Why the hunters?
Kristalnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” November 9th, 1938, was a night that marked widespread violence against German and Austrian synagogues, Jewish businesses, and Jews, themselves. Nearly 100 Jews were killed, and several thousand sent to concentration camps. It marked the “beginning of the end” for Jews in Germany. Sixty-five years, later anti-Semitism is rising again in the world. It never really left. It just went underground. It is now beginning to sweep across the world in a tidal wave of hatred.
Recently during his 21st Solidarity Mission to Israel, U.S. Pastor John C. Hagee, 63, said the following in an interview with The Jerusalem Post: “Global anti-Semitism is growing unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime.”
In the last week, we have seen the simultaneous bombings of two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey, killing at least 20 people, including six Jews. We have seen arson attacks on a Jewish secondary school in a suburb of Paris, France; a synagogue in Manchester, England, and a Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA.
In the past six months Jewish cemeteries, Holocaust memorials, and synagogues have been desecrated and vandalized across Europe and in South America.
France’s Chief Rabbi has warned Jewish men against wearing yarmulkes in public, suggesting baseball caps instead to minimize the chance of becoming targets of violence.
Several European nations have banned kosher slaughter, often under the guise of animal-protection. Switzerland has even considered banning the import of kosher meat.
The world is growing increasingly hostile to the Jewish people.
One of the questions we need to answer is, “Why is there anti-Semitism? Why is there this concerted hatred aimed at the Jewish people?”
In his book, “Your People Shall Be My People,” Don Finto addresses this very question:
Anti-Semitism is still the longest-held and deepest hatred in human history. This animosity had its beginning in the garden when God promised Eve that one of her descendants would crush the enemy’s head (See Gen. 3:15). The weight of this man-hatred later centered in Abraham and his descendants. God’s call to Abraham has been a mixed blessing. Under God’s supernatural protection, the Jewish people have survived, but they have had to endure the wrath of the nations. Since the time of Abraham’s call Satan has targeted this family for extinction. If he could destroy Abraham’s descendants, he would thwart the purposes of God in bringing the world’s Deliverer through Israel’s promised Son.
After Jesus came, Satan continued his assault against the Jewish Nation. He knew that the Jewish Messiah would return one day to a reestablished Jewish homeland and to both Jew and Gentile who are ready to receive Him.” (Finto, 65)
Don continues:
“Why now the continuation of anti-Semitism on all fronts? Why would Satan still provoke hatred for the Jews? Why would he now need to annihilate them as a race of people? Why have they been a target for persecution throughout the world in every century?
Because our invisible enemy knows something that many Christians have not discovered – that the promises of God will not be realized if Satan is successful in destroying Israel.” (Finto, 70)
So, why anti-Semitism? Simply, if Satan can destroy the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, then God is made out to be a liar. If just one of God’s promises fails to come to pass, God is proved fallible. God would cease to be “Almighty” and be just “part-mighty.”
So, another questions remains. Why the hunters? Why does God need the hunters? To answer that, let’s look a few scriptures first.
11It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the Islands of the sea. 12He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” – Isaiah 11:11-12
[NKJV]5Fear not for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from west; 6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth – Isaiah 43:5-6 [NKJV]
8Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and the one who labors with child, together; a great throng shall return there. – Jeremiah 31:8 [NKJV]
14“ ‘I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15I will plant them in their own land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them’, says the Lord your God” – Amos 9:14,15
A great part of God’s plan for the Jewish people is their return to the land of Israel, that they be re-gathered together.
This return, “Aliyah,” is the destiny of every Jewish person on the planet. It is part of my destiny. For myself, it’s not a matter of “If”, but a matter of “when”; the “when” to be determined by my Heavenly Father.
God has two primary methods of getting His people back to the land – fishers and hunters.
16”Behold, I will send for many fisherman,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.” – Jeremiah 16:16 [NKJV]
These are two very different methods. How does a fisher operate? They use bait, a lure. Fishers bring the fish to them. In the context of this analogy, once lured out, the fish are not killed but saved; moved from a hostile place to a place of refuge – not unlike some modern conservationist endeavors.
