Continuing his study series, Clifford Denton looks at the Apostle Paul's preparation for ministry.

Introduction

In these studies, our central purpose is to trace the origins of Christianity, the continuity from Old Testament to New Testament and the parting of the ways between Jews and Christians. By carefully considering these things we might come to the conclusion that now is our timely opportunity to return to our origins and repair what has been damaged in identity, relationship and witness.

Before the apostles were empowered to share the Gospel with the Gentiles, the Gospel message came first to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 10:6, 15:24). In earlier studies we considered Acts 15 and the Hebraic background of Paul who, at the appointed time, became the Apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13). The Gospel message then began to move out under the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

From the time of Ezekiel, the message to the scattered tribes of Israel and Judah was that individuals were responsible for their own sins (Ezek 18). This was a preparation for the Gospel, first offered to Israel and then to the Gentiles. The Gospel message is to individuals: a call through repentance and faith to accept the free gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus the Messiah. Yet, salvation has often been emphasised at the expense of community. It is Hebraic to think in terms of building community. Thus Paul preached the Gospel and also emphasised the community of Jewish and Gentile disciples in Jesus – the One New Man (Eph 2:15).

Paul's Ministry

If we consider the timing of Paul's ministry it helps us to understand the scriptural background to his message. We recall that Paul wrote to Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

What was "all Scripture" in Paul's day? It is thought that he wrote this letter from Rome in about 63 AD- quite late in his ministry. The earliest written Gospel account may have been compiled as late as 60 AD. We are unlikely to find exact dates for the New Testament writings, but these approximate dates help us to understand the context of Paul's ministry.

Paul came from the background of Judaism, where the writings of the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets and Writings of the Old Testament) were the recognised Scriptures. What was later to become the 'New Testament Canon' took some years to emerge. Also, the Church Councils such as Nicea (325 AD) had not yet taken place, which would re-define Christianity heavily biased towards the New Testament and more loosely linked to its Old Testament origins. The earliest Christian references to the various books of the New Testament begin from about 70 AD, so we can assume that Paul's 'Scripture' was the Tanakh, the Old Testament. This formed both the model and mindset for the community of faith to which Gentiles were invited. His teaching saw the Gospel message as the fulfillment of the shadows of all that went before.

We know from historical evidence that Paul's mentions of 'Scripture' were references to the Tanakh- that is the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings of the Old Testament."

The Spread of the Gospel

We can picture Paul on his missionary journeys, writing letters to the new congregations and to his friends between about 49 and 63 AD. He heard about the teaching of Jesus when he was still a zealot for traditional Judaism. Then, after a dramatic and personal meeting with the risen Messiah, he took time aside to reflect on these things, before embarking on his ministry to the Gentile world. He described this when he was in Jerusalem around 57 AD (recorded in Acts 22:3-21).

To get a sense for the timings of Paul's ministry, a broad timeline is useful:

• 33-34 AD: Paul was converted 'on the road to Damascus'.
• 34-43 AD: He then went to Arabia and Damascus for some years, where he had direct revelation concerning the Gospel. This was before any written record of New Testament Scripture.
• 43 AD: Paul visited the elders in Jerusalem and went to Antioch.
• 47-48 AD: Paul's first missionary journey.
• 49 AD: The Apostolic Council (Acts 15) was held in Jerusalem.
• 49-51 AD: Paul's second missionary journey.
• 52-56 AD: Paul's third missionary journey.

A study of the maps of his three missionary journeys is also helpful (along with a study of the New Testament records):

Paul's first missionary journey

Paul's second missionary journey.

Paul's third missionary journey.

Being Prepared for Ministry

Paul wrote about his call and experiences to the Galatians, and the whole picture of Paul's life and ministry within this time-frame is written in the Book of Acts:

I make known to you, brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God in me. (Gal 1:11-24)

We see that Paul, deeply schooled in the Tanakh, came to a dramatic revelation of the risen Jesus, being taken aside for a time of preparation. Here he considered the revelation of Jesus in the context of his former training in the rabbinical schools, still having the Tanakh (Old Testament) as his reference Scriptures. The way Jesus fulfilled the promises of the Torah, Prophets and Psalms came by personal revelation. The sources, therefore, of Paul's Gospel ('good news') to the Gentiles came out of his personal study and prayer with the Scriptures of the day as his reference point, and through revelation by the Holy Spirit. This was the "all Scripture" of 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Paul was rooted in the Messianic expectation of the Old Testament, and his personal preparation for ministry was through a revelation of Jesus as the fulfillment of this."

This, then, is the background from which we should consider the Gospel message brought by Paul to the Gentile world and later described to us through his letters and through the Gospel accounts. In a similar way, our foundational source for the Gospel message is the Tanakh (Old Testament). Without this foundation, the New Testament is out of context.

We, like Paul, should be rooted in the Messianic expectation of the Torah, the Prophets and Writings. We learn this from the walk of two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, where we also learn that Jesus confirmed what we have suggested to be Paul's position - the Gospel message emerged from the shadows of the Tanach:

Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!" Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

For Study and Prayer

Consider how we might preach the Gospel message by using the Old Testament and the Gospel accounts.

Next time: Paul and the spread of the Gospel Part 2

In the light of the recent death of Sir Nicholas Winton at age 106, Charles Gardner shares the story of John Fieldsend, rescued from Auschwitz through Sir Winton's Kindertransport project and taken in by a Sheffield family...

Heini and Arthur Fiege

Snatched from the jaws of the Nazis in the nick of time, Heini Fiege escaped to England to begin a new life. It was a traumatic parting for Heini and his brother Arthur, aged seven and ten at the time, but their parents could see the writing on the wall and willingly gave up their boys for adoption to save them from the horrors of Auschwitz, where they were to perish within a few short years.

Heini and Arthur thus became beneficiaries in 1938 of the Kindertransport project of Sir Nicholas Winton, who died on Wednesday aged 106. A young stockbroker at the time, he arranged the rescue of thousands of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia and other places under German occupation.

Despite the heartbreak, which affected him for much of his life, Heini and his brother found new hope as they grew up in Sheffield comforted by the love and devotion of a Christian couple, Les and Vera Cumpston, and their son John.

Growing up in Sheffield

Shortly after their arrival in Sheffield, foster father Les became the butt of neighbourhood jokes as he set about building an elaborate air-raid shelter in the garden of their home in the southern suburb of Handsworth. But of course, like Noah building an ark on dry ground, he was thoroughly vindicated when the city was heavily blitzed by the Luftwaffe on the nights of 12th and 15th December 1940.

Les was under-manager of Tinsley Park Colliery at the time and later moved to Worksop following promotion to Inspector of Mines and Quarries for Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.

Following the lead of his older brother, Heini anglicized his name to John Fieldsend, preferring the English equivalent of his second name Hans. Not surprisingly perhaps in view of his parents' example, John also discovered a personal faith in Christ and, although he qualified as an engineer with practical experience of working on aircraft during his time in the RAF, he felt a strong call to preach the gospel full-time and became a successful Anglican vicar overseeing a thriving church in Bayston Hill, Shropshire.

Dwelling on his past was difficult to face at first, but in time he felt drawn to re-focus on his Jewish roots, referring to himself as a Messianic Jew – one who follows Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as Messiah.

He later became involved in the leadership of the Church's Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), a 200-year-old Anglican society dedicated to the spiritual re-birth of Israel. Following his time at CMJ he joined the Ministry Team at Moggerhanger Park, home of the original magazine Prophecy Today, taking responsibility for developing the work of the Centre for Biblical and Hebraic Studies.

