"... beware that you are not ensnared to follow them... and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise...." Deutronomy 12:30

"Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues...." Revelation 18:4

In contrast, potatoes that were planted during the shmita year — which began at nightfall on September 13, the first day of the Jewish year of 5768 — were decimated.

Farmers who planted during the shmita year relied on a contested halachic leniency called "heter mechira", or "permitted sale," under which Jewish-owned land is temporarily sold to a non-Jew for the duration of the shmita year. This "sale" abrogates the holiness of the land and exempts farmers from adhering to the laws proscribing field work.

Yechi Rab, a religious potato grower who was evacuated from Atzmona in the Gaza Strip as part of the Disengagement Plan, was one of those farmers hit by the frost.

"I'd say about 20 percent of our crop was destroyed by the frost. That's about 12,000 tons of potatoes," said Rab, who belongs to a collective of farmers, all from Atzmona, who were relocated in the Negev. "Farmers who planted before the shmita year did not sustain any damage."

Rab laughed when asked if he thought the damage was a type of divine retribution, saying, "I do not claim to know the workings of God."

Rab said that he has to rely on heter mechira because he is an exporter. (There is a halachic prohibition against exporting fruits and vegetables that grow in Jewish-owned land during the shmita year.)

Agronomist Motti Shomron, who works with Otzar Ha'aretz, a kosher supervision outfit that encourages Jewish farmers to adhere to the strictures of the shmita year, called the incident a miracle.

"I am not trying to say that farmers who planted in the shmita year sinned, God forbid," said Shomron. "But God does prefer that farmers refrain from working the land during the shmita year. And maybe He showed us that He does."

Shomron explained that the frost did not affect farmers who planted early because the potato bulbs managed to grow big enough and strong enough before the cold weather hit.

Rabbi Yehuda Amichai, head of Otzar Ha'aretz, said that while the incident seemed to prove that God was pleased with farmers who planted before the shmita year, one should not look to signs from God for proof that one has found favor.

"The exact opposite could have happened," said Amichai, who recently lost his son Amikam in a terrorist attack near Hevron. "Farmers who planted early could have sustained more damage. Either way, our faith is unshaken."

Just recently, leaders from several different religions converged upon Bishop Manogue Catholic High School in south Reno, Nevada. According to another report, the occasion was to bless the new tenth Episcopal Bishop of Nevada, the Right Reverend Dan Thomas Edwards. (Not sure where I have seen those titles in Scripture.) In attendance were Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahai, American Indian, and Jewish religious leaders. It's important to realize that each of these religions worship a different god than the other one. (Due to its divergence from Scriptural teachings, the institutional church no longer worships the God of the Bible.) Several of the leaders read from their own holy books. The article states that Father Charles T. Durante "began the Service by invoking the Spirit". Seeing that the article was written by Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed, I'm not really sure what spirit was invoked. Both Imam Barghouthi (Islam) and Reverend Jackie L. Leonard (Christian) prayed for god's will but, again, they both worship a different god so it's not clear which god's will they were praying for.

You may think that I am being facetious but I am not. I can assure you I am very serious, as is God.

Contrary to popular opinion, Yahweh — the God of the Bible, the Creator of the heavens and the earth — does not tolerate other belief systems, nor does He tolerate pagan gods:

"So that they may know, from east to west, that there is none but Me. I am Yahweh and there is none else."

"For thus said Yahweh, the Creator of the heavens who alone is God, who created the earth and made it, who alone established it — He did not create it as an empty place but formed it to be inhabited; 'I am Yahweh, and there is none else'." (Isaiah 45.18)

"No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; for you must not worship any other god, because Yahweh, whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God." (Exodus 34.13-14)

I think it's pretty plain. Yahweh alone is God, there are no others, and He will not share His Glory or worship with any false, pagan god.

Don't be lured into the Greek mindset that be they Hindus, Buddhists, or Islamic, they are all worshiping the same god. US President George W. Bush has proclaimed on several occasions over the years that the god of Islam is the same as the God of the Bible. That, however, is not true at all. In fact, you don't even need to be spiritual to figure that one out. Yahweh, the God of the Bible, has chosen Israel to be His people forever. However, the god of Islam has declared the Jews to be his enemy. Now, it doesn't take too much intelligence to figure out that these must be two entirely different gods. One, the true God — the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the other a false god, destroyer of the heavens and the earth.

