WATCH! “Long live October the 7th!”

I shared this with those who got our prayer letter on Tuesday (click here if you would like to receive it), but we had a strange encounter on Monday night. We are here in Richmond, Virginia, and we began to hear air raid sirens downtown. It was the exact same type we hear in Israel. It was eerie and unexplainable. I did not think that Richmond, Virginia, was under attack from Iranian drones or ballistic missiles. And then, a few minutes later, it sounded again.

I found out the next morning that it was the Richmond police warning VCU students and (professional protesters illegally trespassing) to vacate the premises. They had taken over the library to promote the cause of Palestine. Sadly, the vast majority of them are completely ignorant when it comes to the Israeli Palestinian situation. They just see Israel as the oppressor and Palestine as the oppressed. 

I witnessed the Canadian activist Charlotte Kates with a bullhorn on the steps of the Vancouver art gallery, saying that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are our heroes. It took me a while to find the video, which has been deleted in most places—but I found it. She said that none of these groups, including Hamas, are terrorists. “These are resistance fighters. These are our heroes. These are those that are sacrificing so that we (I assume people in Canada) can live, speak, and struggle…” Ironically, all of these groups suppress and oppress journalists and do not support freedom of speech. They are anti-LGBTQ and oppress women, including legitimating men beating their wives. But don’t worry… They are fighting for your liberty, says Ms. Kates.

One liberal Jewish woman said to me, who was stunned to see the left turn against her, “I understand I’m calling for a cease-fire, but why don’t they ever call for the hostages to be returned?” The answer is quite simple. In their mind, the hostages are guilty. They are part of the oppressor class. Hamas’s acts of rape are OK because they are the ones being oppressed. That is campus outrage logic. Let God’s will be done! 

Other Highlights

• Tomorrow, our whole family is going to Texas for four days. We will spend time with our dear friends, Pastor Troy and Leanna Brewer, and we will be at Open Door on Sunday if you want to come and say hi. 

• Last night, we spoke to a group of women here in Richmond about what we have gone through in Israel during the last seven months. Yes, the hostages are still in Gaza and alive. They have been there for nearly seven months! 

• We will get back to Richmond in time for my birthday, May 9th, and, of course, Mother’s Day. What a joy to be with both my wife and my mother on Mother’s Day. I was actually born on Mother’s Day in 1965. At the time, my mother thought it was a great gift … after 18 years of dealing with me, she was beginning to rethink that :-). I became a believer in Yeshua halfway through my 18th year. 

• Israel has given Hamas one week to agree to a hostage deal or face an invasion of Rafah. It is believed that the last remaining battalions of Hamas terrorists are in Rafah. But there are also more than a million civilians. I don’t call them innocent because some aren’t. The hostages who did come home have said it was these “innocent civilians” who beat them and would have killed them when Hamas brought them back to Gaza. Hamas understood that they were worth more alive and protected them. One survivor said it was these innocent civilians who groped her during her first few minutes in Gaza. Nevertheless, many simply want to live their lives in freedom. There is no simple answer, as many on the campuses think, to this complex situation.

Opinion—Bibi thinks he can win again!

Elections are coming, and Bibi thinks he can be victorious. One thing that President Biden, former President Trump, and most Israelis agree upon is that it is time for Benjamin Netanyahu to retire. However, Netanyahu disagrees. He’s ready to run again, and he probably will have an opportunity very soon.

If there is a hostage deal in the coming days, it will probably lead his far-right cabinet ministers to resign. This will be a blessing. As I have said in the past, I believe their racist rhetoric hindered God’s protection. Gripped with concern, I shared this on September 8 and 10 before thousands of people, before I could even imagine something like October 7. God does not tolerate racism. More than likely, they will have no representation in the next government, as they have become reprehensible in the eyes of the vast majority of Israelis. However, their resignation will collapse the government and lead to elections.

Netanyahu has yet to take any responsibility whatsoever for October 7. It is a fact that he propped up Hamas over the years by allowing the Qataris to send them millions of dollars, which they used to build their terrorist infrastructure and tunnels. You might be wondering, why would he do that? Because he was pitting them against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. If the two groups hated each other, he would not have to deal with either of them. So, we have a few rocket attacks in the meantime.

Netanyahu did not envision an October 7th attack as a result. Our army was not ready. Southern residents are still stunned and outraged that they sat there for hours as civilians fighting trained terrorists while our army was nowhere to be found. We need answers. President Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here,” at his desk. Most politicians want to pass the buck, meaning not take responsibility. Truman understood the president of the United States is always responsible for whatever happens to the United States. Netanyahu has not found such courage or humility to take responsibility for October 7th.

As believers, we must continue to pray for Israel. We must continue to pray for his kingdom to come and his will to be done. God has a plan. Please pray for the Israeli government, for Netanyahu, for the war cabinet, and for the Knesset. I am not a fan of the Prime Minister, but I take seriously Paul’s exultation to pray for those in authority. May God lead him and the government to guide Israel through this tumultuous season.