50th Anniversary Reunion

The Jewish aspect of his identity had taken a leap forward when TV personality Esther Rantzen arranged an emotional 50th anniversary reunion between Sir Nicholas Winton and some of those children he rescued as part of her very popular That's Life! programme.

Sir Nicholas had kept forged copies of the children's identity documents (forged to speed up the process of officialdom for what he knew to be a dire emergency). And these were used to track down the likes of John, who had lost most of his relatives in the Holocaust.

A Wondering Jew

In his recently published book, A Wondering Jew (reviewed here), John recalls visits made to the Children's Memorial in Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem (see picture opposite), which commemorates the one-and-a-half million children who died at the hands of the Nazis.

As we listened to the names of the children being read out on an endlessly looping tape – which took several days to go round – I realized that had my journey from Czechoslovakia been delayed by only about five weeks, my name would have been on that tape! It was a very dramatic experience...

John's ministry has taken him all over Britain and to many parts of the world, and on one occasion in South Africa, after sharing his story and speaking about Jewish and Gentile reconciliation through Jesus, he was approached by a man who "rather hesitantly confessed that he had spent the war years as a member of the Hitler Youth...This was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that I had been challenged to practice what I had just preached!"

John and his wife Elizabeth celebrated their golden wedding in 2011. Now 84, John is a regular speaker at the Holocaust Museum in Laxton, near Newark in Nottinghamshire.

As the world responds to the attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait, Islam faces an internal crisis of identity. Clifford Hill asks: who are the true Muslims?

"Islam is a Religion of Peace." These were the words of Prime Minister, David Cameron, broadcast to the world immediately after he heard the news of the indiscriminate killing of 30 British tourists sunbathing on the beach in Tunisia. He said that the man who carried out this atrocity was not a true Muslim because "Islam is a religion of peace".

On the BBC News this statement was immediately followed by an interview with an expert on Islam who said that some Muslims use Ramadan as a "season of war" to further the cause of Islam against unbelievers. It was also reported that the Islamic State has been urging Muslims across the world to target Westerners and promising that Allah will reward 'martyrs' tenfold during Ramadan. Their definition of a 'martyr' is one who dies while killing non-Muslims – especially Jews and Christians.

But the Islamic State does not restrict their activities to killing Westerners. The suicide bomber who blew himself up in a mosque in Kuwait was targeting Shia Muslims whom the Sunnis regard as unbelievers: Which raises the question: who are the true Muslims?

Sisi's Call

President Sisi of Egypt has called for a "Revolution in Islam... to stop making enemies of the whole world". He said "We need a religious revolution" to reinterpret the texts that came from the time of Muhammad's warlike rise to power.

This important statement was reported in the New York Times on 1 January 2015, but as far as I am aware has been given no publicity in the British press. Why the silence? Are British journalists so afraid of offending Muslims that they dare not report a call from a prominent Muslim to sort out the problems of violence in their religion?

Jihadist Fighters

If an all-out war between Western culture and Islam is to be avoided Islamic scholars have to face fundamental questions about their faith. The jihadist fighters in the Islamic State in Syria and Northern Iraq claim to be the only true Muslims.

If an all-out war between Western culture and Islam is to be avoided, Islamic scholars have to face fundamental questions about their faith."

This is no doubt the reason why a whole family of 12, including three generations, have gone to join them. It is not only hot-blooded teenagers who are attracted to ISIS, but those who want to live in a genuine Muslim state. The jihadists say that those Muslims who oppose them have been corrupted by Western values and are not true Muslims. They claim that they are spreading Islam by force in exactly the same way as Muhammad and that he is their role model. So who are the true Muslims?

Qur'an Verses

There are plenty of verses in the Quran to support the jihadists. The man who murdered the defenceless tourists on the beach at Sousse can justify his actions by quoting, "It was not you, but Allah, who slew them. It was not you who smote them: Allah smote them so that he might richly reward the faithful. Allah hears all and knows all" (Quran 8:17).

In the same way the ISIS fighters in Iraq who are beheading their captives can justifiably claim to be doing exactly what Muhammad did in April AD 627, when he slaughtered the whole Jewish population of Banu Qurayza near Medina. This is recorded by ex-Muslim historian M A Khan who says,

The surrendered Jews offered to go into exile like the Banu Nadir tribesmen exiled two years earlier. Muhammad rejected the proposal; instead, he decided to slaughter all their adult males, some 800 to 900 of them. Their adulthood was determined by the growth of pubic hair. The women and children were captured as slaves and their homes and properties were as usual confiscated and distributed amongst the Muslims. The Islamic god gave an emphatic sanction to these barbaric atrocities by revealing: "Some ye slew and ye made captive some. And Allah caused you to inherit their land and their houses and their wealth, and land ye have not trodden. Allah is ever able to do all things" (Quran 33.26 – 27).

A trench was dug at the marketplace; and in Muhammad's presence, those 800 – 900 captives were brought to the brink of the trench with their hands tied behind and were beheaded with swords before pushing the dismembered bodies into it. Muhammad himself chopped off the heads of two Jewish leaders. The spectacle went on from morning through the day and continued by torchlight into the night. [M A Khan, Islamic Jihad, p35]

Islam in Crisis

Today, the whole of Islam is in crisis. It clings to its mediaeval roots while trying to exist in an advanced secular liberal culture that cherishes freedom of speech and respects individual choice, equality and tolerance. Islam respects none of these things- with the result that multitudes are leaving it.

Islam is suffering an internal crisis of identity, as extremists force its followers to ask who the true Muslims really are."

In Indonesia, 2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity every year. In Europe and America, millions of Muslims have settled in the West because they are looking for a better life, but their imams are repeating verses from the Quran forbidding them to make friends with Jews or Christians. These ordinary Muslims are only looking for a quiet life, to earn a living, raise their families and live at peace with their neighbours. They too are asking the question, who are the true Muslims?

Peaceful Majority

Most Muslims in the West are embarrassed by the acts of terrorism carried out in the name of Islam. But the Islamic scholars refuse to consider any revision of their Scriptures which were written for a mediaeval society and have little or no relevance in a modern urban industrial technological society. This article from the Middle East Media Research Institute gives an indication of the internal battle that is going on within Islam.

We should be calling upon Islamic scholars to examine their scriptures and give definite rulings that the historical narratives associated with the teaching of Muhammad and the early days of Islam are no longer valid today. They need to declare definitively what the valid beliefs and practices are for true Muslims today and separate them from mediaeval practices that are no longer central to Islam in the 21st century.

The future peace of the world depends, not upon stepping up the efficiency of the security services in Muslim-majority nations where Western holidaymakers go, or putting up the barriers at home, but on the willingness of Islamic scholars to give definitive answers to the question: who are the true Muslims?

Battle of Values

David Cameron is perfectly right in saying that this is a battle of values: it is an ideological clash between a mediaeval religious narrative and a modern secular narrative: emanating from Islamic State, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Boko Haram and similar organisations that insist on following the teaching of the Quran and the example of Muhammad. They believe that they are the only true Muslims and they are prepared to fight brutal war to enforce their ideology on others.

The greatest danger facing the West is in escalating the war in the Middle East. There are strong voices in the British Government advocating all-out war upon the Islamic State – bombing them in Syria as well as Iraq. But this is entirely the wrong tactic. It is the same mistake as the Crusaders made 1000 years ago. And it will harden attitudes and drive more young men to abandon the West and fight for the jihadists.

