We celebrate today Sukkot: The Feast of Tabernacles.
Sukkot means "booths," or "tabernacles," and this week-long holiday (continues for eight days) is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. On October 12 (at sundown) begins the joyful celebration of Succoth until October 19, 2011.
It is a joyous harvest festival and a reminder of how God sustained Israelites during their wilderness wanderings after their exodus from slavery of Egypt. The people were to dwell in temporary booths, and to rejoice over God's provision as well as His presence. Many Jewish people still build booths in their yards or synagogues for this holiday, and take their meals in these temporary dwelling places. Sukkot is a powerful reminder of how God tabernacled with us in the past, how He continues to do so today loving Israelites and being FAITHFUL to people Israel, and how He will ultimately dwell with us forever, through the Son of God Jesus, and reigns in the hearts of those who believe in Him. Yes, God dwells in our hearts and bodies like in His Temple and He sanctifies us and blessed us. God is with us like He was with Israel in the wilderness.
The Feast of Tabernacles also contains two powerful elements, water and light, that foreshadowed Messiah, who is gives us the Living Water and who is the Light of the world.
For forty years, as our ancestors, forefathers, led by a Jew Moses traversed the Sinai Desert, following the Exodus from Egypt. The miraculous clouds of God�s glory surrounded them and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers, attacks of Egyptian Army and discomforts of the desert when they did not have light. God was the LIGHT for them shining from this pillar of cloud and fire. God Himself went with Israelites in the pillar of cloud and fire.
The pillar of cloud and fire was with the Israelites right from the Exodus:
"But God led the people round by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for Joseph had solemnly sworn the people of Israel, saying, "God will visit you; then you must carry my bones with you from here." And they moved on from Succoth, and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." (Exodus 13:18-22 )
God made the Pharaoh to set His Jewish people FREE because they were descendants of a believer in God Abraham. And God was the God of Abraham and his descendants who obeyed Him. Other pagan nations worshipped the false gods/idols. There is only ONE God and His name is the God of Israel. His name is the God of Israel. All other gods do not exist. By being faithful to Israelites (the Children of Israel), God heard their prayer and supplications when they cried out to God during their slavery in Egypt and He brought them salvation. He set them FREE. He killed even Egyptian children to show that He is the ONLY God who should be respected, revered by us.
So, when the Pharaoh changed his mind about letting the Israelites go and pursued them with his mighty chariot army, the pillar of cloud changed positions from the lead of the Israelite column to the rear, where it blocked the Egyptian army until the sea was parted:
And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh�s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Exodus 14:19-21)
Then the angel of God was the Son of God. He appeared many times in the Old Testament and was called as the Angel of God and God at the same time because the Jewish word mal�akh �angel� means a messenger from God, an aspect of God (such as the Word of God) or God Himself as the Messenger. So, this Angel of God was the Son of God/the Word of God.
A clear statement that the Lord Himself was (1) in the pillar of fire and of cloud, and (2) the pillar of fire.
"And in the morning watch The Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians" (Exodus 14:24)
The Lord spoke to Moses directly, as a man speaks to his friend, from the pillar of cloud:
"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And every one who sought The Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up, and every man stood at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and The Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, every man at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent." (Exodus 33:7-11)
The sight of the cloud by day and the fire by night was a part of daily life for the Israelites during their entire wilderness journey for 40 years During the years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness journey under the leadership of Moses, they were not without a "Temple". God was talking to Israelites in the "Tabernacle" or "Tent of Meeting." It was a sort of a first Jewish Temple. Since the Israelites were then still on the move in the wilderness, no permanent structure could be built, so the Tabernacle took the form of an elaborate, and holy, tent-structure that could be taken apart and moved. Its design however included many of the same features that the Jewish Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem later.
"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of The Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would go onward; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not go onward till the day that it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys the cloud of The Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." (Exodus 40:34-38)
The Tabernacle was constructed to very precise specifications, as given by God Himself (Exodus chapters 35 to 40). The west end of the interior was sectioned off as a 15 foot square room, called the Most Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. The interior had elaborately woven curtains. What both the Tabernacle in the wilderness and later the Temple in Jerusalem had in common, apart from being physical places of worship God, God�s presence were there where Jews placed the Ark of the Covenant.
At the time The Lord descended upon the Mount Sinai, when He formally proclaimed The Ten Commandments did He do so in smoke and fire? Yes.