The Scriptures are very clear. We must worship Yahweh, not some other god and pretend it is Him. All religions are just that: man-made beliefs, having been sprinkled with a bit of truth. The Scriptures, on the other hand, are the teachings and revelations of the God of Creation, without the traditions of men.

Let's us turn and worship Yahweh, the one true God, and not drag false gods into the camp with us. Let us not pollute the Glory of God's presence with the stench of our man-made idols. Worship Yahweh, and Him alone.

Notice the portions that speak of the land itself:

• "the land shall have a sabbath"

• "the land shall have a sabbath rest"
• "you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard"
• "the land shall have a sabbatical year"

Now, I'm pretty sure that is clear to almost everybody — it is the land that is to have rest. That's the whole purpose of the sabbath year.

The command is important enough that God drove the remanent of Israel out of the land for seventy years because they did not obey the command regarding the sabbath year:

"Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete." (2 Chronicles 36.20-21)

Yahweh said, through the prophet Ezekiel, "You have despised My holy things and profaned My sabbaths" (Ezekiel 22.8). And again, we see Daniel praying to God to remind Him that the time had been fulfilled:

"To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem." (Daniel 9.9-12)

As I said, I think that's pretty clear to most people ... except for many Jews (including some rabbis) in the land of Israel. You see, about 100 years ago, when Israel was beginning to return to the land in large masses, the country was poor and farmers were working hard trying to eke out a living and provide food for their families. When the sabbath year came around, the rabbis issued a ruling called heter mechira, a procedure by which a Jew who owns land "sells" it to a Gentile for the duration of the sabbath year. At the end of the sabbath year, the fake deed is torn up and the property "reverts" back to its Jewish owner. By doing this, the Jew who actually owns the property can still work it because, according to the ruling, it isn't Jewish-owned land. To quote one Jewish landowner who participates in heter mechira: "It's a trick. But it's a smart trick. That's the Jewish way of dealing with the Torah. You reinterpret." The practice has continued to this day.

Moses stated very clearly:

"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you." (Deuteronomy 4.2)

I want to be clear here. Not all Jews in Israel participate in heter mechira. Many think it is an abomination, a clear violation of Torah, a sin. However, a large enough number of them do so as to make it a real problem.

Notice what I pointed out in the beginning regarding the command and its relation to the land. If we read it carefully, it does not matter who owns the land. All of the land of Israel — from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates — is included in the command. Obviously, Israel does not have all of its rightful land under its control at this time so, obviously, it wouldn't apply to all of it. However, it does apply to that land that is under Jewish control — all of it!

Prior to the beginning of the sabbath year, many rabbis in Israel advised their local assemblies to not work the land; rather, to buy fruits and vegetables from the Arabs or from out of the country. To counteract that ruling, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel called on all the bodies that issue kosher certificates in Israel to refrain from purchasing fruits and vegetables from Arab farmers during the sabbath year "for fear the proceeds will be used for funding terror". Now that's a nice legal twist.

From the Scriptures mentioned above, we can see that one of the aspects of the observance of this command is to honor God: "then the land shall have a sabbath to Yahweh". Given that Israel was driven from the land once before because it didn't observe the sabbath year, it becomes apparent, in some way we do not understand, that when God created the land of Israel, it was done is such a manner that it must have a sabbath every seventh year.

If someone is truly trusting the Lord for his daily sustenance, then God is quite able to keep him, even during the sabbath year. In fact, look at what God says:

"But if you say, 'What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?' then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years. When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in."

So look at what God has said He will do. In one year (the sixth), He will provide food for that year, for the next year (the seventh or sabbath), and then, while the field is being planted for harvest in the ninth year, He will provide food for that year (the eight) — three years crops in one harvest! What does all this take? Just a bit of faith and obeying His commandments. For Moses says again:

"For Yahweh your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them." (Deuteronomy 4.31)

In addition, as stated in Exodus, the land is to have a sabbath so that the poor and the beasts of the field can eat. So, if someone is busy working their land, due to some "trick" in the interpretation of Torah, then the poor (as well as the beasts) are not going to eat in the manner in which God provided for them to eat. So the poor continue to go hungry just so the landowner can continue to make money and employ his workers, rather than relying upon God.

