travel – 11:3 Restoration

Prophecy blindness?

Kelly and I are back in the Land, aka Israel, for the next three glorious weeks. We are blessed to have the opportunity to lead the Ani Yosef Sukkot trip and to attend a couple small conferences concerning the restoration of Israel.

After a late start this morning due to little sleep while traveling we headed out for a several hour hike out of the moshav and through a part of the Hakedoshim Forest. The ‘Forest of the Holy Ones.’

We walked and talked. Stopped a couple places to pray and simply drink in the beauty.

As we talked, she mentioned, “I look forward to the day when everything is green again.”

I said, “It is green! Everywhere.”

“I’m not color-blind,” she immediately responded.

“I understand what you are saying, dear, but I already see it as green.” Then it hit me. I pondered and as we kept walking, I said, “I think often we are prophecy-blind like being color-blind. We don’t see things by faith as if they already are!”

Traveling home

I love to travel but must say, it is a

sickness. Somehow airports, security, sitting and food (airport and airplane) are either bad or worst.

We arrived at Ben Gurion early only to find out our flight is already delayed nearly two hours…. aaargh… so, we sit.

Boys were hungry and we all agreed on burgers… predictably

Continue reading “Traveling home”

Davening in the rear galley of a 777

There are still so many stories bubbling up from our recent trip to Israel. It was such an incredible trip that I am still processing the many events. Even our flight home was ‘off the chain…’

During our 21 days in the Land, we were blessed to have many close and personal encounters with Brother Judah. It is what we had prayed for, but the Father’s answers far exceeded our expectations. I prayed for more on the flight home knowing there would be many Orthodox on the plane.

With five of us traveling and the 777 having three seats across the center section, Kelly and I chose to sit in the center section and leave the boys in the three seats that were on the window side of the aisle. I selected the aisle seat for a little more leg room and put Kelly in the center. Initially a lady was trying to get situated in the seat to Kelly’s left. I helped her put away luggage, etc… Then, just before we pushed back from the concourse in Tel Aviv, an Orthodox gentleman in black hat and coat stepped up and through very broken English asked if Kelly and I could change places. At first, I was confused by his sudden appearance, then, understanding that he was related to the woman and did not want to rub elbows with Kelly, I quickly made the switch. I wanted to protect him.

Quietly, I thanked Abba for putting him next to me.

We settled in for a 12 hour flight and I Continue reading “Davening in the rear galley of a 777”

Last day in Jerusalem, a mixed bag….

Tomorrow is Simchat Torah and then we head to Ariel for the Congress, so we made our last trip into Jerusalem today. Not having visited the Kotel yet, we made that our very first priority and, like last time, it was an emotional walk. So many men praying. It was a bit more crowded than last time we went, but nothing like three days ago during the Priestly Blessings when tens of thousands packed into the plaza at the base of the Wall.

It is an interesting thing. In Christendom, Scriptures speaking to the dwelling of God with man in a spiritual sense are emphasized while the Beit Hamikdash, House of Prayer (for all nations, as Solomon prayed for it to be) is de-emphasized. Still, on this trip I have met many, many Jews who are spirit filled, but may not understand the Messiah in the same way I do. The trip to the Kotel, the western Wall, dashes the Christian de-emphasize.

Along with my three younger sons, I carefully slipped through the praying mass toward an empty spot on the Wall where we could Continue reading “Last day in Jerusalem, a mixed bag….”

Visited a Crime Scene, Today.

Today, we visited the scene of a crime. It actually is one of the primary reasons I came to Israel. Next week’s Congress is vitally important in the process of restoring the whole House of Israel, but today was a required prerequisite. Without returning to the scene of the crime committed by our fathers against the Holy One of Israel, all of next week’s efforts would be for nought.

Today, we visited the ruins of the ancient temple build by Jeroboam at Tel Dan. The facts of the crime are simple:

In order to cement his new kingdom and kingship he,

Established a new priesthood
Established new holydays
Redefined God with gods.

Sound familiar? Kinda like what Christendom did… new priesthood/religion, new Continue reading “Visited a Crime Scene, Today.”

Today is a Day of Confession!

We leave in a few minutes for Dan, way in the north. We’ll drive 3.5 hours each way to go see the replica of an altar to an idol. I have been looking forward to and dreading this day all at the same time. I wrote about the significance of the place a while back. It is where Israel committed great sin and apostasy.

Our purpose is to pray and repent for the sins of our fathers.

Christendom struggles with the idea that one can repent for ancestral sins, however, not only does Scripture specifically address this on multiple occasions, but it says tat it is a prerequisite for Yehovah’s to turn His face again toward His people and the Land. The House of Israel has much repenting to do.

Here are a couple sample verses:

⁴⁰‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me— ⁴¹I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, ⁴²then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. ⁴³For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, ^[a]because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. ⁴⁴Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. ⁴⁵But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord.’” Lev. 26:40-45

⁴When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁶let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. ⁸Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; ⁹but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ ¹⁰They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. ¹¹O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to ^[c]revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Neh. 1:4-10

³So I ^[a]gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. ⁴I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.

⁷“Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us ^[b]open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ⁸^[c]Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You….. Daniel 9