©October 22, 2011 Revive Israel Ministries

In the 20 years I have lived in Israel, I have never seen the hearts of the people so touched, so softened, so unified. Gilad is certainly not the Savior.  Yet there was something in his appearance and demeanor reminiscent of the image of the suffering servant of the Messiah Himself.

The deep pain in his eyes; his broken body that struggled to stand erect; his need to grip the handrails as he came down only a few stairs… and yet the clarity of thoughts; the stature of elegance and nobility; the raising of his hand in a military salute when he met the Prime Minister… there was not a dry eye in the country.

He was led out of captivity by Ahmed Jabari (head of the Hamas terror wing) and by Raad Atar (who engineered the kidnapping): he looked like a lamb who had been led to slaughter. And yet there was no hint of complaining. His brave and childlike little smile said to all, "I'm going to be all right."

Then there was the ugly interview by the Egyptian press. After 5 years 4 months of solitary confinement and malnutrition, he was asked whether he would work to free Palestinian prisoners. He answered that he would like them to be free if they would not continue their violent acts against Israel. (BBC news amazingly cut off the second half of the sentence in their broadcast.)

Israel values life over death: One innocent life over a thousand death mongers. That's the ratio. The life of this one boy is so precious, that everyone here is simply ignoring the freeing of murderers with blood on their hands. Let the world celebrate its death; we will enjoy this moment of intimacy as a family. 

The "free Gilad" movement was primarily leftist, while Netanyahu is rather right wing. Until yesterday there was political division over the issue. But when Netanyahu and Gilad hugged one another, we became one family. If Gilad is symbolic of the Messiah as suffering servant, the Prime Minister of Israel is symbolic of Messiah as reigning monarch. As the two came together, the nation came together in unity.

On the same day that Gilad arrived home, the yearly "Jerusalem March" of the Feast of Tabernacles took place. Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world (led by the International Christian Embassy) marched through Jerusalem, singing praises to Jesus and expressing their solidarity with the Jewish people.

The following day marked "Simchat Torah" (the last, great day of the Feast – John 7:37), in which thousands of Jews around the world dance with scrolls of the Torah. "Everyone who is left from all the nations who came against Jerusalem, will go up from year to year to worship the King YHVH of armies and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" – Zechariah 14:16.

The words in Hebrew Baruch Haba, "blessed is he who comes," have a double meaning. In modern Hebrew, it simply means "Welcome." In biblical Hebrew (Psalm 118:26, Matthew 21:9, 23:39), it is an end times prophecy, ushering in the coming of Messiah. The front page of the largest newspaper in Israel simply had a picture of Gilad's face and a giant headline, Baruch Haba.  "Welcome home, Gilad."

Who Ate Lunch with Abraham?

Asher's new, long-awaited book, "Who Ate Lunch with Abraham?" has just arrived. It analyzes the appearances of Yeshua as the Angel of the Lord from the Law and the Prophets, through to the book of Revelation. This book is guaranteed to inspire and challenge your understanding of the eternal nature of Yeshua the Messiah and of the progressive revelation of the Bible as a whole.

The main idea for this book was developed not only in years of study in the Hebrew texts, but also in real life experiences of sharing the gospel with Orthodox Jews in Israel. (Not to mention a lot of prayer and intercession.)

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From the back cover:

"Can You See God?"

There is a figure who appears throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. He is sometimes referred to as the Angel of the Lord, sometimes as God Himself, and sometimes as the “Son of Man.” The appearance of this figure demands a re-evaluation of classic Judeo-Christian world views.

Excerpts from recommendations:

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