It seems that it comes down to this: the heter mechira ruling is due to a lack of faith. I know that in the world we live in today, that is a hard thing to do — to completely let go and let God take charge of it all. But let's not forget all the stories of faith of Abraham, Joseph and others, as well as the recent one given by Sara Yoheved Rigler. Imagine what the world would do if all of Israel observed the sabbath year, according to the commandment given by God. Imagine how glorified God would be in the eyes of the Gentiles. May it be soon!

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it." (Deuteronomy 30.11-14)

OK, so this is probably not a movie you would want to take your kids to see. So what is the problem? Don't take your kids to see the movie! And by all means don't buy them the book the movie is based on. Which is exactly what millions of Christian parents did with their children in regards to another anti-God fantasy series. You remember the star of the series, I'm sure. His name is Harry Potter.

Of all the groups that purchased the Harry Potter books, DVDs, and watched the movie, Christians were one of the largest. In spite of what people want to say, the Harry Potter series is demonic. There are witches and warlocks, magic spells, and all other kinds of witchcraft. It's not like you have to look for hidden meanings. You don't even need to have any discernment at all. It's as plain as black and white. And yet, many Christian parents allowed — even encouraged — their children to partake of this magic.

I received a note today about some books and Bible studies that seem to have taken Harry Potter way beyond the realm of any reason (and beyond what its author had intended also, I am sure). The first book is The Gospel According to Harry Potter. It's written by Connie Neal, and is sold by the Covenant Bookstore. The book's promo states:

In a book that is sure to delight Harry Potter fans and spiritual seekers alike, author and Potter enthusiast Connie Neal dives into the Harry Potter series looking for the Christian Gospel. Does she find it? Yes! In this, her exploration of J.K. Rowling's created world of magic and mystery, Neal enumerates more than fifty "Potteran" themes that can be seen as glimmers of the Gospel.... the lessons in Harry Potter not only echo many of the stories in the Bible but also reinforce the central messages of Christianity.

The Bible that Neal claims Harry Potter represents has much to say about witchcraft and sorcery (e.g., Deuteronomy 18.10,14; 2 Kings 21.6; 2 Chronicles 33.6; Galatians 5.20; Revelation 10.23). If ever you wanted to portray the extreme of the Bible, witchcraft and sorcery is it. Neal has also published a follow-up book: The Gospel According to Harry Potter Bible Study. This one recommends viewing scenes from the Harry Potter movies to help with Bible study.

And, finally, as if that weren't enough, we have Looking for God in Harry Potter, written by John Granger. According to the Web site's promo:

Everything you've heard about Harry Potter may be wrong.... Using his knowledge of classic literature, philosophy, theology, and Christian tradition, Granger has decoded what he believes is the secret message of the Potter novels.

What can I say? This is crazy! People have removed themselves so far from God and His word that they have deceived themselves into believing that books about the occult contain secret messages about God! Paul very clearly states in his letter to Timothy:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4.3-4

In other words, people will no longer long for the word of God. Instead, they will seek out things that excite them, teachings that cause them to tingle inside, just like the word of God used to do to them. However, the word of God has been made void and empty in the institutional church today. It has lost its power; not the word itself, but those who teach it have emptied it of any meaning. They have thrown it into the mud of humanism, and trampled it underfoot. They no longer teach people to look for the coming of the Messiah, to seek the Kingdom of God. Instead, it's all about self — how to make more money, how you can feel better, how you can look better. All the while people are starving spiritually. The Lord is moving in the earth, He is stirring each man's soul within himself. These are the end of days! As people seek for that which they do not know (because they have no one to point them to it), they become easily led astray by those seeking to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11.4), or others who are looking to make a profit from the word of God.

Arise and wake up! It is time to put ourselves behind us. Let us live to the Lord, not to ourselves or to some man on a pedestal. Seek the word of God. Open the Scriptures and seek the Lord's guidance and He will show you the way. The messenger from God told Daniel to look to the end of days:

"Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand." Daniel 12:10

A hole in the ceiling of the gate was used to pour boiling oil down on the invading horsemen. If the horse slowed down to make the L-turn, the horseman would be fried by the boiling oil and the horse would slip and fall. If it galloped fast to avoid the oil, it would smash into the stone wall. It was doomed if it did and doomed if it didn't.

I often feel like the horse in the gate. No-win situations abound in my life and, I suspect, yours. The morning when you have an important meeting at work with a visiting V.I.P., your child takes sick and needs you at home. Just when you've blown your budget paying for holiday expenses, your washing machine breaks down and needs an expensive repair. Rushing to an interview for a new job, late because you couldn't find a parking space, a woman in a wheelchair asks for your help. Your spouse splurges on two tickets to a concert to celebrate your birthday and, just as you're leaving, your mother-in-law calls complaining of chest pains that are either indigestion or a heart attack.