War on the Middle East is the wrong tactic - the same mistake the Crusaders made 1000 years ago - it will only harden attitudes. We need to present a different narrative."

A Different Narrative

The only way to win this war is on the ideological front: by presenting a different narrative. It is here that the teaching of Jesus to love our enemies is the greatest weapon that we have. There is nothing in the New Testament that encourages Christians to fight and everything points to putting our trust in God.

Many Christians believe that God has allowed millions of Muslims to come into the West so that they may experience at first-hand a different ideology. Christians have to say to Muslims that Western values are not Christian values! This throws a great responsibility upon Christians to live in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, to love our new neighbours and to show the power of a living faith that transforms lives of bitterness and hatred into love and gentleness.

The teaching of Jesus to love our enemies is the greatest weapon we have. It is up to Christians to show practically its power to transform lives."

If this is God's strategy for bringing peace and harmony into a world of darkness, there has to be a renouncing of violence by Western nations as well as positive action by Christian churches to reach out to the Muslims in their neighbourhood: not only speaking about the love of God, but showing that love practically in their lives.

'God's Faithfulness – Stories from the China Inland Mission and OMF' by Rose Dowsett & Chad Berry (OMF International, 2014, 338 pages, available from OMF for £8.00)

This is a unique anthology of forty stories which testify to the faithfulness of God over the 150 years of OMF/CIM. Here are stories of tragedy, triumph, sorrow and joy, God's provision and many answers to prayer.

OMF International was founded in 1865 by James Hudson Taylor as the Chinese Inland Mission, so the book celebrates 150 years of service in East Asia. Hudson Taylor, after his dramatic word from the Lord on Brighton beach, served in China for nearly 50 years. However, although the book gives some outline of the mission's beginnings in the 1860-80's and developments since 1949 when the staff had to leave China, it is not a history book.

It is a series of amazing stories of ordinary people performing extraordinary exploits for God - in Thailand with leprosy patients at Manorom hospital and in Phayao, planting a Bible college and, in 2004, ministering to tsunami survivors. In Malaysia, Brian and Esther Newton planted a hundred church groups in Sarawak with tribal communities, the result being that the area is now fifty percent Christian. Robert and Ruth Erion ministered close to the border of Malaya and Thailand with communist insurgents. In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, missionaries were able in the 1960s and 70s to develop literature materials and then a Christian curriculum for the government from kindergarten to university.

This book contains a series of amazing stories of ordinary people performing extraordinary exploits for God."

Most heartening of all is to read of individual new believers who took on the mission outreach, in particular Mongolian nomadic herdsmen Erdene, Mishig, Tuya and Bolar. The testimony to their service for the Lord is that in 1990 there were fewer than ten known Christians in the country and today there are more than fifty thousand.

This book will encourage all of us who have been involved with OMF over the years but also any Christians who have been unaware of what God has done in South East Asia.

Prophets not only understood God's words and relayed them to others, they also gained God's ear. Edmund Heddle looks at this profound intercessory relationship...

It was the special privilege of the true Old Testament prophets to stand in the council of the Almighty to listen to his words. It was this access that ensured the accuracy and authority of the prophecies they spoke.

But this access also gave them the privilege of gaining the ear of God as they interceded on behalf of their people and ensured the success of their intercession. God spoke to them and they spoke to God. Both of these aspects need to be kept in mind if we are to gain a true understanding of what a prophet is.

First Bible Prophet an Intercessor

The earliest example of a prophet interceding occurs in Genesis 20:7, which is where the first reference to a prophet in Scripture occurs. In a dream God told Abimelech, king of Gerar, to hand back Sarah, Abraham's wife, and said that Abraham's intercession would save him from certain death "because he is a prophet" (Gen 20:7, 17).

There is however an earlier reference to Abraham praying when he interceded for the wicked city of Sodom (Gen 18:22-23). Six times Abraham besought God to spare Sodom and each time God accepted his prayer. What an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society! It was a sad commentary on Sodom's widespread homosexuality that there were fewer than ten righteous men in the city and so the inevitable judgment fell, a lasting warning to the cities that are moving in that direction before our eyes today.

Abraham's intercession spared kings and cities judgment- what an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society!"

Prayers of the Writing Prophets

The close link between prophesying and interceding is also found in the writing prophets of the Old Testament. We find Amos asking God's pardon for Israel and for respite from the utter destruction caused by a divinely ordained plague of locusts (Amos 7:1-2).

In similar fashion Joel cries to God for the ending of the drought which has caused the "seed to shrivel under the clods" and the wild beasts to cry out because "the water brooks are dried up" (Joel 1:17-¬20). In contrast, Hosea calls down an awful judgement on the homes of Israel by requesting "wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry" (Hos 9:14).

Habakkuk's Fiddle!

In his long prayer forming the whole of Habakkuk 3, the prophet expresses his absolute confidence in Yahweh, no matter how many calamities might befall him or however bad things might become. One quaint old commentator advises his readers to strum away on 'Habakkuk's Fiddle' when we are facing days of trouble.

Hebrew scholars tell us that the rhythm of the last part of this prayer is very beautiful, consisting of short lines of three words each and obviously intended to be set to music. He says that he will wait patiently until the day of calamity overwhelms the nation that was invading his land (Hab 3:16b).

Amos interceded for God's pardon, Hosea called for judgment and Habakkuk expressed his complete confidence in God, whatever the future might hold."

The Prophet's Arguments with God

Ezekiel wrestles with God and hints that his reputation is at stake if he utterly wipes out the remnant of Israel (Eze 9:8-11; 11:13-16). The reputation of Yahweh is one of the strongest arguments advanced by the prophets in their interceding for God's people. It was used by Moses several times, as he argues that the surrounding nations would conclude that Yahweh had failed to bring his people into the Promised Land (Ex 32:12; Deut 9:25-29).

A variation of this argument, also used by Moses, was to remind God of his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to tell him that he dare not break them. A similar argument that Yahweh would bring disgrace to his name if he let his people down had been used by Joshua at the defeat of Ai (Josh 7:9). These arguments are just as strong today if we adapt them to our New Testament understanding of the character and promises of our Heavenly Father and the victory of his Son, our Saviour.

Many prophets interceded by reminding God of his character and promises- and by arguing that his reputation was at stake. These arguments are just as strong today"

Prayer's Powerful Effect

Of all the prophets, Elijah is chosen as the example of the powerful effect of a righteous man's intercession (James 5:16-17) and it is from this New Testament account that we learn that the disastrous three and a half years' drought in the reign of King Ahab happened in answer to Elijah's praying. Had we only the narrative in 1 Kings 17, we should not have known the part that his prayers had in bringing about the drought, as a judgement upon the idolatrous activity of the wicked Queen Jezebel.

As this three-year period came to an end the power of Elijah's praying was again demonstrated when, after total failure on the part of Baal's prophets to bring fire from heaven, God answered his servant's prayer by causing the enormous power of his lightning falling from heaven to consume not only the wood and the sacrifice but also the soil and the stones!

In 1 Kings and James, we find that Elijah's powerful intercession caused drought in Israel for three and a half years, brought down fire from heaven and then finally brought rain"

Having brought about this convincing demonstration of Yahweh's superiority, Elijah tells the king that rain was on its way. Yet again Elijah turned to prayer, bending down to the ground with his head between his knees, having first climbed to the top of Carmel. After six reports from his servant that there was not a cloud in the sky, when he looked the seventh time a cloud no larger than a man's hand convinced him that torrential rain was about to fall.