"On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because The Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up." (Exodus 19:16-20)
Look which story relates to the end of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Holy Scripture:
The Feast of Tabernacles had ended. The crowds had dispersed and those who had traveled to Jerusalem from the outlying regions were making their way home. Jerusalem was returning to its usual bustling pace. People were still talking about the spectacular light that had shone from the Temple and cast a glow upon the whole city. However, it was difficult for the man who sat by the entrance to the Temple courtyard to understand these conversations. He had never beheld the giant candelabra shining into the night. And although he had felt its warmth and heard it crackle, he had never even seen fire. For this man had been born blind. "I was blind when the festival began and now it's over, and I am blind still," he thought. "And so it shall probably be until the end of my days; I shall sit here, begging for a few measly coins always." He nodded in the direction of the sound of someone walking into the Temple. "The Lord bless you," he said to the wind.
Later that day, he heard a group of people approaching. The group paused before him and the blind man heard one of them ask, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?" The beggar steeled himself for the answer to come. He didn't think he could bear it if the rabbi were to say something about his parents, whom he loved and who had always shown him compassion, even though they must have been disappointed that their child was�well, broken.
As these thoughts went through his mind, he heard the rabbi reply, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." The beggar was astonished and then he had another thought, but he was too afraid to speak it: "This must be the man called Jesus." He had heard rumors and rumblings about Jesus for weeks. People spoke freely about Him in front of the beggar, for they must have assumed that just because he couldn't see, there must be something wrong with his hearing. So the blind man had heard plenty. Some had called Jesus a lunatic or a liar, but many were saying that He was the Prophet who was to come, that He was the Messiah, the Anointed One.
The Teacher continued, as if to answer the blind man's unspoken question, "Who are you?" Softly He said, "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."
When he had said this, the blind man heard the sound of someone spitting on the ground, and then there were hands firmly but gently rubbing what smelled and felt like clay on his eyes. Under ordinary circumstances, the beggar was sure he would have pulled away, but he sat there, unmoving, until the man spoke again and said, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The beggar silently got to his feet and began to stumble in the direction of the pool. When he reached it, he knelt down, drew in a breath and began dousing his eyes with water. And as he washed away the mud, it was as if he were wiping away darkness. The first thing he saw was light, blurred by tears�
John, a first-century Jewish man, a disciple of Jesus, who believed in Jesus, recorded this Sukkot miracle in our Christian Hadith called as Gospel.
John 9
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, �Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?�
3 Jesus answered, �Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I[a] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.�
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, �Go, wash in the pool of Siloam� (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, �Is not this he who sat and begged?�
9 Some said, �This is he.� Others said, �He is like him.�
He said, �I am he.�
10 Therefore they said to him, �How were your eyes opened?�
11 He answered and said, �A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, �Go to the pool of[d] Siloam and wash.� So I went and washed, and I received sight.�
12 Then they said to him, �Where is He?�
He said, �I do not know.�
The Pharisees Excommunicate the Healed Man
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, �He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.�
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, �This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.�
Others said, �How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?� And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, �What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?�
He said, �He is a prophet.�
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, �Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?�
20 His parents answered them and said, �We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.� 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, �He is of age; ask him.�
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, �Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.�
25 He answered and said, �Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.�
26 Then they said to him again, �What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?�
27 He answered them, �I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?�
28 Then they reviled him and said, �You are His disciple, but we are Moses� disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.�
30 The man answered and said to them, �Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.�
34 They answered and said to him, �You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?� And they cast him out.
True Vision and True Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, �Do you believe in the Son of God?�
36 He answered and said, �Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?�
37 And Jesus said to him, �You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.�
38 Then he said, �Lord, I believe!� And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, �For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.�
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, �Are we blind also?�
41 Jesus said to them, �If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, �We see.� Therefore your sin remains.
Jesus' healing of the blind man shocked the people of that day, not only because the act itself was so amazing, but also because the timing of the act was especially significant. It is no coincidence that Jesus performed this miracle immediately after Sukkot, for He used both the healing and the holiday to make some earthshattering statements about Himself. The meaning of light in the Hebrew Scriptures Torah, helped us discover what Jesus meant when He said He was the "Light of the world." Jesus �the Angel-Messenger of God and God Himself was always with Isralites in the pillar of cloud and fire during their Journey in the wilderness. He was always the LIGHT for every Jew in the darkness of the wilderness and He is the LIGHT for every man and woman and child in this world because He is the ONLY God who is FAITHFUL to us and who gave us the Promised Land as a symbol of His eternal presence with us in His Kingdom of Heaven/New Jerusalem prepared for us since the creation of the world.
