Shalom from Jerusalem

US election results came in as this newsletter was being finished. While a Trump presidency might be good for Israel, yet the time remaining for Obama in office is perilous. He could tie Trump's hands in many areas, including submitting or approving a UN Security Council [UNSC] resolution to set the final parameters of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – thus bypassing direct negotiations and ignoring Israel's situation and consent.

For guidance on how to pray into this and other Israel related issues, keep up-to-date through Intercessors for Israel's Friday Prayer Alert. Simply sign up here.

2017 – Year of significant anniversaries

The dates below come from Stan Goodenough's Jerusalem Watchman website, where they are tied prophetically "to the restoration of the land of Israel to the Jewish people in preparation for the coming of the Lord:" ("Coming soon: A plethora of prophetic events," S. Goodenough, 26 Apr. 2016, jerusalemwatchman.org)

We'll soon see how 2017 lines up with prophecy. God help us to heed the biblical injunction to watch, pray and be clear-minded in these last days (Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 4:7). The year 2017 is the:

500th anniversary of the Reformation (Oct. 31, 1517), which made "the Bible accessible to ordinary Christians," so that they could read for themselves of God's promised restoration of Israel.

100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba (Oct. 31, 1917), which led to "the liberation of the land of Israel from the Turks" after 626 years of Islamic rule.

100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration (Oct. 31, 1917, same date as above), supporting the restoration "of the Jewish national home in the Land of Israel."

70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly [GA] Partition Resolution (Nov. 29, 1947), which paved the way for Israel's restoration as a nation.

50th anniversary of the Six Day War (began June 5, 1967), in which the Jews thwarted Arab efforts to destroy the diminished State of Israel. This ended the 19 year occupation by Jordan and Syria of Judea and Samaria, and the Golan. Jerusalem also was liberated and reunified (June 7, 1967), "marking the first time in over 2000 years that Jews were sovereign in their own capital."

All areas Israel liberated in 1967 are now falsely called by the world "the occupied territories," though the proper term by international law would be at best, "the disputed territories."

Mixing faith and politics

As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote shortly after that war, "Must God apologize for His audacity in performing wonders in 1967?" (Israel, an Echo of Eternity, pg. 209)

Heschel states, "Any attempt to impair the vital link between Israel the people and Israel the land is an affront to biblical faith …The Jew in whose heart the love of Zion dies is doomed to lose his faith in the God of Abraham, who gave the land as an earnest of redemption of all men." (ibid. pg. 66)

Many born-again believers are blind to this biblical truth, but this rabbi, who we assume did not know Yeshua when he wrote this, saw that God's salvation for all people is based on His promise to Abraham. ("In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed." Gen. 12:3, cp. Gal. 3:8) Why? Heschel held the Old Testament as God's Word, as did Yeshua, His disciples and all New Testament writers. Today, many believers think the NT is all they need. Blind to God's promises to Israel, they remain blinded to much of what He is doing today concerning Israel.

Let's be clear: God's plans do not hinge on Western nations. While He is concerned with the Western Church's condition, the nation through whom He sees the world (Jer. 31:35-37; Zech. 2:8) is His chosen nation Israel (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Psa. 33:12). As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes, for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. (Rom. 11:28-29)

Heschel has deep insight as to why modern politics is helpless to solve the grave issues facing society. "The fatal disease that is infecting many minds today is politics as an isolated, autonomous science following its own rules, unhampered by moral consideration or respect for truth…Politics bears upon eternal relationships. It is doomed unless carried out within a confrontation with the moral question…The pestilence of our day is the dehumanization of politics.

"Power is not its own end. It turns demonic when detached from moral meaning and moral commitment. Politics, the use of power, turns self-destructive when defying truth." (ibid. pg. 186-187)

The Annual UN General Assembly (Isa. 40:17)

The Times of Israel headlines (Sept. 21 & 22) of the UNGA's annual meeting in NY, sum up the world's attitude to Israel: "Obama: Israel cannot 'permanently occupy, settle Palestinian land'"; "UN chief: One-state solution for Israeli-Palestinian conflict would 'spell doom'"; "[Turkey's Pres.] Erdogan…: World must push for 'independent Palestine'"; "Accept Palestine or face 'sea of hatred,' Jordanian king warns Israel."