Intercessor's Options

From the foregoing stories it is clear that, on occasion, a prophet may in prayer invoke the judgement of God upon a sinful nation whereas at another time he may terminate the judgement. An example of both options may be found in the story of Elisha, Elijah's successor. He invoked blindness on Israel's enemy, but later prayed that their vision might be restored (2 Kings 6:18-20).

There is in fact another option, making three in all. Elisha could ask either (i) that God would bring judgement to reveal his displeasure (eg Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1), or (ii) that God would pardon his people and rescue them from judgement (eg Moses in Numbers 11:1-3), or again (iii) that God would modify the intensity of his judgement (eg Ezekiel in Ezekiel 11:13) so as to avoid their total overthrow.

It might well be asked which option that today's intercessors should adopt, though they are not left without direction: "For the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought...the Spirit intercedes...according to the will of God" (Rom 8:26-27).

Moses - Intercessor for Israel

Moses is the supreme example of a prophet who was also an intercessor. Moses prayed for Israel at least four times during the wilderness wanderings and secured the mercy and pardon of God for his sinning people. They turned to idolatry, they constantly grumbled, they wanted to return to Egypt and on one occasion were about to stone Moses and his few faithful companions. But time and time again Moses' intercession secured them God's deliverance (Ex 32:9-14; see also Deut 9:20-29; Ex 32:30¬-34; Num 14:13-19 & 21:7-9).

Moses' example of fervent, vicarious intercession has only been surpassed by that of Jesus."

The fervency of Moses' intercession – "I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you" (Deut 9:25) - and the vicariousness of his pleading as he says to God "forgive their sin - and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book..." (Ex 32:32), together with his refusal of the divine suggestion that the people should be wiped out so that God could make a new nation of him, form an example for today's intercessors to emulate, though never to surpass. Only one has ever done that when "in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears" (Heb 5:7).

Other Prayers of Moses

Moses' intercession bringing victory to Israel over the Amalekites is the classic story of the power of the intercessor (Ex 17:8-16). Moses' prayers also secured mercy for Miriam his jealous sister (Num 12:13), God's presence in their onward pilgrimage (Ex 33:12-¬16) and a new leader to take over from him (Num 27:15-23).

When we see the achievements that result from praying for others we are ashamed that we so often neglect this part of the prophetic ministry and cry out with John Calvin "what deep-seated malice against God is this, that I will do anything and everything, but go to him and remain with him in secret prayer!".

Another Prophet Intercessor

Psalm 99:6-8 refers to Samuel as another intercessor who called on the name of the Lord to have mercy on his people. When the Israelites were terrified at the impending attack of the Philistines, they begged Samuel to pray for them. God's thunder was his answer and the enemy was routed (1 Sam 6:7-10).

When the people sinned against God by demanding a king, to be like the other nations, the Lord showed his displeasure by sending thunder and rain, seldom experienced at that particular season. This was in answer to Samuel's praying. However, when they repented, Samuel (though personally rejected by their demands for asking) magnanimously assured them that he would not cease to pray for them and would continue to teach them the "good and right way".

Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected?"

For Samuel to cease to pray would have amounted to "sin against the Lord" (1 Sam 12:23). Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected? Samuel's attitude is one which today's intercessors would do well to copy.

Courageous Praying

The prophet Daniel is well known for his faithfulness in continuing to pray even when the threat of being thrown to the lions had been made. "He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed...as he did afore time" (Dan 6:10). Most of his prayers are concerning the hidden mysteries God was gracious enough to unveil to him. But chapter 9 contains his prayer of confession, which is an aspect of prophetic praying we have not so far mentioned.

In the context of reminding Yahweh of his promise through the prophet Jeremiah to restore his people to their land after seventy years, Daniel confesses vicariously on behalf of God's sinful nation. A most important part of the prophet's intercession is to 'stand in the shoes' of the people being prayed for as prayer is offered on their behalf.

When Prayer is Forbidden

Jeremiah's prophecy contains a number of prayers for God's people (Jer 14:7-9; 19-22; 42:1-7). But the time came when it was too late to pray and Jeremiah was forbidden to do so. God's order to his servant was "do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede for them, and do not intercede with me, for I do not hear you" (Jer 7:16; see also 11:14, 14:11). How important that prayer should be offered before it is too late!

Prophet's Privilege

If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God."

Everyone knows that it is the responsibility of the prophet to speak God's word to whoever he is sent. Sometimes that word can be hard and condemnatory - unless the prophet has also interceded for whoever is on the receiving end of the prophecy. If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God. Then only will the prophets of today really copy the example of the prophets of the Bible.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2, No 4, July/August 1986.

Clifford Denton concludes his study of the Apostle Paul's attitude to Torah.

In order to recover Christianity's intended relationship with Israel, we must study the way they grew apart. There are a number of historical factors that began in the First Century and continued up to the present day – it was a gradual process more than a one-off event. It is important to consider each of these factors carefully.

In this study we will continue to consider Paul's attitude to Torah. It was inevitable that theological differences would occur between the disciples of Jesus and the existing rabbinical sects, so the developing tension would always have the potential of causing a rift. Nevertheless, when we read Romans 11:11 we might wonder if the Christian Church has fulfilled its particular calling to provoke the Jews to jealousy, when some branches of Christianity are all but unrecognisable as the authentic fulfillment of Old Covenant promises.

Has the Christian Church become so estranged from its roots that it now fails to provoke Jews to jealousy with its fulfilment of Covenant promises?"

It is therefore reasonable to reassess Paul's perspectives in order to recover the balance we need.

Need for balance

Above all, nevertheless, we must remember who we are in the Lord Jesus as we study these things and not lose our New Covenant inheritance through any form of imbalance. Time and again, Paul emphasised that disciples of Jesus were saved by grace. Theirs was a walk of faith, according to the life of the Holy Spirit. We must not detract from this wonderful liberating truth. We who are saved by faith must not return to the external obligations of ritual halakhah.

Yet, Paul also knew that the Lord Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, had taught:

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:17-19)

There is a balance for New Covenant believers to achieve between walking in the liberation of grace through faith, and not rejecting God's law."

Paul the Apostle taught the life of the Spirit; he also had the depth of understanding of Torah to use the Scriptures to teach heart principles. For example, he used Deuteronomy 25:4 (concerning feeding oxen who tread the grain) to argue the case to care for those who teach the Gospel (see 1 Cor 9:9, 1 Tim 5:18).

Linking the New with the Old

The New Testament is not a new law book to replace the Law of Moses, so we will find only a few examples of Paul's way of thinking to link back to Torah. The more we consider this, however, the more serious our own quest to connect new with old should appear. Consider, for example, a principle illustrated in passages such as Ezekiel 26:2-3:

Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, 'Aha'...Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you...

Tyre came to nothing because the people did not respond correctly to the Babylonian captivity of Judah, thinking they should mock the people whom their God had abandoned. Could Paul's understanding of this be behind his statement in Romans 11:18-21:

...do not boast against the branches...do not be haughty but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either...

Paul's biblical mindset led to his understanding of weighty matters concerning the God of Israel, some with important prophetic significance.

For fear of Judaising, many Bible teachers have barely begun to handle the Scriptures so fluently as Paul."

For fear of Judaising, many Bible teachers have barely begun to handle the Scriptures so fluently as Paul. Over the centuries there have been many alternative standpoints from which Scripture has been taught. Let us, therefore, consider these.