When caught in such "horse-in-the-gate" situations, we feel like a trapped animal. Often we lose it, and burst out in anger or tell self-protective lies or blame the people closest to us. In our frazzled state, our moral standards plunge like the "broken" 13-story elevator in Disneyland's Tower of Terror. You would never leave a sick child at home alone, but this time... You would never dip into the money you're holding for the charity fund, but this time... You would never refuse to help a woman in a wheelchair, but this time... You would never yell at your spouse for helping his/her mother, but this time...

When we feel trapped without any recourse, our worst self manifests. We actually become the snorting, rearing beast in the gate.

The Third Alternative

The most dramatic scene in the Torah is just such a "horse in the gate" scenario. Three days after the Children of Israel made their Exodus from slavery in Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind and led his army after them. When Pharaoh's chariot forces caught up with the Israelite men, women, and children, they were camped beside the sea. With Pharaoh's army behind them and the sea in front of them, the people had nowhere to escape. Thinking their doom was sealed, they panicked.

Then, just at the critical moment, God intervened. He split the sea, let the Children of Israel walk through on dry land, and restored the water in time to drown the pursuing Egyptian army.

This Biblical prototype teaches us a profound lesson. At first glance, the horse in the gate scenario seems to have only two players: the invading soldier on his charging horse and the defending soldier poised to pour down his pot of boiling oil. From a Jewish perspective, however, there's always a third player: God.

Judaism believes in a God Who is intimately involved in His world. Everything is determined by the Divine Will except the moral choices that human beings make. In a Godless world, the horse and rider would be doomed to fry or smash, but in a God-directed world, there are always infinite possibilities. God could, for example, as the horse enters the gate, give the soldier holding the pot of oil a coughing fit, or he could feel a sudden urge to eliminate, or he could be felled by an invader's arrow.

In a God-directed world, you could choose to stay home with your sick child, and the V.I.P. you were supposed to meet that day could have been detained in Tokyo for 24 hours. If you overcome your temptation to dip into the charity fund, in a God-directed world you could be surprised by a check in the mail from a friend paying back an old loan. If helping the woman in the wheelchair makes you late for your job interview, you could be sitting opposite the disapproving personnel director when the interview is interrupted by a visit from his wife -- the woman in the wheelchair. In a God-directed world, there are infinite possibilities.

The Invincible Cable

The antidote for the panic of the horse in the gate is to repeat four simple words: "God runs the world." This does not mean relying on miracles. It does not mean abdicating responsibility. It does mean choosing to do the right thing and relying on God to take care of the rest. The recognition "God runs the world" is the invincible steel cable that keeps the elevator of our moral standard from plummeting.

Once you have chosen to do what is right and have prayed for Divine assistance, God may make things work out as you wanted or He may not. Yes, helping the woman in the wheelchair may make you late for the job interview and cause you to lose the job. But perhaps a better job is waiting for you... or perhaps this job would have posed ethical tests that you are not strong enough to pass... or perhaps this high-paying job would have taken too much time from your family...

Recognizing that God runs the world doesn't mean that we always get what we want, but rather that we get what is best for us.

When we fail to let God run our lives, we get stuck like the horse in the gate. Our possibilities are limited and our lives are constricted.

The House Of My Dreams

Shortly after getting married in 1987, my husband and I moved to the Old City of Jerusalem. We rented an apartment, with the intention of buying an apartment at the end of our year's lease.

In those days, taking a mortgage in Israel meant financial suicide, because both the interest and the principal of the mortgage were tied to "the index," Israel's double-digit inflation rate. So, you could take out a $100,000 mortgage and two years later find that you owed $130,000 on the principal. We heard horror stories of people who were swallowed up by such mortgages. We resolved to buy an apartment only for the sum we had in the bank.

The problem was that all the apartments for sale in our price range were small, cramped apartments. After months of searching, I gave up. We decided to just rent for another year. Six weeks before our lease expired, simply for protocol's sake, I called the owner, who had never lived in the apartment, to make sure we could renew our lease. He informed me that he would be moving into the apartment.

Panicked, I called the real estate agent to rent another apartment in the Old City. There was nothing available.