At the UNGA, Prime Minister [PM] Bibi Netanyahu clarified that "The road to peace runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not NY." By insisting that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be solved only by direct negotiations, he was rejecting any UN plan to unilaterally impose a solution.

He noted that "while settlements are an issue that needs to be solved," they are not, nor ever have been, the core problem of the conflict, which is "the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish state" in any borders. ("Netanyahu invites Abbas to speak at Knesset in UN speech," JP, 22 Sept. 2016)

The Times (UK) columnist, Melanie Phillips, exposed the "false assumption underlying Western hostility toward Israel: if only it wasn't so belligerent there would be peace…" Yet the real reason for no peace was displayed at the UN when PA President Abbas painted Jews "as squatters" in 'Palestine', and demanded a British apology for the Balfour Declaration. He "rewrote the Jews out of their own history" by devising a totally false Palestinian story. Only the Jews have ever possessed "the Land of Israel and the disputed territories" as "their national kingdom…"

His speech was based on "two entirely false Western beliefs: that Israel acts in contravention of international law, and that the land originally belonged to the Palestinians." With the West mired in these lies, Abbas plans to push for a UNSC resolution against the settlements.

"What worries Israel more is the rumor that President Obama will refuse to veto a proposed French UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state. If Obama does this, the US will be complicit in tearing up international law and bringing into being a terrorist state whose existential purpose is the extermination of Israel."

International law expert Prof. E. Kontorovich recently wrote that the "proposed French measure repudiates UNSC resolution 242," passed after the Six Day War, which mandated territorial compromise, but only insisted that Israel "cede some but not all the territories it seized" in exchange for peace. France's proposal to push Israel back to the 1949 armistice lines would reject 242, reversing 50 years of Middle East [ME] diplomacy. If America backs this, it would be showing "contempt for international law."

Most nations already do this when stating that Israel occupies "Palestinian territory" in the "West Bank," yet Israelis in "the disputed territories cannot be legally defined as occupation," as per international law, "occupation" only takes place on sovereign land. "The territories were never anyone's sovereign land."

The West's view that Israel's settlements are illegal is untrue. Britain's Palestinian Mandate given in the 1920s included "the legally binding duty to settle Jews throughout" all this area. "That Jewish right has never been abrogated."("Israel, not the West, stands for international law," M. Phillips, JP Op-ed, 29 Sept. 2016)

Former Israel Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold said that resolution 242 did not demand "a full Israel withdrawal" from all areas captured, since it was "a war of self-defense, and Israel had claims to secure and recognized boundaries…What is clear, given the chaos in the region that exists today, is that Israel has every right to resist calls to withdraw to the 1967 lines." ("Israel has every right to refuse a 1967 withdrawal," JP, 20 Oct. 2016)

Interesting Times

We live in a time when Jews defend Jesus' Jewishness while the West rejects its Christian roots. In mid-July, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Nachshon warned the EU of supporting a UNESCO resolution, seeing Jerusalem's "Temple Mount as solely a Muslim site." By rejecting "the Jewish people's relationship to the Temple Mt. and Jerusalem," are you not rejecting your "own identity? There is no Christianity without Judaism and there is no Jesus without a Jewish Jerusalem and the Temple Mount." ("Israel to EU: Voting to recognize Temple Mt. as solely Muslim site akin to ignoring Jesus," JP, 14 July 2016)

In Oct., UNESCO did pass that "resolution ignoring" any Jewish link, calling the Temple Mount Al-Haram Al Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), "the name imposed on the sacred plateau after its conquest by Muslims in the 7th century CE." Israel's millennia-long history with this site was erased. Then Bibi said that people "who refuse to take seriously the Bible and the mountains of archeological evidence…need only visit the Arch of Titus in Rome," honoring Rome's 70 AD destruction of the Temple. On it is engraved "the seven-branched menorah…symbol of the Jewish People and…of the Jewish state today." ("Israel…Slam UN Over Temple Mt. Resolution," Israel Today, 14 Oct. 2016)