Two extremes

In Our Father Abraham, Marvin Wilson gives the example of Marcionism- a set of Church teachings originating in Rome with Marcion of Sinope, in the 2nd Century AD. Wilson writes (p108):

To some degree, Marcion appears to have been influenced by the dualistic teachings of Gnosticism. Thus he held that the world, with its appalling evils, was created by a Demiurge (a term Gnostics borrowed from Platonism). This cruel god of battles and bloody sacrifices, so Marcion contended, was revealed in the pages of the Old Testament. He insisted that since an evil world could not be created by a good God, the Old Testament was really the Demiurge's book and hence of lesser status than the New. The Old was the great antithesis of the New and thus was demeaned as being imperfect, offensive, and unedifying.

But the New Testament, Marcion insisted, revealed the true God in the coming of Christ from heaven. Unlike the Demiurge, this God was a God of love. Marcion argued that the New Testament, being Christ's book (not that of the Demiurge), was unquestionably superior to the Old Testament. Furthermore, in his quest to demote the Old Testament from its recognized position of authority, he began to extol the writings of Paul, which held that Christians were "free from the Law" (cf Galatians 5:1). He contended firmly that the Church was wrong in attempting to combine the gospel with Judaism. Indeed, Marcion's principle goal was to rid Christianity of every trace of Judaism. Hence Marcion became the archenemy of the "Jew God".

Wilson goes on to point out that Marcionism is still prevalent in the Christian Church today albeit in another guise. By contrast, he also writes of another sect of Early Christianity called the Ebionites (p25):

The Ebionites, a Jewish-Christian sect which flourished for several centuries after A.D. 70, are most likely a continuing reflection of the Judaizing movement. An ascetic group, committed to poverty as a life-style, the Ebionites upheld the whole Jewish Law but rejected Paul's letters on the grounds that he was an apostate from the Law.

These are two extreme examples of the many views Christians have taken on Paul's teaching. They show that the consequences of our worldview, mindset or way of thinking can be profound, ranging from antinomianism to legal bondage.

Olive Tree Theology

In Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel (Jewish New Testament Publications, 1988) David Stern explores three types of theology, which he terms Covenant, Dispensational and "Olive Tree". Of the first two he writes (p16):

Christian theologians have usually followed one or two approaches in dealing with this subject. The older and better known one is generally called Replacement theology or Covenant theology, although it is also appearing these days under other names; it says that the Church is "Spiritual" Israel or the "New" Israel, having replaced the "Old" Israel (the Jews) as God's people.

More recently there has developed in Protestant quarters Dispensational theology, which, in its more extreme form, says that the Jewish people have promises only on earth, while the Church has promises in heaven.

David Stern goes on to remind his readers of the Olive Tree metaphor of Romans 11, inventing the term "Olive Tree theology". This was the way that Paul considered the Covenant community to be defined. Gentiles are grafted by faith into an existing body in which Jesus the Messiah is central, and where the roots go back to the Patriarchs and the Covenants.

Paul defined the New Covenant community as branches grafted by faith into an existing tree, rooted in the Patriarchs and Old Testament covenants, in which Messiah Jesus is central."

How does the Torah fit into Paul's Olive Tree theology? Since Covenant history for Israel was Torah-based (intended to be understood in the right way), we from the Gentile world, with a different background to our lives, must be careful not to read into what he says through our own preconceptions, thereby misunderstanding what he is really teaching us.

Let us consider Paul's way of thinking a little more.

Paul's Way of Thinking

We can start in a number of places to anchor Paul's way of thinking. Following David Stern, Romans 11 is one place, where Paul brings balance to his teaching to the Romans about how the Gentiles were saved by grace through faith, entering the existing community of Jewish disciples of Jesus the Messiah.

Acts 15 is another place, where we see Paul and the other apostles and elders grappling with issues of halakhah for Gentile converts and deciding that the Torah is not to be a set of obligations, but is to be learned, in its fulfilled sense, through the Holy Spirit. A new and living halakhah was being launched into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit, but the Covenant heart was still founded on the Torah of God.

We could also start in Galatians and find a strong word against the wrong interpretation of Torah which deprives the believer of his freedom in Messiah.

Wherever we start, we must conclude that Paul does not teach that the Torah is replaced by something else. Instead, Paul leads the believer to trust in God and live by faith, recognising the value of the written Torah as a guide and inspiration. He shows great trust in God rather than man (including those Rabbis who, with strongly held traditional interpretations, did not recognise the Messiah) for the willingness to guide each believer on to maturity, within the context of the believing community.

Wherever you start in Paul's writings, he does not teach that the Torah is replaced by something else. Instead, he leads believers to trust in God and live by faith, valuing the Torah as a guide and inspiration."

In Romans 7:12 he recalls that though the flesh is too weak to obtain salvation for a person by striving for righteousness, the Torah is nevertheless holy:

Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

In writing to Timothy, he upholds the Torah as the foundation of teaching:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Here, we must interpret 'Scripture' as the existing Tanakh (Torah, Prophets and Writings – what came to be called the Old Testament by Christians). The New Testament was still emerging and was not yet united as a single document.

Walking with God

Yet, we sense that Paul is urging his students on to a personal walk with God rather than the ritual lifestyle that typified Israel before the coming of Messiah and the giving of the Holy Spirit. He also exhorted Timothy:

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. (1 Tim 1:8-11)

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Gal 3:24-25)

Paul sees that New Covenant faith is like the faith of Abraham that leads a person to walk with God. That is the goal of Torah. He sees Jesus the Messiah as central to the fulfillment and goals of Torah, like the objective one sees through a telescope when one is on a journey (to a destination). This is the "end" or "goal" of the Torah in Romans 10:4, which is the pivot point of the teaching in the Letter to the Romans, where Paul shows the chief and central context of the Torah is Jesus the Messiah:

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Rom 10:4)

Thus Paul's mindset is completely Christ-centred whilst also being Torah-centred. He sees beyond his Rabbinical training whilst not denying his roots. He sees a need for the grace of God and the fulfillment of the sacrificial system for sin permanently accomplished in Jesus, so that the punishment for sin of those who believe is also nailed to the cross (Col 2:14). He exhorts us to freedom in Jesus and a walk in the Spirit of God with the Torah on our hearts.

Paul's mindset is completely Christ-centred whilst also being Torah-centred: he urges believers on to freedom in Jesus and a personal walk with God with the Torah on our hearts."

Those who read Paul as denying Torah and breaking from Covenant history have not understood his background, and have misunderstood his message of freedom from sin in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Balanced Perspective

Since Paul is so central to the teaching of the New Testament, many books have been written concerning his relationship with Torah. The secret is to first assess the context of Paul's call and understand the background from which he came. Then it is possible to walk through this theological minefield without danger, recognising the error of those who are reading into the Scriptures what they have already decided that Paul would say, to justify their bias.

The issue is balance. Paul does not exhort us to come under the yoke and limits of rabbinic Judaism. This led to the powerful letter the Galatians. Salvation is by grace alone and through faith, leading to a walk in the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is the gift of God to a disciple of Jesus. The authority of the rabbis to interpret Torah had, inevitably, become bondage to external show rather than spiritual relationship.

Nevertheless, we must recognise that the roots of Judaism are also the roots of Christianity. Christianity must not be a replacement but a fulfillment of Torah. Indeed a new form of legalism within Christianity, perhaps equivalent to a sect of Rabbinic Judaism, is not the goal either, but a continuity of biblical Torah founded in covenant history which leads to the faith of Abraham in the context of knowing all of God's teaching. Paul leads us to a maturity which bears the fruits of justice and mercy through love, whilst living humbly in the protection of Jesus for the shortcomings of our lives.

