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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ006125S
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00:25 Weeks are passed and the world is still reeling from the
00:29 unprecedented assault by Hamas Isconman on the 7th of October 00:34 2023 when the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Israel 00:38 and the land invasion into the Gaza Strip, an atomic clock 00:44 is ticking over the Holy Land. 00:46 Is there any way to silence it: 00:49 Can Diplomacy hold the count down? 00:52 Or is it already too late? The Middle East is on fire 00:57 and all eyes are on Israel. 01:00 On the 7th of October the Militant Palestinian group 01:05 Hamas who launched a deadly attack against Israel 01:09 over 5,000 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza. 01:14 Hundreds of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel. 01:17 At least 1,400 Israelis had been killed and more than 01:23 3,000 had been injured by Hamas terrorist attacks. 01:27 Over 200 people including 20 children were taken, hostage 01:31 by Hamas. Some of the atrocities committed during the raid 01:36 were unimaginably barbaric and have shocked the civilized world. 01:41 In response Israeli jet fighters having thousands of targets 01:46 in Gaza. Many thousands of Palestinians have been killed 01:52 and wounded in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes. 01:56 With over a million residents displaced Gaza is under siege. 02:03 Electricity, water, fuel, and medicine are being cut off 02:08 and the siege will continue until the hostages are taken from 02:12 Israel to Gaza by Hamas gunman had been released. 02:17 This is without question, the most difficult hostage situation 02:22 Israel has never faced in its history, but Israel has 02:27 well-proven expertise in hostage rescue which 02:31 it trains for intensively. 02:33 Setup in 1957 it's Secretive Sayeret Matkal Unit 02:39 chalked to fame in 1976 with a raid on in Entebbe where its 02:45 commanders rescued hostages from a high-jacked plane at a 02:49 Ugandan Airport. 02:50 The commander of that unit was Yonatan Netanyahu 02:56 the only fatality among the Israeli Commanders. 02:59 Today his brother Benjamin is Israel's Prime Minister 03:05 and it is with him that the decision rests as to how the 03:09 latest hostage rescue mission proceeds. 03:13 Join me as we relive the Entebbe hostage rescue and consider 03:19 the present middle-east firestorm that is unfolding 03:22 before us right now and seek a lasting solution to this 03:28 seemingly endless cycle of violence and blood-shed 03:31 with all eyes on Israel. 03:49 Four giant Hercules Transport planes flying at greatly reduced 03:53 speed, crept over the un-seen waters of Lake Victoria 03:57 in the heart of Africa. Operation Thunderbolt 04:02 was on schedule, suddenly the runway lights appeared ahead. 04:07 The Entebbe Airport in Uganda was brightly lit, 04:11 they hadn't counted on this. Were they flying into a trap? 04:16 David piloting the leading Hercules brought it down 04:21 at such and angle that is seemed to fall out of the sky. 04:26 It slipped almost noiselessly onto the runway at a speed 04:31 carefully calculated to bring it within meters of the old terminal 04:35 building where the hostages were held. 04:37 The hostages had been passengers on Air-France flight 139 from 04:44 Tel-Aviv to Paris and a scheduled stopover in Athens 04:48 a group of terrorists had boarded the plane along with 04:52 the other new passengers. 04:53 They hijacked the plane and forced it to land in Libya 04:57 where it was refueled before flying on to the Entebbe Airport 05:02 in Uganda. Additional terrorists joined the hijacker in Entebbe 05:07 the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 5 million dollars for 05:13 the release of the aeroplane and its passengers. 05:15 They also demanded Israel to release 40 convicted terrorists 05:20 and 13 additional prisoners in four other countries. 05:24 They gave the Israeli government a 48-hour deadline to comply 05:29 or they would execute the hostages. 05:32 With a deadline in motion and the seconds ticking away 05:38 the Israelis managed to get the deadline extended 05:41 and decided to mount a rescue operation. 05:44 They called it Operation Thunderbolt. 05:49 Operation Thunderbolt was carefully planned and rehearsed 05:54 every man on board the four transports knew exactly 05:58 what he had to do. 06:00 The men were out of the planes almost before they stopped 06:04 each man racing to his assigned target, it was deathly silent. 