Knesset member Yair Lapid wrote that Numbers 6:24, "YHWH bless you, and keep you," the earliest scripture ever found, was written in ancient Hebrew, "carved into silver tablets," and is dated to about 600 BC. So back then "Jerusalem was a vibrant Jewish city where life, trade, prayers and even disputes took place in Hebrew," the language "used by Jesus 600 years later…"

While this resolution is "offensive and infuriating," no less "offensive and infuriating" is that some Western nations abstained from the vote. "Are Christians in Europe willing to silently allow the deletion of 3,000 years of Jewish history and 2,000 years of Christian history?"

Lapid sees this resolution as dangerous. "The Temple Mount is the most sensitive site in the ME, maybe the world." Palestinians already incited "against Israel, read a decision like this" and will seek to 'defend' the Mount. "People will die…" ("How UNESCO erases history," Yair Lapid, TOI Blogs, 18 Oct. 2016)

The final UNESCO resolution "demands that Israel cease what it calls the 'intentional destruction' of Jerusalem's holy sites", that is, "archeological excavations" near the Mount which have dug up "a wealth of evidence confirming the long historical connection between the site and the Jewish people."

Archeologist Dr. G. Barkay, head of one of these excavations, called this resolution an "insult" to all intelligent people. "Jesus and the Temple Mt. are referred to in the NT over 20 times," so whoever tries to break Jerusalem's and the Temple Mount's Jewish connection, "undermines Christianity…" ("UN Confirms Denial of Jewish Connection to Temple Mt," Israel Today, 26 Oct. 2016) Yet why is there silence from the Western Church against this attack on the foundations of the NT faith?

Palestinian society – poisoned by cursing Israel

In an August social media video clip, Bibi said, "I've just watched a video that shook me to the core of my being…A Palestinian father holds up his 4-year-old son…He pushes his young son toward the soldiers and screams, 'Kill him! Shoot him!' The scared boy turns to his dad for guidance, then "ambles towards the soldiers." One holds out his hand in friendship. "The boy gives him a high-five. It's hard to make a four-year-old hate.

"Encouraging someone to murder a child, let alone your own child, is probably the most inhumane thing a person can do." Yet this is not a solitary example. "In Gaza, Hamas runs summer camps that teach children to value death over life." And the PA's Ministry of Education just held "an event for students to honor terrorists who murdered" Israeli civilians. "Peace begins with respect. If parents don't respect their own children's lives, how will they respect the lives of their neighbors?" ("Netanyahu: I'm shaken to the core of my being," Arutz 7, 3 Aug. 2016)

In another video clip, he noted that "Hamas stole millions of dollars from humanitarian organizations," referring to the arrest of Palestinian workers (of the Christian non-profit World Vision and the UN Development Agency) who were stealing for Hamas.

Poor Gazans were denied help, while "Hamas used this stolen money to build a war machine to murder Jews…Let that sink in. Hamas stole critical support for Palestinian children so they could kill our children." ("Netanyahu: 'I Care More about Palestinians than Their Leaders Do'," BFP Israel Prayer Update, 12 Aug. 2016)

Isi Liebler sees Israel's worst failure since Oslo as not stressing "the poisonous brainwashing the PA inflicted on its population," spawning "a criminal society," comparable "to prewar ‎Germany when the Nazis transformed their population into genocidal barbarians by depicting ‎Jews as subhuman." Today's PA Arabs view Jews as "the offspring of apes and pigs" and openly seek ‎their annihilation. Calls of "death to the Jews" are declared by PA leaders, in their mosques and media.‎ The brutality fed to them is expressed in "street celebrations that erupt ‎spontaneously with every murder of an Israeli. Even more nauseating are repeated ‎displays on TV of mothers expressing pride that one of their children had become a martyr and ‎usually expressing hope that her other children would follow the example.‎..

