By Charles Gardner — 
After a long journey from the south of England, I was not in the mood for watching a BBC documentary marking six months of the Gaza War.
Entitled The Darkest Days, it was divided into two halves: firstly, focusing on the harrowing testimonies of October 7 victims.
This was followed by trailing Red Crescent ambulances dealing with the trauma surrounding alleged victims of Israeli retaliation, citing Palestinian/Hamas sources.
BBC journalist Lyse Doucet then wondered if there would ever be a solution to the conflict.
To which I respond with a resounding yes, but only when the Prince of Peace returns to rescue his people and dispel the darkness we are witnessing, even literally, with this week’s total eclipse in mind. And when the people called to be a light to the Gentiles turn back to the God of Israel and welcome his Son into their midst.
As far as the subject under consideration in this TV program is concerned, however, I see the problem as antisemitism, not ‘six of one and half-a-dozen of the other’ as the film seems to have concluded. And the solution is not some politically correct peace process, but a ceasefire of antisemitism!
Judging by the long history of hatred poured out on a people who have beamed considerable light to the world – through the Scriptures, their undoubted skills, their prophets and, above all, Jesus – it’s hard to see the latter prospect coming any time soon… in the natural, anyway.
But Israel, and the Christians who have inherited their faith, believe in the supernatural. Or at least they did. And surely now is the time to seek the Lord, not only in the kind of desperate emergency experienced by Nova festival survivors, but in recognition of the overall threat to Jewish existence.
Isaiah implores: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6f)
Another key problem is the way in which Israel – and the Jewish people as a whole – have been as sheep without a shepherd for too long.
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” (John 10:11f)
But in laying down his life for us all, the Shepherd was struck, and the sheep were scattered, as the Scriptures prophesied (Matthew 26:31, Zechariah 13:7).
The ‘hired hand’ of secular compromise had let them down, and Israel’s sheep were left wandering the world for nearly 2,000 years of exile without the protection of the Shepherd whom King David trusted, vulnerable to the marauding wolves. I’m told that the name Adolf (as in Hitler) means ‘wolf’.¹
Even now, in the intended ‘safe haven’ of their ancient land, they are still so obviously surrounded by hungry predators. Their defences are down. Military strength is not enough. Trusting the Lord is the only option.
They should imitate the intimate trust of David, who wrote: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)
Such trust is built through prayer and worship of the living God, enabling access – through Messiah’s sacrificial death – to the Holy of Holies, in the very presence of the Almighty.
Intimate worship of this kind is evidently being experienced by the Dutch participants of the Presence (worship on the streets) movement, lately praising the Lord outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
Such a fragrant, sweet-smelling sacrifice of worship will change the world, in my opinion. After all, the entire revelation of God to man is one of a great romance which sees the Lord of glory forever wooing and courting his bride-to-be. The more passionate and intimate the relationship becomes, the greater will be the blessing among the nations.
In the natural, such relationships produce offspring; likewise, in the supernatural realm with the kingdom of God greatly extended by evidence of its reality.
The beneficiaries of this kind of worship will come from every tribe, language, and nation (see Revelation 5). And our ‘Presence’ friends should prove a particular encouragement to Israel, for whom they pray publicly on a regular basis.
Very soon, perhaps, the following Scripture will be fulfilled: “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him…” (Revelation 1:7, Daniel 7:13, Zechariah 12:10).
The glory of the Lord will scatter the darkness!
- The name Adolph is of Germanic origin and is derived from the Old High German name Adalwolf, composed of the elements “adal,” meaning “noble,” and “wolf,” which was a common element in Germanic names signifying strength or fierceness. — ChatGPT