06:09 But there was no trap, they had not been detected 06:14 the shooting inside the lounge lasted a minute and 45 seconds 06:19 all seven of the terrorists were killed, two hostages were caught 06:25 in the crossfire and one Israeli soldier lost his life. 06:30 It all happened in the morning of July 4, 1976. 06:36 the daring raid began one minute after midnight 06:40 in just under an hour the ground operation was completed 06:44 and all four planes were in the air again. 06:48 They were carrying more than 100 freed hostages, 06:52 Israeli and French citizens who had been scheduled to be 06:56 executed by the captives that very morning beginning at dawn. 07:00 The sole Israeli military casualty of the daring raid 07:05 was Yonatan Netanyahu, he was the leader of the rescue force 07:11 he was killed as he led the hostages toward the safety 07:14 of the aircraft. The mission was later renamed 07:18 Operation Jonathan in honor of Yonatan Netanyahu, 07:23 he was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu 07:28 the Prime Minister of Israel who is presently in charge 07:32 of another hostage crisis. Operation Entebbe marked a 07:37 dramatic victory over terrorism but it didn't eliminate 07:41 the danger, 47 years later Israel continues to face terror 07:48 and hostage-taking. 07:52 So, what's the answer? Is there a way to stop this 07:56 seemingly endless cycle of violence in the Middle East? 08:00 Does the Bible shed any light on this matter? 08:03 Does it suggest a solution? Right here let me say this, 08:09 there was a time when students of the Bible could talk freely 08:14 about the Middle East, it's history and its relationship 08:17 to Bible prophecy and prediction and most people would listen 08:21 with interest. But today, deep-seated loyalties on 08:26 both sides of the conflict make any discussion of the 08:30 situation in that area almost incendiary. 08:34 You only have to look at the opposing rallies and protests 08:38 being held around the world to recognize this. 08:41 Social media platforms have become a propaganda battleground 08:46 in the Israel-Gaza War. The discussion is filled with a 08:50 aggression, hatred, misinformation, and propaganda 08:54 and yet every student of the Bible knows that the Middle East 08:59 lies at the very heart of Bible History and Prophecy. 09:03 So, it's not surprising that it's a storm center 09:07 at the climax of earth's history. What can we do? 09:12 We have to talk about it, but every word has to be carefully 09:17 chosen and every thought has to be expressed cautiously. 09:21 People are easily offended, alienated or angered so please 09:27 know that it's not our purpose here to push an agenda 09:31 or take sides in this conflict. 09:34 I'm appalled and horrified by some of the events that have 09:38 taken place but I simply want to put the facts in perspective 09:42 so that we can talk about the relation to the Bible 09:46 it's history and it's predictions. 09:49 And today we happen to be talking about Israel 09:53 because right now all eyes are on Israel. 09:59 Probably nowhere on the planet does a young person grow up 10:04 and live out their life so close to the shadow of death 10:07 as in Israel. All Israel is constantly in a state of alert, 10:13 men and women often have to drop the tools of their 10:16 profession and join the army literally on the run. 10:20 We are witnessing that right now as hundreds of thousands 10:24 of Israeli Army Reservists are called to active duty. 10:29 Since the day of her birth itself in the midst of war 10:34 Israel has not been able to lay down the sword 10:38 it's been war after war, battle after battle, 10:42 surrounded on three sides by hostile forces, it seems that 10:48 there's no peace or relief for Israel. 10:50 Is it any wonder that young men and women have developed 10:56 both skill and courage that is difficult not to admire 11:00 or at least respect. 11:02 Operation Thunderbolt combining as it did the elements of 11:07 secrecy, speed, and surprise was a typical Israeli operation 11:12 hopelessly outnumbered by her enemies, she's convinced that 11:17 it's the only way she can defend herself and that's why 11:21 her army and air force have become experts at night fighting 11:25 experts at surprise, experts at doing the unexpected. 11:30 It was Solomon who said... 11:42 And that's what the Israelis been doing producing a 11:46 master ruse for the days of Gideon until now 11:49 and miraculously they seemed to have survived against 11:53 all the odds and now Israel is at war again 11:58 forced to defend herself but this is a different kind of war. 12:04 On the 7th of October the Palestinian Terrorist Group 12:09 Hamas launched an unprecedented land, sea, and air assault on Israel 12:15 thousands of rockets were fired their gunman passed the border 12:20 and attacked settlements a peaceful music festival, 12:23 villages and cities. They literally went from home 12:27 to home, door-to-door specifically targeting civilians 12:32 any civilians, babies, the elderly, women, and children 12:37 no one was spared. 