Suddenly we were the horse in the gate. We couldn't stay in our rented apartment, and we couldn't afford to buy an apartment that was big enough for us.

Then it hit me: Why were we limiting God? God runs the world, and perhaps He had a nice, large apartment that He wanted to give us. I prayed hard, then called the real estate agent and told her: "We want to buy the apartment that God wants to give us. Just show us our apartment; it doesn't matter the price."

Our apartment, I told her, had to have a large living room where we could hold classes and Shabbatons, had to have three bedrooms, and had to be on the ground floor so that my mother and father, who suffered from arthritis, could someday live with us. I secretly wished for one of the Old City's ancient structures with domed or vaulted ceilings, but that was not a requirement.

One morning soon after, the real estate agent showed us our apartment. It had all our requirements-plus high vaulted ceilings. Its price was exactly double what we had.

My husband and I each called our fathers and asked for loans. They magnanimously gave us the money outright, as "an advance on your inheritance," they told us.

That left us $20,000 short of the asking price. We told the real estate agent to make an offer for the sum we had. "They won't take it," she told us with authority. The owners, Mr. And Mrs. Kagan, had had the apartment on the market for over a year, and were not willing to budge on the price.

"God runs the world," I reminded her (and myself). "Please phone them with our offer. Tell them it's our maximum offer. Take it or leave it."

Two days later, she got back to us, her voice filled with wonder. The Kagans had told her that their married daughter, who lived on a moshav, had just found a house she wanted to buy. They needed cash quickly to help her buy it before she missed the opportunity. They were willing to accept our offer.

Two weeks after we closed the deal, I went with Mrs. Kagan to transfer the utility bills into our name. I asked her when her daughter would be moving into her new house. Mrs. Kagan frowned and replied, "That house fell through. She's not moving after all."

A world run by God is a world of infinite possibilities. We are never stuck like the horse in the gate.

There are currently many attacks against God's people and His land. The Muslims are destroying the remains of the second Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israeli police and IDF soldiers are throwing Jews out of their homes and then destroying their houses. Many members of the Israeli government are working to give away the land to their sworn enemies. The Yesha Council is in negotiations with the government to give up smaller communities ("outposts") that many have literally given their lives for. The government is releasing terrorists from prison to appease the Muslims and the leaders of the Gentile nations. The rockets keep falling in Sderot; the children are forced to attend school in bomb shelters. The daily threat of war surrounds the entire country.

With all of this going on, what are most 'Christians' involved in? Surely they must be focused on what is happening to God's chosen people, and what is happening to God's chosen land — that land in which the Messiah shall appear one day very soon. Well, unfortunately, they are not. Instead, most 'Christians' are busy with many other things. I'm not even sure if most of them are aware of what is happening in Israel.

Judging from the reports I receive from Christian news services, and from the Christian blogs that I have read, one of the most pressing issues for most 'Christians' is who will be the next president of the United States. The institutional church in the U.S. has become so ingrained in politics that it is hard to tell who they are worshipping. Unfortunately, for the most part, they are currently more concerned about getting the Republicans back in control of Washington, D.C. than they are in trying to stop the division of God's land, which, in case you weren't paying attention, is being led by the United States. And it's not just George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice who are doing it. No, that's too easy. The U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate have both approved hundreds of millions of dollars for the financing of Arab terrorists in Israel. (Evidently, the 'War on Terrorism' does not apply within the boundaries of the State of Israel.)

"I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land." Joel 3.2

I see more stories in the Christian media bashing the secular mainstream media for its reports about Republican "indiscretions" than I do about the daily, ongoing events in Israel. In fact, it's very hard to find reports of what is happening in Israel in most of the Christian media. And that's God's land; that's where the Messiah is coming to! Not Washington, D.C.!

"He said to me, 'Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever.'" Ezekiel 43.7

The real tragedy is that it seems that the people who have sided with Amalek have chosen to use this next year to divide the land of Israel, once and for all. They know that most 'Christians' and secular Jews in the United States will be focused on the upcoming presidential election, as will be a good portion of the rest of the world. They know that most 'Christians' are more worried about the coming North American Union than they are about the division of God's land. Those people who have sided with Amalek know that most 'Christians' are more concerned about Washington, D.C. than they are about Jerusalem, the place where God will reign in the midst of His people forever.

