have roots in the identity of the local Arab tribes living in the area under Ottoman rule but rather in the Roman occupation of Judea in the 1st century. In 135 AD after the second Jewish revolt, the Romans replaced the name Judea with “Palestina” in order to erase Jewish connection to the Land and to spite the Jews by naming their homeland and namesake, Judea, after their ancient enemies, the Philistines. Interestingly, the Philistine’s core settlement was located in the area that encompasses today’s Gaza Strip.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved a plan that would partition British Mandate Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jews accepted the plan but the Arabs rejected it out of hand and immediately began attacking Jewish Settlements. Caught in an increasingly violent conflict between the Jews and Arabs, the British were intent on ending their colonial responsibilities in Palestine and, in April 1948, announced that the official termination of British Mandate Palestine would happen on May 14th, 1948. It wasn’t the British withdrawal that made that date meaningful. The fame and importance of this day come from the fact that it was the date when Ben Gurion made the declaration of the Independent State of Israel. One day later, on Saturday May 15th 1948, five Arab armies invaded the day-old Israel.

 

 

The Declaration of Independence – An Act of Faith, Bravery or Insanity?

During their time ruling “Palestine”, the British were actively engaged in disarming Jewish militias up until the last day of their mandate on May 14, 1948. The Jewish paramilitary groups, which ultimately formed into the Israeli Defense Forces just two weeks after the Declaration of Independence, were highly motivated but poorly armed. While doing their best to find and seize Jewish weapons, the British were training and arming professional armies in Jordan and Egypt with modern armaments. The French Colonial powers were doing the same in Syria.

When the five Arab armies invaded the day-old State of Israel, these were armies that had been trained and armed by British and French colonial administrations. Of course it had not been their intent to train these forces in order that they would attack and prevail against the “illegal” Jewish State. However, the fact of the matter remains that when the British pulled out and the Arab armies attacked, the imbalance of firepower between the newly-formed IDF and the Arab armies was staggering: the Arab armies had much greater firepower with modern guns, tanks and even air forces. At the moment of the Declaration of Independence on May 14th, the Jewish State had guns and Molotov cocktails.  By May 18, the only heavy weaponry the IDF had were four old-fashioned howitzers used by the French army in the Franco-Prussian war.

 

 

Consequently, due to increasing violence and tensions in the Middle East, the United States, Britain and the United Nations enacted arms embargos against Israel and the Arab countries in Middle East. While the arms embargo was applied equally to the fledgling Jewish state and the Arab states, the Jewish state was in a woeful position as far as weapons while the Arab armies were fully armed. Over the course of Israel’s war of independence, Israel would be able to slowly procure weapons from Europe, much of which was World War I weaponry or even older. Czechoslovakia was the only government to flout the US, British and UN arms embargo to help Israel.

 

 

Against All Odds – the place where miracles happen

Looking at the image of IDF warriors using a 48-year-old cannon to fight in the War of Independence, I am in awe. I know that they weren’t just fighting for their independence. They were fighting for their survival, even if it meant using forty-year-old cannons or Molotov cocktails. They knew that defeat at the hands of the Arab armies would mean a complete massacre of the Jewish settlement – October 7th- style. Today in Israel, we have the most advanced and cutting edge weaponry supplied by the US, and we can’t imagine facing the hostile Muslim armies around us without being armed to the teeth with it. On October 7th, Israel felt assured in its military, its state of the art border fence around the Gaza Strip and its first class intelligence gathering – and in that moment it was actually never weaker.

Threats of Embargos and International Pressure

On May 9th, US President Jo Biden announced that the US would halt the delivery of bombs and artillery shells to Israel if it invaded Rafa in the Gaza Strip, causing many in Israel to panic and Israel’s enemies, Iran included, to applaud with glee. For three months, the fighting against the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip has been paused, and Israelis and pundits alike have been wondering, “What are we waiting for? When are we going to invade Rafa and finish the job?” When Israeli forces finally entered Rafa, the American threat of even a partial embargo frightened many in Israel.

It has become obvious that the Netanyahu government has been holding off invading Rafa, the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, because of American pressure. The Biden government is being steamrolled by the extremist left and Free-Palestinian mobs in an election year. In Israel there is a sickening feeling that we are losing heart and losing momentum while Hamas gains support around the world and gets to play for time with never-ending sham hostage negations.

We of course know that God was involved in the miracle of the birth of the state of Israel in 1948 against all odds – a nation born out of the ashes of the Holocaust and a prevailing climate of deep-seated antisemitism in most countries and governments. Back in 1948, President Truman who was in support of the Jewish State, ultimately gave in to an anti-Zionist and even anti-Semitic State Department and influential politicians who were interested in good relations with Arab oil states.