"The Arafat/Abbas ‎indoctrination process has radicalized successive generations into believing that the only ‎solution to the conflict is the permanent termination of Jewish sovereignty." ("Exposing the criminal society," Isi Liebler, Israel Hayom Op-ed, 25 Aug. 2016)

In two recent studies, IMPACT-SE, a group monitoring and analyzing "education across the world to determine compliance with international standards on peace and tolerance," found that "Israeli school curriculum makes a great effort to promote peace," but PA school curriculum does "the exact opposite in violation of signed peace agreements." Searching 78 PA textbooks (grades 1–12) they could not even find the word peace, while the "State of Israel, with one exception, never appears on maps." Instead, these books teach young Palestinians to "glorify and encourage jihad." ("…Israeli Schools Teach Peace, Palestinians Don't," Israel Today, 26 Sept. 2016)

Those Israeli 'settlements' again!

God is settling His people in His land with all of His heart and soul (Jer. 32:41). He says that He will bring them back and that He Himself will guard them (Jer. 31:10). Obama's administration has consistently resisted this. Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State took the lead in the anti-Israel campaign. While there are many reasons why she lost to Trump, fighting against God's plans for Israel must be seen by Bible believers as central (Gen. 12:3).

In July, Israel responded strongly to US, EU and UN criticism over plans to build homes in Jerusalem's southern suburb of Gilo (where we live). The US State Dept. censure was extreme. Its spokesman said America was "troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action, which raises serious questions about Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians."

An EU statement said that building in "the settlement of Gilo" [pop. over 40,000], "built on occupied Palestinian land in East Jerusalem," [only one Arab house when Israel won it in 1967, and it is not "East" but south], "undermines the viability of a two-state solution…" O Lord, let it be undermined! ("Israel blasts US, EU and UN for condemning construction in Gilo," JP, 31 July 2016)

A JP editorial said, "The State Dept.'s overblown language indicates a distorted view of the reality driving the conflict – and it's not settlements." The assault on the settlement issue "distorts reality by making it the principal cause of the lack" of peace. Israel often "reiterates its commitment” to direct negotiations, yet the PA always refuses them.

Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for ME Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations said the State Dept.'s "obsession with housing construction by Israeli Jews is certainly not shared by any Arab government." ("Myopic State," JP Editorial, 3 Aug. 2016)

In Oct., as this assault continued, Israel's Justice Minister A. Shaked said, "When the ME is in flames, when on the borders of Jordan and Syria" hundreds of thousands are "slaughtered," blasting Israel's decision to build 98 houses in Samaria is totally "out of proportion." The day before, the White House harshly condemned the decision, accusing "Israel of a betrayal of trust…" Press Secretary Earnest ominously added, "I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well." The State Dept. added that building homes is "inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state." So the Divided States of America wants to tell Israel how to be both Jewish and democratic? ("US rebuke of settlement plans 'disproportionate,' minister charges," TOI, 6 Oct. 2016)

The truth from Zion attacked

In Sept., Washington "fumed at comments" in an online video, when Bibi accused the PA "of advocating ethnic cleansing of the Jewish population in the West Bank." He was referring to their constant avowal that not one Jew remain in a future "Palestine."

A State Dept. spokeswoman said that they "strongly disagree with the characterization that those who oppose settlement activity or view it as an obstacle to peace are somehow calling for ethnic cleansing of Jews…" Since that is not what Bibi said, this was misdirection to cover an ugly truth.

Netanyahu said it was "outrageous that the world doesn't find it outrageous," and asked viewers if they would accept "a territory without Jews, without Hispanics, without blacks" in their nation? "Since when is bigotry a foundation for peace?" ("Washington calls Netanyahu's ethnic cleansing video 'inappropriate'," TOI, 10 Sept. 2016)

Political adviser and writer, Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, said, "Netanyahu's statements were strong… [yet] absolutely correct. ‎[He] can be abrasive, but he deals in the currency of truth," while most world leaders, and bodies like the UN, do not.