"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding." Daniel 2:21

Leaders come and leaders go but God has chosen only one nation and one land for His own — Israel. It doesn't matter what politicians tell you they will do; once elected, they will do whatever they want to do. Bush is the perfect example. He said he would begin procedures to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on the day after he was sworn in. Once he was sworn in, he tried to say he couldn't do it due to security reasons. And this is a man whose father is the former head of the C.I.A. and a former U.S. president. Don't you think that he knew it was a security risk before he ever made those empty promises? And who will you elect this time? Most Christians know that it is God who raises up leaders and puts them down but yet, for some reason, they still feel that He needs their help. He doesn't need your help. He was doing it by Himself thousands of years before the United States ever came into existence. Sometimes God places men in power who we might not think would be a good choice, and that may very well be the reason. In Israel we can see many leaders that are not good but they have driven the faithful to unity, for God's purpose. Who is to say which one God raised up and which one He didn't?

Don't be distracted; and don't be deceived. Keep your eyes open and keep watch. As Amalek tries to sneak in the back door, let us be counted as the ones who exposed him.

"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Isaiah 62:6-7

The letter from the evangelical leaders did not cause too much of an uproar within Christian circles, especially evangelical circles, until it was highlighted by Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz, hosts of the Arutz-7/Israel National Radio program, Light Unto the Nations, which is broadcast from Israel on the Internet. (One of the "protest" leaders said he didn't even know about it until he heard Jeremy and Ari talking about it on their show three and a half weeks after it was published!) Jeremy and Ari, of course, have a few reasons to object: 1) God — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — has declared that the land — "from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates" — is His and He has given it to the Jewish people forever; 2) Jeremy and Ari live in the area that the evangelical leaders want to give to the Arabs.

As I said in my previous post, the signers of this letter head up several major churches and evangelical organizations. One of them is the National Director of Vineyard USA, which comprises, according to their Web site, 600+ local assemblies. Joel Hunter himself is pastor of a 12,000 member congregation, with several thousand more online members. I don't dispute that these people are wrong and should be confronted. (Be sure to keep an eye on Jeremy's and Ari's show. Jeremy is scheduled to debate Joel Hunter on BBC Radio on August 30, 2007. There will be a link on their Web page to the show.) These people should be exposed for their unbiblical beliefs as they are putting themselves out to be leaders. But we don't need to cause confusion within the congregations themselves. There are no "Bible police".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against protesting something, if you feel that is what you need to do. That's fine, go for it. And if we need to speak out, then there are many different avenues we can take. (This group of "protesters" is from a church which has its own weekly community television program, several Web sites, and a blog.) But when you do something that you have to know will obviously cause confusion and disrupt a church worship meeting, then I think that is going too far.

The now-removed press release stated that this group was going to be at Northland Church for the 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM services. The purpose was to "educate" the members of the congregation as to what Hunter believes. They were going to challenge what Hunter said in the letter he signed in regards to the statement of faith as listed by Northland, without, it seems, ever confronting Hunter himself.

The now-removed press release stated that they might notify Hunter before the "education event" but they were not sure if they would. Hunter is the one they should have the problem with. Not someone who just bounced out of bed, rushed to get their children ready, and hurried to make it to church on time on a Sunday morning. That's blind siding them. In addition, they're confronting these people about a man that they just might have great respect for and love. And all this before they go to worship the Lord? How would these "protesters" like it if someone disrupted their meeting for an "education event"? They wouldn't; believe me, I know for certain. I was a member of that local assembly for 13 years, having left 3 1/2 years ago.

And will it only be the members of Joel Hunter's congregation? There are a few Vineyard churches in the area. Will they also be protesting there to let the congregation members know what their National Director is saying? The New York Times letter is also signed by the President of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. Will they be targeting the local congregations in the area? Richard Stearns, the President of World Vision also signed the letter. Will they be confronting the employees in the local Orlando office?

If we look into the Scriptures, which they are supposedly trying to defend, where do we see Yeshua or His followers doing something like this? Didn't Yeshua confront the religious leaders themselves when He had a problem with them, rather than going behind their back and targeting their congregation members? In fact, He told His followers to listen to what they have to say (Matthew 23.3). When God had a problem with the religious leaders in Israel, He had the prophets confront them, to tell them what is wrong.

So who appointed these people the "Bible police"? What gives them the right to disrupt another church's services in order to "educate" others? (While they didn't interrupt the actual services, as far as I know, I am sure that it did severely affect the them.) If the congregation doesn't know what their own pastor is teaching then they need to wake up themselves, and we should be praying for them to seek the truth about their leaders. And there are other ways to make it known to them: through television programs, blogs, community meetings, conferences, etc. But to do this at a time when these people are supposed to be going to worship the Lord? I hate to say it but this seems like the kind of tactics that politicians use.