Today, I believe that the horrific attack on October 7th, the success and scope of which is mind-boggling, was God’s judgment against us in Israel in order to wake us up to seek Him and to make us get our priorities straight. At the same time, whenever God brings judgement upon Israel, He is also testing the nations as well as to how they will treat Israel in that moment. Right now, open rage and hatred of Israel and Jews is being expressed in ways we never imagined seeing again.

1948 and 2024 – a calendar convergence

Israel observes its national and biblical holidays with the Hebrew lunar calendar which moves by several days from year to year, even more in leap years like this year. The solar Gregorian calendar does not move in the same way so that, for instance, the first night of Passover 2023 fell on April 5th, and in 2024 it fell on April 22nd. This year, the Day of Independence, which is on the 5th of Iyar of the Hebrew calendar, falls on May 14th of the Gregorian calendar. In 1948, the 5th of Iyar fell on May 14th as well. This calendar convergence is not going unnoticed in Israel at a times she finds herself after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and in the greatest existential threat since the Yom Kippur war – the 50th anniversary of which fell on…October 7th of 2023.

So what does this convergence mean, if anything at all? For me, it is a stark reminder that our fate as a nation is in God’s hands, not our own and not in the amount or the quality of the weaponry we have. It is also a reminder that even if all our allies abandon us, God will not abandon us. When we realize that we are reliant on Him alone, the stress and anxiety of what the world is doing melts away. This Independence Day I am encouraged by the story of the victory God gave us in 1948 against all odds. We know that He did not return us to this land miraculously, in fulfilment of biblical prophecy, in order to destroy us. Though the nations will rage against us, it will get to the point where Messiah Himself will come and fight on our behalf.

A Great Need for Prayer

The starkest difference I see between Israel in 1948 and Israel today is the quality in her leadership. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, was an extraordinary, single-minded, hard-working, no-nonsense man devoted to the State of Israel. He lived simply and worked hard. It is rare that political leaders have that quality, and doubtless they are men for the hour, just like Winston Churchill was in WWII Europe. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government were beleaguered and compromised before October 7th, and now they are under immense pressure from within and without. Israelis know that Netanyahu has difficulty with making bold, critical decisions and withstanding international pressure. Please join us in prayer the God would guide and strengthen Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet to make bold decisions without fear and that their hearts would be instructed by the fear of the Lord instead!

Immediately following Passover, after rejoicing in God’s deliverance of our people and celebrating His mercy and miracles, we enter a very somber season. First, we mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, and, a week later, Memorial Day which then culminates in Israel’s Independence Day celebrations only 24 hours later – making us all feel a little bit like being on an emotional roller-coaster.

These “ups and downs” are extremely difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced them in such proximity.  Yet for Israelis it is a part of life, as even on the saddest days we draw strength from stories of bravery and resilience, acknowledging the fact that no matter what troubles we have encountered along the way, we are still here… still strong… and are not going anywhere.

When I do, however, attempt to explain how we can endure this rollercoaster every year, Psalm 30 immediately comes to mind.

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

-Psalm 30:4-5

Since October 7, Israelis have been struggling with continuous loss, worry for hostages and soldiers, and darkness intertwined with the joys of life – not only national holidays, but also family celebrations of birthdays, newborns, weddings, and the general appreciation of being alive.

From the first verse of Psalm 30 until the last, these moments of rising and falling are intertwined with continuous thanksgiving and praise to our Lord – the one who lifts us up when we cry out, the one who heals us, the one whose anger is for a moment yet whose favor is for life, the one who hides His face but then turns towards us and transforms our mourning into dancing and gladness.

Most Israelis have what I believe is a God-given belief that we will rise up stronger than before – how else could we survive living in this country “pressed on every side”?

It is interesting that already in October right after the attacks, one of the top internet searches in Israel was “Tehillim” – Psalms. Religious or secular, willingly or not-so-willingly, Jews are connected to this land and to our God, the God of Israel, and, as a result, we tend to seek Him in times of trouble.

I believe this is exactly the reason why Paul states with such confidence in Romans 11:26 that “all Israel will be saved.” As Israeli believers we pray this verse daily over our nation, and we invite you to do the same as part of God’s olive tree.

One day, God will wipe away every tear, and sorrow will be no more – this hope is lifting us up during our present struggles, and it is our prayer that this hope will encourage and lift you up in any sorrows or loss you may be enduring.

by Katy Sorsher Smith

 

Lately, one of my favorite pastime amusements is “name that Bible verse”. I came up with this game myself: someone quotes a Bible verse in English and I try to quote it in Hebrew from memory (I am a native Hebrew speaker and English is a second language to me). I have made many amusing discoveries through this game, like guessing what the Bible translator intended or my surprise at realizing how much I didn’t understand the original Hebrew. However, the most interesting thing I discovered through this game is actually a treasure: the word “presence” in the context of the presence of God:

The excavation of this treasure actually began when I was thinking about the Hebrew translation of the well-known worship song “I Will Exalt” by Amanda Cook which we often sing and are blessed to worship God with at Tiferet Yeshua. The two opening words of the song are “Your Presence”, two words which easily bring to mind a number of Bible verses from memory….in English. However, those words in modern Hebrew (nochechutcha) would not bring to mind any bible verses.