Paul encourages us towards the faith of Abraham: walking with God, knowing his teaching and bearing the fruits of his Spirit, whilst living in the protection of Jesus for our own short-comings."

The curse of the law (Gal 3:13) was the curse for disobedience (Deut 27). It was this curse that Jesus took upon himself so that we could be free, not to sin but to walk with God under the leading of his Spirit. It was not that the Torah of God was a curse, but that we needed help because of our inability to attain the righteousness that is at the heart of Torah.

For Study and Prayer

In Ephesians 5:18 Paul writes, "be filled with the Spirit." In a similar passage, Colossians 3:16, he writes, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." How might a Christian fulfill Romans 11:11 by a balanced walk in word and Spirit?

Next time: Paul and the spread of the Gospel.

The Editorial Team of Prophecy Today want to express their compassion and concern for all the families who have suffered in the terrible events at Sousse in Tunisia.

The news that most of the holidaymakers on the beach were British and that the number of dead is likely to exceed 30 has numbed the nation. The carnage on the beach shown in a multitude of photos on the media resembled a war scene and the list of dead and injured appearing on the Internet has sent a shockwave right across Britain.

In an interview this morning on BBC Radio Four's Today Programme Prime Minister, David Cameron said that the Islamic State had declared war on us.

He said, "I think that frankly, we are a target. They have declared war on us, they are attacking our people at home and overseas whether we like it or not... They are attacking our way of life and what we stand for."

He warned, "There are people in Iraq and Syria who are plotting to carry out terrible acts in Britain and elsewhere and as long as ISIL exists in those two countries we are at threat." He said that Britain is the second most active country in launching air attacks upon the Islamic fighters. But he added that it wasn't enough to "destroy [IS] at source".

He said "We have to deal with this appalling radical narrative that's taking over the minds of young people in our country. It's a battle of our values and our narrative against their values and their narrative. We have to get that right as well as the military end of things." [emphasis added]

The Narrative Battle

The Prime Minister is right in saying that the real battle is to do with values. But he is wrong to speak about a military defeat of the Islamic State. You cannot defeat an ideology by weapons of war: it can only be successfully tackled with a counter-ideology that is more powerful and compelling.

If a full-scale war between Islamic radicals and the West is to be avoided, we have to act now before the situation deteriorates further. We have to recognise the nature of the ideological conflict between the values being propagated by radical Islam and those of the West which are still based predominantly upon our Judaeo-Christian heritage.

You cannot defeat an ideology by weapons of war, only by a counter-ideology that is more powerful and compelling."

The right way to deal with this situation is for Quranic scholars and Biblical scholars to come together and examine their Scriptures. We have to stop these foolish statements about "we all worship the same God". This is clearly untrue as even a cursory comparison of the teaching of Jesus and Muhammad shows.

One of the sayings of Muhammad is, "The recompense of those who make war on Allah and his messenger and exert themselves to cause corruption in the land is that they should be killed or crucified, or that their hands and feet on opposite sides should be cut off." (Quran 5:37)

This is in strong contrast to the teaching of Jesus, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy'. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43).

It is this basic contrast in values that lies at the heart of Islam and Christianity which has to be faced. At the same time we are warning against an escalation of the war in the Middle East and calling for a dialogue between the scholars of Islam and Christianity.

Call for Dialogue

We know, of course, that there have been many periods in history when those who claim to be followers of Jesus have not followed his teaching as in the atrocities of the Crusades. And we know that the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving people who follow those parts of the Quran that advocate peace rather than war.

Our call is for the scholars of both Christianity and Islam to come together and solve what David Cameron rightly describes as a 'clash of values'. We do not see this as some kind of attempt to harmonise the two religions, but rather to highlight the differences in social values that may lead at least to peaceful co-existence and counteract the attraction of the Islamic State's propaganda that is currently attracting young Muslims.

In Prophecy Today we will elaborate this call for dialogue further later this week, in an article entitled "Who are the true Muslims?" In the meantime we ask all our readers to pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones and also for the protection of the nation from further terrorist attacks as we come up to the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings of 2005.

'Preparing for the Economic Storm: the Church in an Age of Austerity' by Derrick Burns (New Wine Press, 2013, 158 pages, available from Roperpenberthy for £8.99)

This is a well-researched and informative book on an important current topic: the turmoil in national economies that threatens to turn into a global storm. The author provides many relevant facts and figures and a perceptive analysis of those countries most in financial trouble. Helpfully, he states early in his book the key questions he will attempt to answer: what is God doing? How does he use economic storms? How can we prepare for tough times? What kind of church does God require and how can we raise up new leaders?

The author outlines how the Western world has worshipped capitalism and economic prosperity, and boldly declares that such idolatry brings nations down. Already cracks are beginning to form. Unrestrained corporate greed and a short-term gain mentality mean excessive spending will inevitably continue, both individually and nationally. This can only lead to more debt and eventual collapse, though he is cautious as to when and how seriously.

The situations in Greece, Spain and France come under scrutiny, as does the severity of the challenges the United States now faces. The spotlight also falls on the United Kingdom which has forsaken its calling to the gospel and turned its back on God, following materialism and consumerism instead. Consequently, we are heading for the same storms.

The call of this book is for God's people to free ourselves from idols of greed and be ready for the coming storms"

The author recognises this is part of the shaking of the nations as predicted in Hebrews 12:26. In particular, "God is deliberately allowing the economic storms to challenge Western idols built on money, self-centredness and success". (p74) The call is for God's people to free ourselves from these idols now in order to be ready for the storms and to be able to help others who will struggle in these difficult economic times. We must heed the warning signs and shake off complacency before the storms hit.

The book contains many references to historical figures and events as well as key Biblical passages, in particular the fat and lean years in the Joseph account. The aim is to bring prophetic insight and practical wisdom to bear on personal lifestyles as well as on national issues. Indeed, a main strength of the book is the wealth of practical advice for individuals, churches, charities and other organisations, advice designed to create a new focus and flexibility to adapt to changing times. This guidance is important otherwise we might feel helpless in the light of his stern message.

The author stresses the need for the church to be thinking now about what kind of mission we will face in the future and how to father new spiritual leaders for the next generation. Mature Christians must help equip newer believers and build up gifts of prophecy and discernment.

The Church needs to prepare and be ready- not just for changing times, but for new opportunities for the gospel."

The overall message of the book will be an eye-opener for those not aware of how God acts in judgement, but there is also reassurance. God does provide in times of hardship. His Kingdom operates according to a different economy. If we understand the times and what God is doing then there will be great opportunities for the gospel.

Here is an illuminating challenge to prepare for a more difficult future than we might otherwise contemplate. It is a prophetic book in that it analyses the present in clear Biblical terms. Alarm bells should ring but not in an over-alarmist clamour- this is a book to read prayerfully and then share, not shelve.

Charles Gardner reports on an inspirational conference bringing Jew and Gentile together in the peace and reconciliation of Christ.

With the Middle East engulfed in flames, a story of peace and reconciliation was unfolding last week in Manchester, where delegates from all over the Arab world came together for a unique conference aimed at building bridges between Arabs and Jews who have become followers of Jesus.