Hunters, for the most part, drive their prey before them, stalking, tracking, wearing down the energy and resolve of their prey, and finally killing them. Some hunters do use bait, drawing the prey out into the open, giving it a false sense of security and then killing it.
There have always been fishers trying to call the Jewish people home. Fishers have also been watchmen, warning the Jewish people of the danger that is coming. In the 1930s, there were fishers in Europe trying to call the Jewish people to what was then Palestine, a region of the Middle East under British rule.
One such fisher was Ziev Jabotinsky, a Ukrainian Jew who witnessed his first pogrom in 1903. In 1932 he warned European Jews, “Do everything you can to get out of Europe, because the ground is burning under your feet!” In June of 1939, he said the following:
“Zero hour is approaching. The hour of great destruction. D-E-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-O-N! Learn this word by heart! For three years I have implored you, appealing to you, warning you unceasingly, that the catastrophe is nigh. My hair has turned white, and I have grown old over these years, for my heart is bleeding that you do not see the volcano which will soon begin to spew forth its fires of destruction. I see a horrible vision. Time is growing short for you to be spared. I know you cannot see it, for you are troubled and confused by everyday concerns. For God’s sake, let everyone save himself so long as there is time to do so, for time is running short!” – (Roth, 66)
We all know what happened. Many European Jews failed to heed the warning and call of fishers, and when the hunters came, few escaped destruction.
In the wake of the bombings of the synagogues in Istanbul and death threats against the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, there has been a renewed call for the 30,000 Jews still living in Turkey to come home to Israel. However now, as then, many do heed see the signs or sense the eminent danger.
Why does God need the hunters?
In a phone interview with The Jerusalem Post, Lina Filiba, Executive Vice President of the Turkish Jewish Community, said the following in response to the Aliyah question. “We appreciate our ties with Israel but we are citizens of Turkey.”
That is why the hunters are needed.
Bibliography:
Finto, Don, Your People Shall Be My People, Ventura, California,
Regal Books, 2001
Roth, Sid, Time is Running Short, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, Destiny Image, 1990How Can We Sing on Alien Soil?
By Valerie van den Bergh
By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat,
sat and wept,
as we thought of Zion.There on the poplars
we hung up our lyres,
for our captors asked us there for songs,
our tormentors, for amusement:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”How can we sing a song of the LORD
on alien soil?If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither;
let my tongue stick to my palate
if I cease to think of you,
if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory
even at my happiest hour.I’ve been dumping boxes lately, trying to find things I know I have. In the process, I’ve been finding things that I forgot I had, like pieces of paper with prophetic words written on them. One such scrap had Psalm 137:1-6 written on it, stating that verse 4 was especially for me.
How can we sing a song of the LORD on alien soil?
I must confess, it had little impact on me at the time I received it.
The author of this lament is unknown. It was written during the Jewish exile in Babylon. Tradition gives the authorship to either an observant Levitical priest in exile; or the prophet Jeremiah. Although never having set foot on Babylonian soil, Jeremiah would have understood the pain of being uprooted from the land he loved – Judah. Even as he predicted destruction and exile for Jerusalem and Judah, this prophet, obedient to the LORD God, redeemed land that had belonged to his cousin. (Jeremiah 32:1-15)
This is your home, Jeremiah. This is the land given to your forefathers. This is the land of covenant and promise.
This is where you belong.
I remember my first trip to Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel. It was by the grace and blessing of Abba. I simply knew I had to get to the Land. It was a fire that burned in my spirit. I did not understand it. I was obsessed with getting to the Land. A neighbour and I had discussed going together. I was putting myself through school and didn’t know from where the funds would come. I recall walking and weeping, asking God for the means to go. The finances came from a very unlikely source, confirming to me that God wanted me in Israel. My neighbour decided not to go, so it was Yeshua and I, backpacking across the land our Abba had given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I am a Canadian by birth. I am very proud to be Canadian. My father fought for Canada in the armed forces. He talked little about the war. I do know that his battalion was just outside of Dachau when the end of the war was declared.