Of course, if Moses spoke English, he would have said:

“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here”

(Exodus 33:15 NKJ)

In Hebrew, however, it is written:

“If Your face does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”

(Exodus 33:15)

The biblical word “panecha” (Your face) in Hebrew is rendered in English as “presence”. In the Hebrew translation of the above-mentioned song, we did not use the biblical Hebrew original in relation to the word “presence” but rather translated the word literally, using the modern Hebrew word instead.

The definition of “nochechut” (presence) in modern Hebrew is “residing or being in a certain place”. For me, this definition might call to mind being in a boring work meeting in which I can’t actually claim being “present” just because I am physically in the conference room with my co-workers.

However, when we say “face” in spoken modern Hebrew, in most contexts the definition is “the front part of the human or animal head, from the forehead to the chin”. In said work meetings, more often than not my “face” is actually turned toward the cell phone in my hand. So, am I actually present in the meeting?

It follows then that I can suggest that the word “face” adds to the word “presence” the meaning of attention and eyes intently focused.

Take a look at the word “face” in the biblical Hebrew which is translated as “presence” in the following verses:

 

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob

(Psalm 114:7 BSB)

מִלִּפְנֵי אָדוֹן חוּלִי אָרֶץ מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעֲקֹב (תהילים 114:7)

 

Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.

(Psalms 95:2 BSB)

נְקַדְּמָה פָנָיו בְּתוֹדָה בִּזְמִרוֹת נָרִיעַ לוֹ (תהילים 95:2)

Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

(Jonah 1:3)

וַיָּקָם יוֹנָה לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה, מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה (יונה 1:3)

Isn’t that a wonderful meaning of the word “presence”? God’s face, His eyes turned towards us, His focused attention which His face expresses.

The root of the modern Hebrew word for presence “נ.כ.ח” (N.K.H) comes from a word which appears in the Bible, mostly in context to location, as alternatives to the words “face”, “opposite of”, or “in front of”. For example:

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.

(Provers 5:21 BSB)

כִּי נֹכַח עֵינֵי ה’ דַּרְכֵי אִישׁ וְכָל מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּס (משלי 5:21)

Let’s remember that the word “presence” in biblical Hebrew is “face”, and therefore the presence of God is His face. To be in the presence of God is to be in the gaze of His face, His illuminating, holy face. When we are in front of His face, we cannot but be aware of the focus of His eyes upon us, and we cannot but look back at Him and worship Him.

-Shlomit Goldman

 

The Gospels tell us that, immediately after Yeshua’s last breath, the veil in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn from top to bottom. Even though the Gospels do not explain the significance of this event, we view it as a declaration by God that every believer is now allowed into His holy presence, as beforehand only the High Priest was allowed in once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Apostle Paul describes it in this way:

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” –(Heb. 10:19-20, 22)

Since I first became a believer, I saw the rending of the veil as an expression of God’s mercy towards us, a consequence of Yeshua’s last words, “It is finished.”

Just recently, however, God gave me a glimpse into His side of the story.

As I was pondering the outline of a teaching I would like to present to Tiferet Yeshua Congregation,  I came to the part of the torn veil, and God gave me a vision of a cemetery: I saw a family burying a loved one – something we are unfortunately used to these days due to over 600 soldiers who have lost their lives in the war— and one of the cemetery’s rabbis (serving as a priest) made a  cut on the clothes of the immediate family, from top to bottom, as a symbol of mourning.

Kriah, the Jewish tradition of tearing of one’s clothes from top to bottom as a sign of mourning, is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. When the Patriarch Jacob thought his son Joseph was dead, he tore his garments (Gen. 37:34). David and his men rent their clothing upon hearing about the deaths of King Saul and Jonathan (II Sam. 1:11). Job, grieving the death of his children, stood up and tore his clothing (Job 1:20).

The Lord opened my eyes, and I realized that the rending of the veil in the Temple which we see as a sign of God’s mercy towards us was, in fact, God Himself tearing His clothes as a sign of mourning for His Only Son.  In that moment, God lost a part of Himself, and, though He knew it would not be for long, it was His time to grieve. As the prophet Daniel prophesied, God the Father experienced having His own Son cut off from Him:

” …the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.” (Dan. 9:26)

This Passover, as we remember Yeshua’s death as a Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, let us also remember the unbelievable cost God Himself had to pay to give us that forgiveness and the access into His presence.

by Katy Sorsher