God called Abraham, and promised to make his descendants into a great nation (a Jewish nation), a nation through whom all other nations would be blessed (Genesis 12). God called you Arabs a great nation too. But all other nations would be blessed only through Israel according to God�s words. That�s why JOIN Israel and be a PART of Israel, brothers of Jews, to be a blessing to other nations. Because Islam is the way of destruction. Islam is the way of curse because Islamic allah command you to kill people in 60% of Qur�an calling these killings by the word jihad. Let�s listen to our brother Sazie Johnson. He talks about Islam:
Hello Bahira,
�It seems Muslims are still in denial of their situation. The problem is that it gets worst, because the Quran, as it is written; we have it in our possession. It is the most confused book ever written by a god. Muslims have to help Allah expound (develop) the Quran in order for the Quran to be understood. That is why the Quran has so many footnotes (words added by Muslims) so that it can make sense.
Look at Quran 4:3. It is an example of how the Quran fails miserably to deliver the message. It reads, �And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, then marry women of your choice, two or three, or four���
Did you get that? It says, �If I cannot treat fairly children who have no parents, I must marry two, three, or four women of my choice.� What has marrying two, three, or four women of my choice to do with my inability to treat fairly children who have no parents?
Quran 2:2 reads, �This is a book free of doubt (confusion).� The Quran is so confused that no two Muslims commentators or scholars agree on the same interpretation. God is not the author of confusion. Satan is the author of confusion. Satan is also a liar.
The Quran tells us that it is the mountains that keep the earth from shaking (moving). What a lie. Quran 21:31 reads, �And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them��
The Bible tells us that the earth hangs on nothing. Job 26:7 reads, �He (God) hangs the earth on nothing;� and Science tells us the earth is continuously shaking (moving) which causes our days and nights.
Allah tells us that the Quran was written on tablets. Quran 85:21 reads, "Nay this is a glorious Qur'an, (inscribed) on a Preserved Tablet."
Muslim scholars and historians say the Quran was not written on tablets, but on bones, animal skins, and pieces of wood.
The problem facing Muslims is not whether or not the Quran has mistakes. The problem is how Muslims go about denying that there are mistake in the Quran.
The Quran tells us that the testimony of one woman cannot stand alone as a fact. In order for one woman�s testimony to be established as truth, it must be collaborated by another woman�s testimony. That means only two women�s testimony can become a truth. However, one man testimony can be established as truth.
Now let us put it to the test. Muhammad is one man. He comes home and tells his wife, �I have been contacted by a demon.� According to Islam, Muhammad�s testimony is established as truth. Guess what! Muhammad�s testimony is override by his wife � his wealthy wife, a business woman. Muhammad�s wife, thinking that the demon thing will destroy her business and ruin her financially, tells Muhammad, �Do not say it was a demon you met. Say it was an angel you met.� Today all of Islam is founded upon the testimony of one woman, which according to the Quran, is not enough to establish a truth.
The problem facing Muslims is not whether or not the Quran has mistakes. The problem is how Muslims go about denying that there are mistake in the Quran.
How about Christianity? Christianity is founded on the Word of God (the Man), not the Book (the Bible).
The light Jews used during the Sukkot celebration was meant to symbolize the presence of God. That day in the Jewish Temple, Jesus said that He was the presence of God, right there, in their midst. By saying that, He was declaring that He was the Messiah. He was the Light that the people had been waiting for. The priests of the Temple performed three main daily rites during the Sukkot feast.
Just before dawn each day, Jews proceeded to the east gate out of the Temple area. As the sun appeared they turned away from it and faced to the west, toward the Temple. Then they announced: "Our fathers when they were in this place turned their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east; but as for us, our eyes are turned toward the LORD."