12:39 It was the single worst massacre of Jews since the Nazi Holocaust 12:44 World War II. More than 1,400 Israelis were killed 12:50 in a single day and over 200 including infants and elderly 12:56 were taken captive and removed to Gaza as hostages. 13:01 Air response, the Israeli military carried out thousands 13:05 of air and artillery strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. 13:10 Thousands of Palestinians have been killed including women 13:14 and children, hospitals and morgues are filled to 13:19 overflowing. When you consider the violence and hatred that's 13:23 filling Israel and Gaza now you can't help wondering 13:27 if peace is even realistic in Israel. 13:31 Jews and Muslims both have emotional attachments 13:35 to this same stretch of land. 13:38 So, how did this situation develop in modern times? 13:42 Well, let's take a look at the roots of the issue. 13:46 Britain took control over the area known as Palestine 13:52 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I 13:56 the land was inhabited by Jews and Arabs as well as other 14:01 smaller ethnic groups, tensions between the Jews and Arabs grew 14:06 when the International Community gave Britain the task 14:10 of establishing a National Homeland in Palestine for 14:14 Jewish people. To Jews Palestine was their ancestral 14:19 homeland and had been for over 3,000 years. 14:23 But Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and opposed 14:28 the move. Between the 1920s and the 1940's the number 14:33 of Jews arriving there grew with many fleeing from 14:36 persecution in Europe especially the Nazi Holocaust 14:40 in World War II. In 1947 the UN voted for Palestine to be split 14:47 into separate Jewish and Arab states, that plan was accepted 14:51 by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arabs' side and so 14:57 it was never implemented and then in 1948 unable to solve 15:03 the problem. Britain withdrew and Jewish leaders declared 15:08 the creation of the state of Israel. 15:10 It was intended to be a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution 15:15 as well as a national homeland for Jews. 15:18 Fighting between Jewish and Arab Malicious had been 15:23 intensifying for months and the day after Israel declared 15:27 Statehood Five Arab Countries attacked. 15:30 Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were 15:35 forced out of their homes in what they call al-Nakba 15:39 or the catastrophe. By the time the fighting ended in a 15:44 cease-fire the following year Israel controlled most of the 15:49 territory. But because there was never a peace agreement 15:53 there were more wars and fighting in the 15:55 following decades. 15:57 In a war in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the West Bank 16:04 as well as most of the Syrian Golan Heights Gaza and the 16:09 Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, this resulted in many Palestinian 16:14 refugees. Most Palestinian refugees and their descendants 16:19 live in Gaza in the West Bank as well as in 16:22 neighboring countries Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. 16:26 Neither them nor their descendants had been allowed by Israel 16:31 to return to their homes. 16:33 Israel says this would overwhelm the country and threaten it's 16:38 existence as a Jewish state. Israel still occupies the 16:42 West Bank and claims the whole of Jerusalem, as it's 16:45 eternal capital while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem 16:50 as the capital of a hoped-for future Palestinian State. 16:54 The US is one of only a handful of countries to recognize Jerusalem 17:01 as Israel's Capital. 17:03 In the past 50 years, Israel has built settlements in the 17:08 West Bank and East Jerusalem where more than 700,000 Jews 17:13 now live. Gaza is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between 17:19 Israel and the Mediterranean Sea but with a short southern border 17:24 of Egypt just 41 kilometers or 25 miles long and 10 km wide. 17:31 It is more than two million inhabitants and is one of the 17:35 most densely populated places on earth. 17:38 Now Gaza is ruled by Hamas a militant Islamic group which is 17:45 committed to the destruction of Israel and is designated 17:49 a terrorist group by most Western countries. 