I know my freedom to be who and what I am comes with a price.
The plane trip to Israel was a long one. I had a lot of time to think – people, places – the past. Others wanted to go to the Land, so our plane stopped in Amsterdam. There are mysteries embedded in this city. This place is part of me; yet it isn’t. It is a stopover – neither the destination nor the origin.
Israel was still several hours away. I talked to many. A few expressed alarm that I had no family in Israel, and that I didn’t know where I’d be staying during my trip. I told them I’d be fine. I did wonder where I’d stay and what I’d be doing, but that was in Abba’s hands.
I simply needed to plant my feet on ancient soil, the land of Moses, David – and Yeshua.
I had wonderful opportunities to talk with people from every facet of life. The land of Israel is ancient. The state of Israel is in its infancy. I marvelled that I was being afforded the chance to talk to actual pioneers, people who, like Nehemiah of old, had held an agricultural tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. Many with whom I spoke had survived the death camps of Nazi Europe, as well as the British and Arab hostilities resident on the soil the Romans had renamed Palestine. They had fought in the Irgun and with the Haganah. They remembered that glorious day when the United Nations, against all odds, said that the Jews were entitled to a homeland of their own.
The world gave back what was already ours. It says so in the Book.
Thus says the LORD who is planning it, The LORD who is shaping it to bring it about, Whose name is LORD:
Call to Me, and I will answer you, And I will tell you wondrous things, Secrets you have not known.
Thus says the LORD: Again there shall be heard in this place, which you say is ruined, without man or beast –in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man, without inhabitants, without beast — the sound of mirth, and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and bride, the voice of those who cry, “Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good, for His kindness is everlasting!” as they bring thanksgiving offerings to the House of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as of old — says the LORD. Jeremiah 33:2-3, 10-11
I stood on soil that had, in the not so distant past, been a malaria invested swamp. Other ground had been desert. It now blossomed with cotton, oranges, and roses. The roses intrigued me. The British, I was told. Oh, yes. The British – and before them the Turks, the Muslims, the Crusaders, the Romans …
I also stood on soil that was soaked with the blood of countless souls down through the centuries.
Because of our sin, we had been scattered to the four corners of the world.
Moreover, the LORD constantly sent all His servants the prophets to you, but you would not listen or incline your ears to hear when they said, “Turn back, everyone, from your evil ways and your wicked acts, that you may remain throughout the ages on the soil which the LORD gave to you and an your fathers. Do not follow other gods, to serve them and worship them. Do not vex Me with what your own hands have made, and I will not bring disaster upon you.” But you would not listen to Me, declares the LORD. Jeremiah 25:4-7
Because of our sin, alien soil was also soaked with our blood.
It was many years before my feet again landed in the Jewish homeland. It wasn’t for lack of desire or trying. As a believer, I have come to know that it is the LORD who makes the final decisions. While on the other side of the world, I continued to pray, study, and teach. My feet were in Canada, but my heart was in Israel. How long, LORD??
I taught the Hebrew Scriptures. I taught about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. I taught Jewish history. I taught Church history. I taught some very difficult things. The words anti-Semitism and repentance didn’t make me the most popular person in town.
Canada, like Israel, is a baby nation. We turned 136 on July 1st. Despite our tender age, we have committed heinous sins against the LORD God, and mankind, too numerous to recount. Up until 65 years ago, serious quotas on Jewish entrance into universities, medical schools, and hospitals had been imposed. Toronto, a world-class city in the province of Ontario, and home to a large Jewish population, witnessed a riot at a baseball game played in Christie Pits. Someone raised a swastika during the game. I know many people who were repeatedly beaten up going to and from school, with shouts of kike, sheenie, and Christ killer. Toronto beaches posted signs saying, No dogs, or Jews. Toronto, the good, was true only if you were White, Anglo Saxon, and Protestant. Yes, others besides the Jews suffered under this bigotry, but the other victims didn’t like us either.