Muslims, your eyes today are turned today away from the God of Israel. You pray daily toward a stone Kaaba!!!!!! You even do not pray anymore in the direction of the Jewish Temple where were God�s presence among Israel. Thus, you started to worship an idol/false god of this world and you actually physically turned away your eyes from the God of Israel that�s why no one of Muslims will be able to reach the Kingdom of God. God will judge you for you daily worship of the Islamic god and sins which never have been forgiven because you NEVER prayed to the God of Israel. Moreover you have insulted the Lord Jesus who is God and, by rejecting Him, you rejected and insulted His Father. Amazing, what will be your punishment for such crimes against Allah? We know the answer to this question: the eternal DEATH in the lake of fire. Only relatively limited number of Arabs will be saved through their FAITH in the God of Israel and His eternal Son Jesus.
The second rite during the Sukkot celebration was performed at night. Four huge menorahs were set up to illuminate the entire Temple area. As smaller torches were carried to light the procession, the people danced and played harps, lyres, cymbals and lutes. The Levites chanted the Psalms of Ascent (120-134). Imagine what a glorious scene it must have been, with the majesty of the procession and the golden stone walls of the Temple bathed in the glow of the torch-lit night!
The third daily ceremony was the rite of the water libation. On the first morning of Sukkot a procession of priests went down to the pool of Siloam to bring up to the Temple a golden container of water sufficient to last throughout the seven days of the feast. The water was brought up with great ceremony. The shofar was blown and the priests carried the water around the altar in the Jewish Temple. The Psalms 113-118 were recited. Then the priest on duty poured out the contents of two silver bowls: one held water and the other held wine. This was an act of prayer and an expression of dependence upon God to pour out His blessing of rain upon the earth.
Jesus was claiming to be none other than the Creator Himself! Some recognized His authority and plainly said, "He is the Messiah." Others were absolutely incensed. Some wanted to seize Him and have Him stoned for blasphemy, because He was claiming to be God. Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Great Provider, the Redeemer of Israel who led the people through the wilderness. He is the great Light shining in the darkness, and His body is the great Temple which was raised up after being destroyed as the final sin offering. Jesus took the sin of the world on the cross, millions of sins of Arabs�. He provided the final and greatest atonement for His people Israel, Arabs and for all nations.
Messiah promised "living water" for all who believe in Him. During the ritual of the water libation, the priests would chant the thanksgiving psalms (Psalms 113-118). It was on that day that Jesus stood up and boldly proclaimed: "If any man is thirsty let him come and drink."
Here stood Jesus using the symbols of the service and the situation of the day to reveal important truths about Himself in light of the people's needs. He was the God who is able to give us salvation and forgiveness of all our sins to live a happy life. God is the Living Water which we all need to survive in the hostile world and universe. We cannot survive in isolation. Only God is the source of our living.
Jesus stood up and boldly proclaimed to the celebrants, "If a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)
Why? Because God will dwell in our hearts and bodies thought the FAITH in the Son of God.
Imagine the uproar His statement must have caused! The priest had just poured out the water libation as an appeal to the Creator God to provide water for the people in the wildreness, and Jesus, as if to answer the prayer, tells the people to come to Him for water. What a radical statement and shocker to the crowd.
The Kingdom of God is only attainable through having our sins washed clean by the innocent blood of the promised Messiah, Jesus. He alone can present us righteous, holy, and clean (because His righteousness is imputed to every believer in Him) before the awesome and Holy throne of God . God is not far from us. The Son of God dwelt in wilderness with Israel and He provided their needs and gave them water to survive. He gave them food and blessings. This God, who dwelt with Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire, is giving you today eternal life through your FAITH in Him and His Living Water. If you will not accept this Water then in the wilderness of this world and universe you will be unable to survive. Your sins will destroy you. Everything in this world tends to destroy us and ONLY God creates and reconstructs. He is going to reconstruct your live because of His infinite love toward you. He is your Creator. The Creator of the universe is the Son of God. The Feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated always as a symbol and remembrance that the Son of God/God dwells always with His people. Even after the Third World War Muslims when all Muslim troops, which will attack Israel, will be destroyed by God, and Arabs will come to Jerusalem to worship the King Jesus. He is the Lord of hosts.
The Nations Worship the King
Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 8 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
In that day �HOLINESS TO THE LORD� shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD�s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 14: 3-4, 12, 16-21
Hey, Bahira, I'm glad that you have posted this and are being a Witness to the Truth. I've noticed you haven't gotten any replies, and you probably won't get many. I think that modern-day Christians are oblivious to what God really says in his Holy Word.