She saw his audience as Israelis, not the world. "He knows the world is not ready to face what it is already ‎facing and is not prepared to fight the war it is already in, and his words show Israelis that he ‎will not stand by and be abused without throwing the occasional rhetorical punch… ‎

"No one asked Obama" or France's president to live next to, "or make lasting peace with attackers in their countries, nor did …the world make excuses for the killers." Yet the world demands this from Israel. ("They can't handle the truth," A. Hernroth-Rothstein, Israel Hayom Op-ed, 23 Sept. 2016)

Unity in anarchy via intersectionality

Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz said that in response to several deaths of blacks by police in America, the NYU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine posted on its Facebook page, "remember that many US police departments train with #IsraeliDefenceForces. The same forces behind the genocide of black people in America are behind the genocide of Palestinians…"

Dershowitz: "Even in moments of national mourning…SJP bigots cannot help but exploit the deaths of innocent Americans to further their own anti-Semitic political agenda," which is to "delegitimize and demonize the nation state of the Jewish people.

"By implicating Israel…SJP is engaging in the old trope of blaming Jews for systemic and far-reaching societal problems. This practice was anti-Semitic when some Christian communities used it to blame Jews for plagues, poisonings, and murders; it was anti-Semitic when the Nazis used it to blame Jews for the failing German economy; and it is still anti-Semitic today…"

SJP's reaction exposed a trend in hard-left politics, as more and more "groups such as Black Lives Matter, MoveOn, Code Pink, and Occupy Wall St. have embraced intersectionality – a radical academic theory, which holds that all forms of social oppression are inexorably linked." This leads to a "linking of disparate left-wing causes, no matter how tenuous their connections," while pushing hard-left activists into a mindset which says all left-wing causes "must be embraced…including the demonization of Israel as a racist, apartheid state."

Intersectionality sees any "existing social, political, and economic system" as so defective that all attempts "at remaking it through democratic means is unacceptable." Activists are increasingly violent, disrespectful and averse to all political compromise, as violent demonstrations after Trump's victory demonstrate. ("Who do Bigots Blame for Police Shootings in America? Israel…!" A. M. Dershowitz, Gatestone Institute, 13 July 2016)

Indications of a late hour

Anti-Semitism: A July Anti-Defamation League report showed a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents in America from 2014 to 2015, including a 50% increase in violent attacks. The increase was most severe on University campuses. ("ADL Says Anti-Semitism in the US on the Rise," ICEJ News, 27July 2016)

A Sept. European Jewish Assoc. & Rabbinical Center of Europe poll revealed 70% of EU Jewry not going to synagogue during Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, "due to fears of anti-Semitic violence." Also 80% "were concerned about the increase of anti-Semitic attitudes" in their nation. ("European Jews Deeply Worried About Anti-Semitic Violence," ICEJ News, 21 Sept. 2016)

Speaking to the EU Parliament about anti-Semitism's modern mutation, ex-chief UK Rabbi Lord J. Sacks unveiled the beast of anti-Semitism which masquerades today "as an angel of light."

"To justify their hate for Jews, today's anti-Semites appeal to the highest source of authority worldwide…human rights." This is why Israel "is regularly accused of the five cardinal sins against human rights: racism, apartheid, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide."

Anti-Semitism today denies Jews the right "to exist collectively as Jews with the same rights as everyone else," and has "mutated" so radically that those infected by it deny they are anti-Semitic or have a "problem with Jews or Judaism." They only hate that evil State of Israel. ("Anti-Semitism Masquerading as an Angel of Light," Tsvi Sadan, Israel Today, 6 Oct. 2016)

Gog & Magog: "Analysts have pointed to a noticeable warming of relations between Turkish Pres. Erdogan and Russian Pres. Putin" after this summer's "failed military coup in Turkey, the subsequent crackdown on Erdogan regime opponents and the reaction to that crackdown" from the West. Meanwhile, "rhetoric from Turkish officials towards NATO allies, particularly the US, has grown increasingly hostile." ("Russia & Turkey Draw Closer Following Coup," ICEJ News, 27 July 2016)

Iran: Iranian leaders are not shy about their goal to destroy Israel. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in 2015 tweeted a "vow that the Jewish state will not survive to see 2040." Earlier in 2016, a senior Iranian military commander alleged that Iran's army could "raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes."

