February 2010
Shalom Dear Friends,
NEW WEBSITE!
I am very pleased to announce the roll-out of a brand new and upgraded HaDavar website (you are viewing the new website now). Many of you may have realized this already when you received and read the January newsletter on the new website. If you have not gone to the new site, the address is the same (www.hadavar.org). However, if you have bookmarked the site previously, do not use your old bookmark to go there. Your old bookmark will take you to the old site. Instead, type our address in the address box at the top of your browser window and hit enter. If the old site still shows up then push your refresh button a couple of times to put the new site into the cache. If you see the word “drupal” in the address, not to worry. Drupal is the name of the program Chiara used to create the new website.
I am very proud of Chiara. Four months ago she did not even know that the Drupal program existed. However, she “jumped in over her head and learned to swim.” She almost “drowned” a couple of times but she pulled through and the result is a very nice and functional web site upgrade. Good job Chi!! Please continue to pray for her as she continues to finalize our website. Please pray that God will continue to use it to reach out with the truth around the world.
CITIZEN CHI
I am also very proud to announce that Chiara became a citizen of the United States of America on Friday, January 8, 2010. Wheee, good job Chi!
ORDER ON DEMAND
We have run out of “inventory warehouse” space for our discipleship products. As a consequence, from now on we will only be able to fill orders on an on demand basis. Since we have no inventory warehouse, we will have to create each order fresh and anew from masters. We regret the fact that we will not be able to fill orders immediately, but will make every effort to do so in a timely fashion. Please allow two weeks for us the fill your order and mail it to you. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
ISRAEL
The situation in Israel is getting tougher and tougher on Jewish and non-Jewish Christians. Under the Netanyahu government, harassment by the Ultraorthodox is increasing. A number of believers in the Land are currently in court suing for freedom from harassment and for the respecting of full religious freedom as outlined in Israel’s constitution. Please pray for these court cases.
In addition, a number of ministries have had their staff refused or VISA renewals. Their staff members have had to leave the country for extended periods of time. Short term workers are finding it harder and harder to enter the country for more than 3 months at a time.
As a result, J and I are carefully weighing their options for return to the Land of Israel. Consequently, we are reducing their exposure on the Internet and through our newsletters. We will not be sharing updates in this newsletter any longer. However, if you would like to receive updates from them, you can request to be added to their personal e-mail list. They will send you updates directly. You may request to be added to their e-mail list by writing Israel@hadavar.org. We will forward your request on to them. Please pray for their future plans, and do not publish or share this information for security reasons. Thanks for your understanding.
HADAVAR FINANCES
We want to share a great big PRAISE THE LORD with all of our friends. Financially, we ended 2009 in the black after being in the red for 51 weeks! In ddition, we begin 2010 with the best January we have ever experienced. Thank you Lord!
ISRAEL'S LAST YEAR
Recently I received an e-mail from a ministry that supports Israel. The big bold headlines read “Will 2010 Be Israel’s Last Year?” For any of our readers who might be disturbed by such a dramatic, spectacular statement, I can confidently answer, “No, 2010 will not be Israel’s last year.” I can answer confidently because the Bible teaches no such thing.
The Bible teaches us that the modern State of Israel will collapse, but that collapse will occur in the middle of the Tribulation period. Jesus Himself is our teacher.
Matthew 24:15-22
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
The Abomination of Desolation will take place at the midpoint of the Tribulation period. At that time, the Antichrist will begin his program of worldwide Jewish destruction. His armies will conquer Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-2), and the Israelis will be on the run.
However, the collapse of the Jewish State will only be temporary. At the end of the Tribulation period, Israel calls upon Jesus to return. He responds by returning to planet earth, saving His people, destroying His enemies, and instituting the Messianic Kingdom.
This year, 2010, is not the midpoint of the Tribulation period. Until then, Israel is shatterproof. Her indestructibility will be most graphically seen when God defends her against Russia and her allies during the war of Ezekiel 38-39. Not to worry, 2010 will not be Israel’s last year.
UCI BOOKTABLE
Please continue to pray for our Bible book table each Friday on the campus of the University of California Irvine. Pray especially for the salvation of three Jewish girls who visited the table in January. During the Fall Quarter of 2009 we distributed 84 Bibles in various languages, 135 Gideon New Testaments, 1,300 Gospel tracts, 18 various types of Gospel literature and 2 students came to faith.
Thanks for being part of our ministry team.