They really haven't studied God's Word out to even consider his Festivals, which, as we know, are his "appointed times." Or there is just a lack of wanting to know his plan through these Festivals.
What would make a Palestinian man, who hated Jews with a passion, embrace a former Israeli soldier as his brother? Why would an Israeli woman, whose son was brutally attacked, look at his assailants with forgiveness in her eyes?
How is it possible that in one of the world's most volatile regions, a small group of Israeli and Palestinian children play together, unaware that they should be enemies? The first two of these questions were explored in this edition's lead article. Several similar inquiries are examined in Forbidden Peace: the Story Behind the Headlines, a brand new video and DVD.
Forbidden Peace offers a bold new perspective on the Middle East conflict, one that is sure to raise some eyebrows. The central claim to the documentary-style film is that lack of peace in the Middle East is not a political or social predicament, but a spiritual one. The Israelis and Palestinians profiled in Forbidden Peace all maintain that they have found peace with one another by finding peace with God through Jesus - faith traditionally forbidden to both groups of people.
The opening footage of violent images from the Middle East is effectively juxtaposed with faces and voices full of hope, as the viewer is introduced to Tass, a former PLO Fatah fighter; Rahel, an Israeli who hosts gatherings of Israelis and Palestinians in her home regularly; Shmuel, an Arab man who leads a messianic Jewish congregation,1 just to name a few. Most moving are the segments involving Lisa, whose son Asaf was savagely beaten while serving in the IDF and Abigail, a young believer in Y'shua who was killed by a suicide bomber. Both stories can be seen as tests of faith and one cannot help but be impressed at the way those featured hold fast to their beliefs in the midst of crisis.
From a technical perspective, Forbidden Peace is skillfully filmed and scripted. One can either argue that some of the content is repetitive or conversely, that the stories' similar themes serve to reinforce the position of the film. One thing is for sure: these words and faces will be difficult to dismiss.
There are those who will approach this film with skepticism, and given the numerous peace plans proposed, it's no wonder. However, a companion study guide called Forbidden Peace: an Invitation to Recall, Reflect and Respond allows viewers to delve deeper into the ideas presented in the film.
Broken into six chapters plus introduction and conclusion, the booklet raises such questions as, "What is the origin of conflict?"; "Why do our attempts at peace fail?"; "If Jesus is the Messiah then why isn't there peace on earth?"; and "Is peace through Y'shua worth risking relationships?" The study guide makes for challenging, thought-provoking reading.
The current Middle East situation demands that we consider any possible antidote to the violence that threatens the region. The solution presented in Forbidden Peace is not a quick fix; it's not a national resolution, but a personal conclusion that will take time and courage. But after all, are we not in times that call for courage?
The world cries out for a solution to the conflict that threatens to tear apart the Middle East. Political solutions have come and gone, leaving many feeling that the rocky road to peace will ultimately lead nowhere. But behind the doomsday headlines and beyond the violent images broadcast from the volatile region, several Israelis and Palestinians have achieved a true and lasting peace.
A Casualty of Conflict
A few years ago, Lisa's son Asaf began his service with the IDF. One day he caught a lift from his base with a civilian. Moments later, as Asaf and his companion approached the Ayosh junction, a group of protesting Palestinian students descended upon the car in a rage. The driver managed to escape, but Asaf was trapped in the car. He suffered a blow to the head, which knocked him out cold. As Asaf regained consciousness, he was dragged from the car and beaten. A few seconds' pause allowed him just enough time to escape.
After the incident, Asaf retreated to his room and Lisa was left wondering how she could possibly cope with what had happened to her son and how she should deal with the rage toward her son's assailants that boiled inside her: "I [was filled] with this bitterness and this wrath and this anger and this rage, and this hate," she said.
A Soldier's Story
When Moran emigrated from Israel to the United States, he felt hopeless about the situation in the Middle East: "People were dying from the right and from the left; no one is doing anything, and I decided to move on."
The violence in Israel had struck Moran personally, as a Palestinian suicide bomber had taken the lives of seven of his friends in his IDF unit. So he came to the U.S., seeking a "different reality."
Little did this ex-soldier realize that his reality would change so drastically as to include two people formerly forbidden to him.