Sept. 2016: Iran again threatens Israel with a sign on a truck carrying its newest ballistic missile: "If the leaders of the Zionist regime make a mistake, the Islamic Republic will turn Tel Aviv and Haifa to dust." ("Iran Threatens to 'Turn TA to Dust'," BFP Israel Prayer Update, 26 Sept. 2016)

Jerusalem (Zech. 12:2-3): The White House "corrected" itself "after sending out a transcript" of Obama's eulogy at the funeral of ex-Israeli President Peres, at Mt. Herzel, in west Jerusalem. The original "listed the location as 'Jerusalem, Israel'." But that was "corrected" by literally crossing out "Israel" after "Jerusalem."

Also, last year, "the Supreme Court ruled that Americans born in Jerusalem can't list Israel as their birthplace on their passports, despite legislation Congress passed in 2002" allowing just that and "calling for the US Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem." ("WH corrects itself after transcript puts Jerusalem in Israel," Fox News, 1 Oct. 2016)

Truth vs. lies: Melanie Phillips writes on a major end-time sign. "Of all the disturbing issues of our time, the most fundamental is the collapse of the distinction between truth and lies. When post-modern society decided that the notion of objective truth was bunk and so everything was relative, it also destroyed the idea of a lie. If there's no such thing as truth, there can be no such thing as a lie. Everything becomes merely a matter of opinion."

So as Palestinians spew out incendiary "libels that Israelis deliberately kill Arab children or perpetrate ethnic cleansing and apartheid," these are received by many. "For while only some Westerners are consumed by anti-Jewish bigotry, most are no longer educated to distinguish lies from factual evidence." Today they are taught to respect equally "competing narratives," leading to many believing the "ridiculous lie that the Jews have no historic connection to the land of Israel…" ("Palestinians step up the jihad of the lie," M. Phillips, JP Op-ed, 27 Oct. 2016)

US conservative leader: Bibi has strengthened Israel

Walter Russell Mead's article, The Real Middle East Story, in the foreign policy magazine, American Interest, (Sept. 25), showed that "Netanyahu's leadership has made Israel stronger and a geopolitical force to be reckoned with in the ME."

He continued, "The one thing harder for the American mind to process, other than the fact that Pres. Obama has been a terrible foreign policy president, is that Netanyahu is an extraordinarily successful Israeli PM. In Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, Israel's diplomacy is moving from strength to strength." Most Arab and ME leaders views Bibi as "smarter and stronger" than Obama and "as American prestige across the ME has waned…Israel's prestige – even among people who hate it – has grown."

Bibi has been more successful in "building bridges to Sunni Muslims …and both Russia and Iran take Netanyahu and his red lines much more seriously than they take Obama's expostulations and pious hopes." The reason is that Bibi "understands how the world works better than Obama. [He] believes that in the harsh world of international politics, power wisely used matters more than good intentions eloquently phrased. Obama sought to build bridges to Sunni Muslims by making eloquent speeches…while ignoring the political realities that Sunni states cared most about – like the rise of Iran and the Sunni cause in Syria…

"Israel's neighbors may not like Netanyahu but they believe they can count on him," and under his lead, "Israel has stronger, deeper relationships with India, China and Japan" than at any other time.

African nations are also pressing Israel for relations "on a variety of economic and defense issues."

Also, Bibi "understands the impact of Obama's policy on the ME better than Obama does," and has made major "international gains by exploiting gaps in Obama's understanding of the world." All this does not eliminate Israel's "problems and challenges," yet "Israel is in a stronger global position today than it was when Netanyahu took office; nobody can say that with a straight face about the nation that Pres. Obama leads." ("Netanyahu's leadership has made Israel stronger than ever," Israel Hayom, 26 Sept. 2016)

The Word in Zion

Just before the new school year, Netanyahu said the government's aim "is to carry out an education revolution…based on two things: excellence and Zionism." Excellence, to enable each child to reach their potential, "and Zionism, based on the study of the Bible and Jewish heritage, to understand why Jews are in Israel.

"'First of all, the study of the Bible…this is the basis for why we are here, why we have returned here, and why we stay here'." ("With school year around corner, [Bibi] says 'study Bible'," JP, 30 Aug. 2016)

Forever, YHWH, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psa. 119:89)

Chuck & Karen Cohen