Do You Remember?
To recall what happened that day, I need to get a grip on my emotions. They are mixed, terribly mixed.
Beginning on that day last year I have heard countless government and political figures open their speeches by saying,
“First we must remember that Israel was attacked, (or invaded) on October 7…”
Then they began to subtly reveal their agenda with terms like “Israel’s unmeasured response, lack of food and water in Gaza, thousands displaced, children injured and without homes and medical care, hospitals and schools destroyed with patients and students inside, innocent civilians killed by the thousands with no place to flee.”
Soon the cries came for a ceasefire and Israel agreed to the terms, until Hamas backed out. Two hundred fifty-one civilians were taken hostage, eighty-one were released from captivity. Two hundred forty Palestinian terrorists were released from prison.
Israel was reminded of the futility of negotiating with terrorists and their ground assault began. The world of “fair and balanced” journalism took all their information from sources that oppose Israel. Once again Israel was accused of heinous crimes that amounted to the genocide of Palestinian civilians. They trumped up charges and brought their case to the World Court in the Hague and the United Nations.
Meanwhile, missiles continued to fire into Israel daily from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. In April, Iran joined the terror personally, sending 400 missiles and rockets.
But Israeli casualties were far less than the Gazans. That couldn’t be fair so “unbiased media” portrayed Israel as Goliath and Gaza, as David, the poor shepherd boy with only a slingshot.
As the IDF began their campaign in Rafah, the US demanded they pause as negotiations began with the three major players—Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. Strangely Israel was left out of the peace treaty proposal, but no problem, they devised a solution without her.
Two-State Solution It sounded like a novel idea, except it had been proposed many times before with different administrations, and each time it was a failure. The Palestinians continually rejected them because the only solution they would ever agree to was the Final One that Hitler attempted.
No worries though, the International Courts were still at work charging Israel for war crimes while the UN proposed that Palestine should be recognized as a separate nation.
As of June 2024, the “State of Palestine” was recognized as a sovereign state by 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, or just over 75% of all UN members.*
The IDF continued to go deeper into the tunnels of Rafah, which led to intense fighting, and an increase in the missiles launched towards populated areas of Israel. The question was why they still had missiles to launch and the large cache of weapons and ammunition they uncovered sixty feet underground. Who made these sophisticated tunnels with its endless routes?
They once said in Israel that all roads lead to Rome, but in Gaza, it seemed they lead to Egypt. Could it be the missing hostages are there also? Where have all the rockets come from?
It couldn’t be Egypt because they are too busy brokering the Peace treaty.
Meanwhile one week after the October 7th invasion, the city streets in the U.S. were filled with street-wide banners praising the Gazans for their courageous attempt to defy Israel and new chants to destroy her. The activity quickly took root on college campuses and their chants could be heard and read across the globe. Jews were once again at risk and Israel was in the crosshairs of angry mobs all over the States.
It seemed that no one was asking where all the money came from to stage these enormous protests, the endless rockets, the marvelously engineered tunnels, and the legal fees for all the charges against Israel.
Not to worry, the UN is amply funded by the US, and the college campus organizations by Qatar and other Muslim nations. Skilled leadership, no doubt, was provided by the best of the Muslim Brotherhood which originated in Egypt.
Hamas doesn’t care about the damage done because people are expendable and Gaza will be rebuilt by foreign investors and their citizens.
All of the above angers me because of the senseless loss of life, followed by lies and injustice. But what bothers me the most is what our Israeli friends cannot understand.
What happened to the Church in America?
It seemed they were so supportive, compassionate, and understanding. They posted their support all over Social Media. The Israelis felt they were not alone with all the comfort and inspiration to press on, but within two weeks of October 7, their support steadily diminished and became almost silent. The Christians who cheered their Messianic family, not only stopped but questioned why so many innocent civilians had to be murdered. Where did they get that “truth” from?
Maybe even worse the Church seemed to miss the miracles that occurred on April 14th and October 1st.
Close to 400 missiles and drones were fired at Israel in April and 180 in October. The ballistic missiles can reach a trajectory higher than the earth’s atmosphere. For the first time, they launched a more advanced missile called Fatah, which means “Conqueror” in Farsi.
They all failed. How is it possible that only one man, a Palestinian father, died in the latest barrage and no one in the first? The engineers of the Israeli Air defense system called it a miracle.
I believe on April 14 God spared us from WW3.
But I never heard mention of these miracles in Churches.
Maybe even sadder though, is the fact that Iran has sworn to destroy Israel, the “little Satan,” and then the United States, “ the Great Satan”.
Since October 7, Israel has not only defended itself in her fight for survival but the entire Western world. They have been battling for one solid year as missiles from Hezbollah and Hamas have been fired at them every day. Sirens and explosions have become a way of life, and the entire population has experienced emotional trauma and loss.
They have made it very clear that they welcome aid, in fact they are in great need of it, but they do not want one drop of American blood to be spilled for their defense.
Meanwhile, our partners are full throttle sharing the gospel and meeting the needs of the people they serve as best they can with what they have.
Please go live with what you believe regarding your Israeli family of Believers. They are small in number but doing a great work.
Let us assist you in helping them if and only if God leads you.
Please Note: I am writing in general terms when I say “the Church.” I realize that there remains a remnant of supporters like you. So please don’t stay silent. If you have known us, you know we don’t ask for money to support our partners. We trust that as we lean on God, He will lean on His people and it will be enough.
Shalom, Paul
The Jews worldwide are in the middle of their Ten Days of Awe in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in which they prepare for God to examine their deeds from this past year.
They do not know what Jesus, the Jewish Messiah did on their behalf as you, as a forgiven Christian should know. Please pray for their hearts to be tender to Him.
“They did not know it was I who loved them.” Haggai 11:1,3 (paraphrase)
*https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-experts-urge-all-states-recognise-state-palestine
IMPORTANT NOTE: I intended to finish this a few days ago before the Hurricane landed which was predicted to be far worse than the one that landed here two weeks ago. The forecasters said there was a possibility that tornadoes might spring up. Florida has a history of very few tornado incidents ~ until now. As my wife watched the storm track, the weather people shifted their attention from the Hurricane to a row of tornadoes that showed up on the radar like planes on a tarmac. Almost immediately they raised their voices to warn their viewers because these monsters were taking off, one which was headed to us. Immediately our power went out and the sky turned black. We sat in our pantry in peace believing God as I recited Psalm 91. I have more to say regarding the spiritual element of that event. For now, thank you to those who prayed and showed your concern. The storm did great damage nearby, even on our street, but we are without damage. We praise God for that and believe there is more to do for us, Comfort My People, and hopefully you alongside.