©January 3, 2014 Revive Israel Ministries

When God Comes Down

Click HERE to watch part 3 from the series - When God Comes Down! In this message Asher talks about how God comes down to dwell in us, empower us, change us and unify us by the Holy Spirit. Also he talks about the different groups of people who were in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2.
In case you missed them, click here for Part 1 & Part 2.

By Gil Afriat

After the coming of Messiah, there will be peace on earth and a renewal of natural creation during the Millennium.  However, most end times' prophecies actually deal with the period right before His coming.  Since only 10% of Scripture is concerned with end times' prophecies, we should study them with a balanced approach and appropriate emphasis (II Timothy 3:16).   

While we do not know the exact timing of Yeshua's coming (Matthew 24:36), we are to recognize the season (Matthew 24:33). He will come like a “thief in the night” to the unrighteous (I Thessalonians 5:2), yet He does not want us to be in darkness on the subject (I Thessalonians 5:4).

The scriptures say repeatedly that He will come quickly (Rev 1:3, 3:11, 22:20), yet at the same time warn that it may seem like a long time to us (Matthew 24:48, 25:5; Luke 19:11; 2 Peter 3:4). Why is this? God wants believers in every generation to assume that Yeshua will return in their time in order to be prepared spiritually and morally, thus building us in intimacy and the knowledge of God. Furthermore, His will is that we should desire His coming passionately (Rev 22:17; 2 Tim 4:8), understanding the urgency of divine judgment and wishing to see our Lord magnified on His throne in Jerusalem.

End times' prophecies have a final and a partial fulfillment.   The final fulfillment comes at the end of history, while partial fulfillments occur in many generations throughout history.  Understanding this dual nature – partial and final, present and future – will give us further insight when dealing with teachings about the end times.

(Adapted from Telem Yahav, p. 14, Yediot Aharonot, Dec. 24, 2013)

(Editor's comment: This transcript was released at a sensitive time in which Israel is now freeing a third group of convicted terrorists as a concession toward the peace talks orchestrated by John Kerry.  Many Israelis—especially family and friends of terrorist victims—recently demonstrated against this concession. We share this here to give you an appreciation of the emotional turmoil in Israeli society that accompanies such policy decisions. )

On October 12, 2000 two Israeli reservists, Yosi Abrahami and Vadim Norzits, were driving in their red Ford Fiesta, made a wrong turn in the territories and ended up in Ramallah. Palestinian policeman, Raad A-sheikh, led them inside to the second floor of the Ramallah police station.  A crowd gathered outside.
 
The courtroom transcripts of what happened next were just released this week after 13 years of judicial delays.  A-sheikh stated, "I took a 25 centimeter iron pipe.  I hit the Russian soldier (Norzits) on the head with the pipe until he fell and began to make gurgling sounds from his throat."  Another Palestinian policeman, Tarek Tabash, told investigators, "I saw one of the soldiers lying on the floor with his face to the ground, crying and speaking words in Hebrew I couldn't understand. I hit him on the back three times with my wooden baton."
 
Abed al Aziz Tsalhah, a young Palestinian resident in the crowd outside, climbed up and entered the room.  Tsalhah said, "All of us were in a frenzy to see blood.  I saw the Israeli soldier lying on the floor face down with a knife stuck in his upper back on the right side. I pulled out the knife and stabbed him another 2 or 3 times, and then left the knife stuck in his back. Others in the room began to kick him.  After I stabbed him I put one hand on his mouth and another on his shoulder to try to choke him.  I saw that my hands were all bloody, so I went to the window and waved my hands to the men in the courtyard."
 
The bloody hands of Tsalhah became a symbol of the “Ramallah Lynch,” engraved in the collective memory of every Israeli, even today.  The ripped apart bodies of the two reservists were thrown from the window out into the streets.  Tsalhah served 10 years in jail for the murder and was RELEASED 3 years ago as part of the exchange to free Gilad Shalit.  The case in the Palestinian courts has never been brought to conclusion.

By Betty Intrater

In October we asked you to pray for the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel's new musical theater production, "The Star is Born."  It was presented in December and was a huge success. Approximately 1,500 people attended this gala performance at Kibbutz Brenner, believers and non-believers alike. The script, songs, and choreography were all composed by local Messianic believers. The Musical was professionally filmed with a five-camera crew.  Over 80 people took part in the production, on and off stage. The combination of adult and child actors added warmth to the evening and made it a true family affair. Thank you for praying! (For more information on the MJAI go to www.MJAI.co.il)