In 1998, Moran found himself in Los Angeles, going to a church service a friend had invited him to. Moran left the service agitated, filled with questions about God. He wanted answers and was challenged to read the Bible, both the Tanakh and the New Testament.
"Throughout the whole Scriptures, you find that God loved his people, Israel. He loved them so much that even when we continued to sin against him and reject him�he [is] still faithful to us and he gave us the promised Messiah�to save us from all of our iniquities. God opened my eyes to the truth�," said Moran.
What Moran read in the Bible convinced him that Y'shua (Jesus) was Messiah, and Moran committed his life to one whom he'd always assumed wasn't for him.
But though his newfound faith gave him a love and a peace that he'd not known before, the question was, would it be enough to quell the bitterness towards Arabs that still lingered in his heart? Could that love and peace truly displace decades of anger?
Finding Forgiveness
The Scriptures and Jewish tradition have much to say about forgiveness, in terms of seeking forgiveness both from God and from each other for our wrongdoing. We are also told that in addition to seeking forgiveness, that forgiving is itself a blessing.
Writing for Aish HaTorah, Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir comments:
A careful study of Jewish sources reveals that forgiveness fulfills two distinct roles�one religious, and one personal.
The religious role of forgiveness is that it enables the wrongdoer to achieve atonement for his act. It is a firm doctrine of Jewish belief that God doesn't grant full forgiveness for our sins against our fellow man until we obtain forgiveness directly from the wronged individual.
The personal role of forgiveness is that apology and forgiveness enable the two sides to put the incident behind them, and to restore harmonious relations.�This personal aspect of forgiveness is perhaps even more important than the religious one.1
There is much human logic in these words, however another Jewish perspective, the messianic Jewish perspective, holds that forgiveness from God is actually the precursor to reconciliation between people. That is, having a right relationship with God�one in which people know they have been forgiven by their Creator for their wrongdoing�will cause people to be forgiving towards one another.
How can we attain God's forgiveness? It's a timely question, considering we have just commemorated Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and asked God for forgiveness for all manner of sins. Yet, the Day of Atonement was originally instituted because humans cannot attain God's forgiveness, not without a sacrifice.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.
Leviticus 17:11
God never changed his requirements for atonement. When Jesus died, it was as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all who trust in him. Like the sacrifices in days of old, through Jesus' blood, humanity can be reconciled to God, and then to each other.
The assumption here is, as it says in the Tanakh, that vengeance and justice belong to God, not to us. The wrongs that we commit against one another are ultimately wrongs committed against our Creator. This is why when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he responded, "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself." He knew that the second couldn't happen without the first.
It's a radical concept, especially in the Middle East, and a tall order for anyone to follow.
Yet, these were all things that Lisa, the Jewish woman at the beginning of this article, believed as she tried to nurse her son Asaf back to health. Jesus' teachings of love and forgiveness were not easy to apply in her life. Her spirit had become a casualty of the Middle East conflict. So she did the only thing she knew to do�she prayed.
"I said, 'Lord, what do you want from me, don't you know how hard it is?'"
Then Lisa remembered that when Jesus died on a cross as a sacrifice for humanity's sins, he was recorded as saying, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do."
She realized then that God was intimately acquainted with suffering and pain, as he'd borne it in his own son, Jesus.
So Lisa continued praying, "Abba [Father], please give me your ability [to forgive]�I can't do it. It's too big for me, too enormous�give me your compassion.�"
Then, she says, "Something just broke in me, just broke, like you just break a dam, and�it just went.�But then I thought, supposing it's just words, supposing it really isn't there�supposing there's no connection between my mouth and my heart. That I was tested on, a couple of years later."
Forbidden Friendship
Moran had gone from questioning whether or not there was a God to believing wholeheartedly in God and in Jesus' claims to be the Son of God and his (Moran's) personal savior from sin. Yet, in his heart, he still distrusted Arab people.
One day in March, 2001, Moran was invited to share his story at a conference attended by Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus. At the podium, he spoke about how his friends were killed by a suicide bomber and about how he had come to believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be.
When he was finished, Moran joined a group of his friends. He was talking with them when he saw an Arab man approaching. The Arab man stood in front of Moran and said, "My name is Tass Abu Saada." Moran greeted him nicely enough, but inwardly wondered, "What does he want from me?" Then Tass said, "I was a Fatah fighter." When Moran heard that this man had been with the PLO, he stepped back in shock.