Why, if this was a small group of people, am I even giving it any attention? Because it's rather disturbing to see something like this, in this country, and in this day and age. Where will it end? Are you next? Are you doing something that they don't feel is Scriptural? Will they be at your church next Sunday?

As many of you know, a few years ago I left the institutional church. During my life, for much of the time I have followed the Lord, I have searched for Biblical truth. I'm not interested in denominations (or "demon-nations"), I don't care about man's traditions, and I'm really tired of all the politics, greed, and secularism in the institutional church. I started this Web site (shamar.org) to bring forth Biblical truth — not my truth, not my interpretation of what Scripture says — but what the Scripture actually says, from the Hebrew mindset, not a Greek point-of-view. Just the plain and simple word of God, as it was intended. And since then, I have met (in person and online) so many people who are being delivered from the Christian religion. I have heard some awesome stories of what God has done in people's lives. It is very beautiful and yet powerful what the Lord is doing in these end times. He is calling out those who seek Him in truth and are not afraid to turn from 2,000 year old teachings of man.

At the meeting Monday night Jeremy spoke of "Biblical Zionism". He (and his organization) are looking to join with people who believe the truth of the Scriptures. Not the Jewish religion, not the Christian religion — just the plain word of God. It was very refreshing to hear someone speak without an agenda; someone who was not trying to get into my wallet or tell me how to be a good Gentile follower of the God of Israel. Jeremy spoke of us as being one, as united followers of the God of Israel — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

These guys are serious. They are looking for people who are "Biblical Zionists" — people who believe what the word of God says, without hesitation. Take a look at their Web site. If one of them is going to be speaking near you, be sure to check it out and listen to what they have to say. I think you'll find it refreshing.

I didn't mention the names of the organizations and individuals because I didn't think that it contributed anything. I figured that if others felt the same way they would know who I was speaking about. In the meantime, I was asked by a few people to name the people and organizations I was talking about. And I have prayed about that. And with all due respect to those who requested it, I still don't feel led to "name names". I do not feel as it would accomplish anything. I would prefer people make up their own minds about what I am talking about.

Perhaps part of the problem is that organized Christianity is just that: organized. It's made up of different organizations, all functioning on different levels. There is the local congregation, and, if it is part of a denomination, it answers to a higher organization, which then answers to a board of directors, and so on. Many non-denominational congregations answer to a central committee. There are regional offices and national offices, and international offices, each exercising some type of alleged authority. Then there are the "para-church" ministries (I never have understood that term, it's never used in the Scriptures.) Many claim to represent all Christians who believe a certain way. Many of them put themselves out to be authorities to whom followers of Yeshua are to answer. It seems to all come down to vying for authority and money.

Before I get a bunch of letters, let me explain that I am not speaking of all of those who are in ministry. I know there are many people working for God's glory and not their own. They don't seek donations and gifts. They look to God to provide for them, as He said He would. And they also don't claim to represent you or me. (Perhaps that's the way I should have worded the previous post - you and me.)

Just because an organization may share some of the beliefs that I have, does not give them the right to claim to represent me, which, evidently, many seem to feel that way. If someone says that they are a Christian who supports Israel, that does not give a Christian organization that claims to support Israel the right to say that they represent that person, unless that person has specifically given them their permission. You've seen some of these, I am sure. They say they represent millions of Christians around the world but take a look at their membership rolls. They don't even come close to having a million members.

To some people this might not be much of a big deal. In fact, you may be wondering why I am making a big deal about it. Well, many of us do think it is a big deal. As followers of Yeshua we try to walk in a way that is a witness to others (hence the term, "witness"). We are careful in what we say and what we do. What good is it if one of these organizations who claim to represent us, and we never said they didn't, does something unscriptural? We would then be lumped together with them and we will be seen as hypocrites by the very people we tried so carefully to be witnesses to. I'm not speaking of our personal pride here, I am speaking of the insult to God that would be a result.

I just wanted to clear up what seems to have been a misunderstanding for some people. (I hope I haven't made it worse.) There are many people who are very serious about what they believe, and they chose very carefully what organizations they join, as it should be. We don't need other people claiming that they speak for us when, in fact, that don't.