As Iran continues its aggressive stance against Israel, threatening to wipe the Jewish state off the map, Iranian refugees and asylum seekers now living in Britain embraced their Jewish 'brothers', some of whom had travelled from Jerusalem to meet with them. Also present was a sizeable contingent of Egyptians along with representatives from Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria. Others wanting to join them had been unable to get visas.

Highway of Peace

As part of the great untold story of the Middle East, the three-day conference was hosted by the Church's Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), a 200-year-old Anglican society specifically dedicated to spiritual revival in Israel. Other key figures behind the event were Robert Sakr and Michael Kerem, along with Rev David Pileggi, rector of Christ Church in Jerusalem.

Although working mainly among Jews since its founding in 1809 by slave trade abolitionist William Wilberforce and members of the Clapham Group, CMJ has also consistently reached out to Arabs over the years and, in 2012, held their first At the Crossroads conference at their Jerusalem headquarters to enable Jew and Gentile to express their oneness in Christ and work together to spread the gospel, on the basis of a prophecy from Isaiah 19 (v23-25) of a "highway" of peace and reconciliation from Egypt to Assyria via Israel.

The 'At the Crossroads' conferences aim to bring Jew and Gentile together to express their oneness in Christ and work together to spread the gospel."

This highway, which includes much of the modern-day Arab world, represents the very path travelled by Abraham, father of the Jewish race, and so it's perfectly appropriate that it is also the road to peace for Isaac and Ishmael, the sons of Abraham.

Iranians Pray for Jewish Rabbi

At the second At the Crossroads conference, held in Jerusalem in 2014, a number of UK-based Iranians were turned back at the Israeli border and so missed out on a chance to meet with other Muslim-background converts from all over the region. And so, UK at the Crossroads was arranged to encourage and inspire those who would struggle to enter Israel.

David Friedman, a Messianic rabbi from Jerusalem, was delighted that so many Iranians had turned up for the conference – they have established thriving churches throughout England – and implored them to join him in praying for barriers to be broken between their two countries.

"We need to get together and pray for our two nations," he said. Reminding them of a time in ancient days when a Persian king opened the door for his people to come back home, he prayed that God would so pour out his Spirit that hatred of Israel (among the authorities) would be melted by love. The alternative was a nuclear conflagration that would destroy not only the Middle East, but possibly the entire world.

Before he had finished speaking, the Iranians responded by coming forward to pray for him, and for Israel! It was an awesome moment- something akin to an earthquake in reverse as a shattered and broken world is put back together again, with all the pieces mended.

An Israeli Messianic rabbi implored people to pray for barriers to be broken between Iran and Israel. Iranians responded by coming forward with an awesome offer of prayer."

United in Jesus

Sessions were interspersed with times of worship in Arabic, Farsi (the language spoken in Iran), Hebrew and English, creating a beautiful atmosphere of shared love and identity. Communication may have been a challenge at times, but you only had to look in each other's eyes to know you were one in Christ who, in the words of St Paul, destroys the dividing wall of hostility, creating "one new man" out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God through the cross (Eph 2:14-16).

Beirut-based Robert Sakr, one of the visionaries behind the conference, said: "There's no such thing as a peace process apart from Jesus. In the 55 years I've lived in the Middle East, there has been no political solution."

There's no such thing as a peace process apart from Jesus." ~ Robert Sakr

Turkish Christians Apologise for Armenian Genocide

The conference also heard how Turkish Christians recently met with a group of Armenians to apologise for the genocide that took place 100 years ago.

Admitting a mistake goes very much against the grain in the Middle East, but they embraced in the name of Jesus and a Turkish pastor, Ali Pektash, got down on his knees to wash the feet of an elderly Armenian, apologising for what his grandparents had done, whereupon the Armenian responded by washing the feet of his Turkish brother-in-Christ.

"Forgive me for what my people have done in killing, torturing and forcefully converting and expelling you from our land," Ali told his hosts, asking them to pray that the curse he believed had come upon his nation as a result would be lifted.

The Armenians, along with a group of Yazidi Kurds, duly prayed for their visitors and forgave them. And when two pastors who had been at loggerheads with each other saw what happened, it melted their hearts and they were reconciled.

Focus on the Wheat

Robert Sakr frankly admitted that he didn't understand what was happening in the Middle East today, with borders being wiped out and bloodshed on a horrific scale. "But I know that God is in control and that the harvest will come in an environment of both persecution and blessing."

Referring to Jesus' parable of the weeds (Matt 13) in which he explains that the weeds, planted by an enemy, should be left to grow with the wheat until the harvest, Robert said that while organizations like CNN and the BBC were focused on covering news about the weeds, "we must take care of news about the wheat".

"We're the 'good news' people; our job is telling people what God is doing, not the enemy." He said Zionism and Arab aspirations are incompatible. "But God has the last word. For 67 years some of the smartest people in the world have tried to solve this problem. It's a puzzle. But I'm focusing on the crop of wheat which is growing and expanding. Israel was a spiritual desert when I was growing up. Now there are so many believers. We need to focus on the wheat. Yes, unimaginable evil is being perpetrated in today's world. But what God is intending to do in our day is beyond our wildest imaginations."

Edmund Heddle continues his series on prophecy by looking in depth at the ministry of Elijah.

The religious life of Israel reached an all time low during the reign of Ahab (873-851 BC) and the Bible's verdict on him reads, "he did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all that went before him" (1 Kings 16:30).

Prosperous Times

Politically, Ahab was one of Israel's strongest kings. Whilst he reigned, Israel was at peace with Judah, Moab paid large sums of tribute money regularly and he twice defeated Benhadad, King of Syria. Internally, it was a time when prosperity and materialism flourished. In the excavation of the site of Ahab's palace archaeologists unearthed items of furniture made of ivory encrusted with gold.

Disastrous Marriage

Bur while in these ways his reign was successful, from the point of view of the worship of Yahweh, it was a time of unmitigated disaster. Ahab's father, Omri, had arranged that he would marry a heathen princess, Jezebel, daughter of the Zidonian king. No sooner had Ahab come to power than Jezebel, with the help of 450 heathen prophets, set about introducing into Israel the idolatrous worship of the Phoenician god Melkart, better known to us as 'Baal'.

Ahab was one of Israel's strongest and most prosperous kings. But in God's eyes, his reign was disastrous."

And as if this was not enough, she also brought over from Sidon four hundred more prophets to perform in Israel the licentious orgies of the goddess Ashtoreth. In her determination to establish this heathen religion she persecuted the followers of Yahweh and did not hesitate to kill numbers of his true prophets.

Wicked Queen

"Everything we know about Jezebel shows her to have been a woman born to dominate, a very fountain of burning energy, passionate, self-willed, determined, stopping at nothing to effect her ends. To all this was added a religious devotion bordering on fanaticism".¹ She was determined to promote the worship of Baal and took advantage of the fact that in an agricultural country like Israel, a god who was said to bring good harvests would have a special attraction.

An 8th Century BC carving from Syria depicts Baal as a weather-god holding an axe and a thunderbolt.

Crisis Prophet

To deal with such a situation, God brought on to the scene the prophet Elijah, considered by many to be the greatest of the prophets. Very little is known about his antecedents. He is introduced in Scripture as "Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbeh in Gilead" (1 Kings 17:1). We have no exact date for his birth, his appearance in Israel or his translation to heaven, but he must have prophesied for at least twenty years in the reign of King Ahab.

This man who emerged from the rough pasture lands bordering the wilderness came to be recognised by his garment of hair with a leather girdle (2 Kings 1:8). He spent much time in solitude with only occasional visits to the peopled cities. He appeared and disappeared with such startling suddenness that no one knew where to find him at any particular time (1 Kings 18:10, 12).