Just before the war, the nation of Canada refused to allow a ship full of Jewish souls to dock. These German Jews had already been refused by Cuba and the United States. Canada was their last hope. The nation’s response? None is too many.
Most of us are familiar with the history of the Second World War in Europe. An estimated 13 million were murdered by the Nazi machine. Intellectuals. Gypsies. Homosexuals. Poles. Slavs. Pastors. Priests. Nuns. Protestants. Catholics. Atheists.
And Jews.
Six million.
Thanks to an Egyptian-born Canadian, David Demian, Director of Watchmen for the Nations, and the obedience of intercessors from across the land, Canada was able to come together as a nation and repent for its anti-Semitism. In July 1999, Canada repented for turning back the St. Louis from its shores and safety. David Demian said, “This is the destiny of Canada. Canada will put their arms around the Jewish people and say, ‘It will never happen again.'” Dr. Demian also believes that anti-Semitism needs to repented for, first and foremost, before repentance for other forms of racism can take place. The five-year journey of repentance and reconciliation of the Canadian church with the Jewish people culminated in 500+ Canadians, with representation from 20 other nations, landing on the shores of Israel, in May 2001. I was to go with them.
By the time I returned, the Land had changed dramatically.
I had changed.
I was walking Eretz Israel as a Canadian who had stood in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and asked the LORD God to have mercy on me, and on my nation.
I was praying over Eretz Israel as a believer in Yeshua, knowing the work that needed to be done would be Jew and Gentile, Israel and the nations, hand-in-hand, bringing God’s light to a world in darkness.
I was standing in Eretz Israel as a Jew, knowing that this place was where we had to be.
… And seek the welfare (shalom) of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the LORD in its behalf; for in its prosperity (shalom) you shall prosper.
For thus says the LORD: When Babylon’s seventy years are over, I will take note of you, and I will fulfill to you My promise of favour – to bring you back to this place. For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you – declares the LORD – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future. When you call Me, and come and pray to Me, I will give heed to you. You will search for Me and find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly. I will be at hand for you -declares the LORD – and I will restore your fortunes. And I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have banished you – declares the LORD – and I will bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you. Jeremiah 29:7, 10-14
Thus says the LORD who is planning it, The LORD who is shaping it to bring it about, Whose name is LORD:
Call to Me, and I will answer you, And I will tell you wondrous things, Secrets you have not known.
Thus says the LORD: Again there shall be heard in this place, which you say is ruined, without man or beast –in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man,without inhabitants, without beast — the sound of mirth, and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and bride, the voice of those who cry, “Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good, for His kindness is everlasting!” as they bring thanksgiving offerings to the House of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as of old — says the LORD. Jeremiah 33:2-3, 10-11
The LORD told me that I would return to the Land sooner than later. As He spoke those words to me, my feet were being refreshed by the Mediterranean waters of Netanya. Overhead, a military helicopter patrolled the area. Terrorists had blown themselves up, and others, at the mall a couple of days earlier.
The Biblical cities of refuge are all under Arab rule. Bethlehem is poor, destitute, and under Arab rule. Arab and Jews, once business associates and friends, can no longer be so. People are heart broken.
This is not how I remembered it.
I’m presently sitting at a computer, a cup of coffee beside me. It’s quiet. Canada is not at war. Soldiers with guns are not present. I can go to the mall without concern of being blown up by a suicide bomber. Our borders are safe for the moment. The peace for which my father and others fought is secure. Nevertheless, one thought now haunts me more than ever.
How can we sing a song of the LORD on alien soil?
Books referenced in this issue:
Exodus Cry, Jim Goll, Regal Books, Ventura, CA, 2001
Let My People Go, Tom Hess, Morningstar Publications, Charlotte, NC, 1997
Time is Running Short, Sid Roth, Shippensburg, PA, Destiny Image, 1990
Your People Shall Be My People, Don Finto, Ventura, CA, Regal Books, 2001