An incredibly moving article appeared a couple of days ago in the huffington post. Ronnie Edry, a graphic designer, is an unlikely peace activist, but along with his wife Michal Tamir, he created a website and Facebook page “Israel Loves Iran”.
I don’t think there is too much trust for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has said Israel is a ‘cancerous tumour’, but there is an amazing work of God going on in Iran. The growth of the church there is, from first hand reports, amazing. And our identity in Christ takes precedence over all other identities. I am not first of all Scottish, British… Iranian, Jewish, Arabic, Spanish… American or whatever. I can have no identity that comes to close (to quote someone else) ‘I know a person in Christ’.
If a straight line is drawn from the Israel of the OT to the Israel of today (harder to draw a straight line through the true Son who was called out of Egypt) how faithful is the Israel of today to the covenant? In faithfulness they were promised that they could retain the land. And any gift we receive from heaven is to be shared.
I do appreciate while there are Israel-haters in power that there are major political issues regarding defence, but this crazy movement is another sign of hope (and tied to the blog(s) on extremes a sign that God is not at work simply within the Christian fold).
“And any gift we receive from heaven is to be shared.”
So good!!!! I need to remember that on so many levels!
as far as i can tell a) jews dwelling in the land should look out for the first half of isaiah (up to ch 43 is it?) and b) jews living in exile should take particular note of the words to them while they’re in exile in the rest of isaiah.
i think this means
foreword : dear isaiah – this mind blowing vision is a hint for you to volunteer to take my message. as soon as you say that you will go i will then let you in on the secret that they’re not going to listen anyway.
a) look after fatherless, widows, aliens, weights and measures regulations, justice, alcohol moderation, leaning on God not other nations, no idolatry or immorality or else. if you bully the weak you’ll end up getting bullied by a nation bigger than you and see how you like it then – look it’s happening to your neighbours so hurry up and get your act together cos i really mean it. and woe to the lying prophets who are saying its ok, we’re doing the right things, we must be in God’s will, he’s on our side.
b) ok i know this is a horrible dry flat desert region but i will eventually let you go back to your hills and fertile crescent when you have twigged that i’m still with you out here in the wilderness, you never really kept me in a box in the first place and you certainly cant now. look i made all this in the first place. i’ll send a servant to fix things. here are a few signs to look out for to know it’s him.
ps even the trees and the hills will be rather cheerful about all this…
ps it all works out all right in the end too.
(lizeph paraphrase of isaiah. no theology was really hurt in the making of this, it just looks like it)
Cool paraphrasing!!