Elijah spent much time in solitude, appearing and disappearing very suddenly according to the leading of the Spirit of God."

However, when Ahab's steward, Obadiah, expressed his exasperation at Elijah's sudden disappearances, his words reveal that Elijah's movements were to be traced to his direction by the Spirit of God. It was the Spirit's direction that ensured that at every critical juncture Elijah was always at hand, ready to go into action as the conscience of the nation.

False Religion

With a name like Elijah (meaning Yahweh is God!), it was inevitable that he would find himself on a collision course with Jezebel, Baal and his false prophets. In fact he precipitated this by praying that God would fulfil his threat to withhold rain from the land of Israel, seeing his people had turned to idolatry (Deut l l:16, 17).

Prayer for Disaster

If we had only the Old Testament record, we would assume that when Elijah told Ahab that there would be no rain on Israel for three years he was merely passing on a direct revelation from God. It is the New Testament which reveals that this situation had come about in answer to Elijah's prayer (James 5:17).

In one sense, Ahab was right when he referred to Elijah as the 'troubler of Israel' (1 Kings 18:17), though Elijah rightly pointed out that the real cause of the drought was the disobedience of Israel's kings and their idolatry in Baal worship. Elijah is not the only prophet who has been blamed for an event because he prophesied it would happen!

Elijah actually prayed for disaster to befall Israel because of her disobedience."

Carmel Confrontation

Elijah then proposed that a public demonstration be staged on Mount Carmel to prove whether Baal, the Zidonian weather-god or Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the real god. By challenging Ahab and the prophets of Baal to such a confrontation, Elijah joined the ranks of prophets like Samuel, Nathan, Gad and Shemaiah who had the courage to confront kings who were acting contrary to God's will. But Elijah did so in such a way as to instigate the classic encounter for all time between Yahweh and all idol gods.

Carmel, meaning 'garden', or 'park', is proverbial in Scripture for its natural beauty and majesty (Isa 35:2). It was on its wooded headland that rose high above the Mediterranean Sea that Elijah challenged the people to choose once and for all between Yahweh and Baal. The nature of the challenge focussed on the preparation of two bulls for sacrifice with the understanding that no fire should be kindled by the worshippers. Elijah gave first place to Baal's prophets and they cried out to their weather-god to ignite the fire by "fire from heaven"- i.e. lightning (Gen 19:24; 1 Chron 21:26).

Elijah instigated a classic encounter between Yahweh and idol gods, challenging the prophets of Baal to prove his existence."

Religious HysteriaStatue of Elijah / see Photo Credits

Although they cried from early morning till noon there was no response. At this point Elijah began to mock them for their failure to get any response from Baal. "Pray louder!" he suggested: "Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone on a journey! Or maybe he's sleeping and you've got to wake him up!" (1 Kings 18:27 TEV).

This provoked them to a continuous ranting and raving which went on until the middle of the afternoon; meanwhile they cut themselves with their lances and tried to appease their god with the shedding of their own blood. But all to no avail as the Scripture states pathetically: "no-one answered, no-one heeded" (1 Kings 18:29).

Prayer Answered

Then came the turn of Elijah, but first he ordered that the sacrifice and wood were to be soaked with water. All eyes must have keen riveted on the lone prophet as he quietly prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel and offered three reasons why he should answer by fire.

These were that all present might know (i) that Yahweh was God in Israel, (ii) that Elijah was his servant and had acted in obedience to his instructions, (iii) that God had turned their hearts back to their true God. In striking contrast to the day-long screaming of Baal's prophets, Elijah prayed quietly and at once the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice...the wood...the stones...and the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said: Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!

Courage Rewarded

What Elijah accomplished on Mount Carmel must never be underestimated."

After such an exposure of the futility of idolatry, the false prophets were put to the sword. For Elijah there could be no compromise. To him, the spiritual life of the nation was at stake and he, to his eternal credit, had been willing to stand alone as the only effective opposition to the evil religious policies of the royal court. What might have happened if Jezebel had been allowed to go on unchallenged, no one can say.

What Elijah accomplished on Mount Carmel must never be underestimated. It was at the risk of his own life that he stood up for the true God. If he had failed that day on Carmel, his fate would have been the same as that meted out to Baal's discredited prophets.

A Man Like Us

Whatever may be our reaction to Elijah's subsequent panic-stricken running away to escape the threats of Jezebel, we must not let it for one moment detract from our admiration of his courage on Carmel. Rather, we must let the fact that Scripture tells us that he was a "man with human frailties like our own" (James 5:17 NEB) deepen our appreciation of both his outstanding courage and his temporary lapse into gripping fear.

Elijah was 'a man just like us', with weaknesses as well as strengths, moments of failure as well as moments of success."

Naboth's Vineyard

Having seen how Elijah dealt with the false religion of Baal, we turn to see how he dealt with the evil acts of Jezebel and Ahab in the matter of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21). In Jezreel there was a vineyard owned by a citizen named Naboth. Because it was so close to the palace, King Ahab wanted it and planned to make it his herb garden. He approached the owner with a fair offer of purchase or exchange, but Naboth refused and Ahab went back to the palace in a fit of the sulks. Jezebel found him sulking and soon discovered why.

It is important to notice that Naboth was not just being awkward. From the law of Moses it is clear that Israel was considered to be God's land. The Israelites were his tenants and one of the conditions of their tenancy was that their allocation of land must remain in the possession of their family. In cases of extreme necessity they might have to part with it temporarily, but even then only until the year of Jubilee. Naboth knew that once the King got hold of it, he would never see it back and so he refused the king's offer.

Wicked Frame-Up

When Jezebel discovered the reason for Ahab's sulking, she scornfully asked him who was ruling Israel and before he could reply she had arranged a frame-up which resulted in the execution of Naboth and the confiscation of all his property, on a trumped up charge.

Flushed with success, she bade Ahab go and take possession of the vineyard he so much wanted. As he didn't go he was confronted by a well-known figure and Elijah quickly pointed out that Jezebel's action had outraged the principles of justice laid down by Moses for Israel. He said that such a crime had sealed their doom and Jezebel and Ahab would die along with all their posterity - a threat that was carried out to the letter (1 Kings 21:21-22; 2 Kings 10:1-11).

In the matter of Naboth's vineyard, Elijah was responsible for prophesying the doom of both Jezebel and Ahab."

Yahweh's Council

Elijah was distinguished from the rest of men by his special relationship with Yahweh. He stood before him as a trusted official (1 Kings 17:1) listening to what he was going to do and discovering what his part in carrying it out might be. This is the picture behind the frequent mention in the Elijah stories that the word of the Lord had come to him (1 Kings 17:1-2, 8; 1 Kings: 1; 1 Kings 21:17, 28-29). Both his movements and his messages were dictated by Yahweh.

Elijah to Come

The closing words of the Old Testament promise that Elijah was to come again to prepare the way for the Messiah. The Gospels show that this promise was a frequent topic of conversation during the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 17, 10-13). Zechariah had been told that his son, John the Baptist, would minister in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).

Although Jesus regarded John the Baptist as a fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy, his words seem to leave open the likelihood that there will be other Elijahs in the future. If ever there was a day when an Elijah witness was needed in the nations of the world it is surely today!

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2 No 2, March/April 1986

References

1 Fleming, J,1950. Personalities of the Old Testament, Charles Scribner's Sons, p171.