But Tass continued: "But I want to tell you something."
"Yes?" Moran inquired.
Tass replied, "I want you to know that I love you." Moran could not believe his ears.
Years earlier, Tass had experienced a radical shift in his feelings towards Jewish people. As a young man who'd been born in Gaza, he'd felt nothing but malice for Jews: "I believed they were the ones who took my land, who stole it from me, so I hated them with a passion."
His anger drove him to fight with Yasir Arafat's forces. Years later, when he left for the U.S. and became a successful restauranteur, he brought his hatred with him. He admits to having dreamt of poisoning his Jewish customers.
Eventually, Tass befriended Charlie, a customer who had impressed him with his kindness. Charlie told Tass, a Muslim, that Jesus was God. Tass believed that Jesus was a prophet, but nothing more. So he vehemently disagreed with his new friend. "No way!" said Tass.
But Charlie persisted and went and retrieved his Bible, and set it on the table between himself and Tass. Tass jumped back. "I can't touch that," he exclaimed. When his friend asked why, Tass stammered that he had the distinct impression that what lay before them was the word of God. This revelation surprised even Tass, who had never considered the Bible valid. But as Charlie began to read what the Bible says about Jesus, Tass felt a burden lift from him. He experienced an instant peace and joy within himself and began to believe that what the Bible said was true. As days passed and he began to read this book for himself, he was prompted to pray. And what he prayed surprised him:
"Suddenly I heard myself praying for the Jewish people.�I heard myself praying, 'Lord, bless your chosen ones and take them back to the promised land.'�I started wanting to shut my mouth with my hand�but I couldn't because it was bubbling inside of me."
Tass discovered a deep desire to unload the hatred towards Jews that he'd carried for so long. As he remembered Jesus' words of forgiveness, Tass concluded: "Now that is the model for me. If he can forgive so much, I can forgive so little."
Tass was invited to share his story at an Arab-Jewish conference, where he saw Moran sharing about his own journey. Tass was compelled to approach Moran and introduce himself as a former Fatah fighter and believer in Jesus.
He told Moran that he loved him and then he asked him for forgiveness in the name of his people for what had happened to Moran's friends. In that moment, Moran felt his hardness towards Arabs melt and he in turn asked Tass to forgive him for not being able to trust or love Arabs.
Says Moran, "What God has done at that moment�he has lifted that burden away from my shoulders and he gave me love. He gave me so much love."
Today, these former enemies are best of friends. According to Tass, "When Jews and Palestinians come together in the name of God, the true God�then there is true peace.�If God can do this change in a reckless person's heart like myself, I believe there is hope for anyone�and it's not just the conflict in the Middle East; it's the conflict in their own life."
Putting Peace to the Test
Lisa felt that God had eased the conflict in her heart and that he had helped her forgive her son's assailants. But this resolution was tested when one of Asaf's assailants was apprehended. Asaf was asked to testify against him in court, but as he was still traumatized by what had happened to him, Lisa went to the courthouse in his stead. During a recess, Lisa found herself alone in the courtroom with three security guards and one of the men who had tried to kill her son.
Shaking, she walked over to the man and said, "In the name of Y'shua the Messiah, I forgive you. I forgive you. And I can only do it because my sins have been forgiven me. He's forgiven me my sins and in his name, I come to you and I forgive your sins."
That day, Lisa describes herself as being free from the bondage of hatred that is dividing her homeland. Asaf continues to recover and Lisa is planning to visit his attacker in prison, to talk more of a peace long thought forbidden.
Conclusion: No longer forbidden
It might seem impossible that Jews and Arabs�people with such a long history of conflict�could reach peace with one another through Jesus. After all, both Jesus and the book that contains the accounts of his life are usually considered forbidden to both groups of people. In order to achieve this peace, Lisa, Tass, Moran and other Israelis and Palestinians like them have risked many relationships with their respective people.
And yet, where else should we look for a peace that lasts? We've seen that humanity's best efforts to attain peace have been temporary fixes at best. Could it be that our conflicts and problems are not primarily political or social or economical, but spiritual? Is it just possible that if people�Jewish, Arab or other�become reconciled to God, they can truly be reconciled to each other? And if so, is that kind of peace not worth it, even if we have to turn to subjects considered forbidden?