17:52 Hamas won the Palestinians' last elections in 2006 and 17:58 ceased control of Gaza the following year by Alstien 18:02 the rival Fatah Movement of West Bank base President Mahmoud Abbas 18:08 Since then militants in Gaza have fought several wars 18:14 with Israel which along with Egypt has maintained a partial 18:18 blockade of the strip to isolate Hamas and try to stop attacks. 18:23 particularly the indiscriminate the firing of rockets towards 18:27 Israeli Cities. As Israel and Palestinians launch yet another 18:34 war, the Christian needs to be asked, are Israelis and 18:39 Palestinian's locked forever in a dreadful cycle of violence 18:44 with thousands of families on both sides forever grieving 18:49 their lost children, parents, or siblings. 18:52 Is peace even realistic in Israel? 18:56 Many people today are asking well, what does the Bible say? 19:02 Does the Bible shed any light on this matter? 19:05 Does it suggest a solution? 19:08 Well according to Bible history what we are seeing in the 19:13 Middle East today is the longest family feud in history. 19:18 It's the battle between the descendants of two half-brothers 19:21 through Abraham. 19:23 Ishmael and Isaac were sons of Abraham from different mothers 19:28 the Arabs traced their heritage through Ishmael back to Abraham 19:33 the Jews traced their heritage back to Abraham through Isaac. 19:37 Now Isaac had a son called Jacob whose name was changed 19:42 to Israel, he had 12 sons from who the Jews come. 19:48 The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, the Jews, and the Arabs 19:52 are still fighting over the inheritance from Abraham today. 19:58 They are vying for the same land, that's what they are 20:01 fighting over. 20:03 Now God chose the Jews to be a special representative in 20:07 this world, He made many wonderful promises to Israel 20:10 that were conditional to her obedience and loyalty to God. 20:14 When Jesus came the promises were expanded to include all those 20:21 who accept Jesus as the Messiah. 20:23 The Bible says... 20:33 Access to the special blessings of God and to the promises made 20:39 to Abraham no longer depend on being a little Jew 20:43 rather it depends on access to Jesus by Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, 20:49 or whatever your nationality. 20:52 Jews are now able to receive a double blessing in a sense 20:58 they were chosen twice. 21:00 First through their Jewish heritage and second-through 21:04 their discovery and acceptance of the Messiah. 21:08 Through the centuries and in this present day God has had 21:13 and does have a special love for the Jews. 21:17 So the question remains, how do we deal with the situation 21:23 that is exploding in Israel and Gaza today? 21:27 And as passions become inflamed here in our own country 21:31 in our own neighborhood, how should we respond? 21:35 Well, regardless of what side you come down on in this conflict 21:41 as followers of Christ, we are called to be beacons of love 21:46 in the face of fear, beacons of peace in the face of conflict, 21:51 beacons of neighborly kindness in the face of demonization 21:56 and division. May we do all we can in the days ahead 22:00 to love and support our Jewish and Muslim neighbors 22:03 as we pray for a swift end to this horrendous world 22:08 and remember Jesus called Jerusalem "a house of prayer 22:14 for all nations.) 22:15 The Lord's House is meant to be a safe place, a place where 22:21 joy and prayer grow freely. All the facets of the phrase 22:26 House of Prayer are important to our Lord and they ought to be 22:31 important to us as well. 22:32 When we consider the House of the Lord, when we consider 22:36 Israel and the Holy City of Jerusalem we ought to guard 22:41 these matters, we ought to make sure we don't bring selfishness, 22:45 racism, disunity, or any other thing that would hinder 22:49 a spirit of a sweet, joyful prayer to the gathering of 22:54 God's people. May we cherish the Lord's joy and presence 22:59 when we gather together or discuss these matters 23:03 with others, so, let's pray for Jerusalem. 23:08 In Psalm 122 the Bible calls us to... 23:15 That has never been more important. 23:18 Now while some use it explicitly in support of Israel 23:23 others have noted the modern day city is full of Jews, 23:28 Christians, Muslims, Israelis, Palestinians, and countless 23:32 other nationalities. And so listing up this melting pot 23:37 of the city and praying for peace within its walls is also 23:41 a prayer for unity and harmony between every community. 23:46 The only real lasting solution to the violence and war in 23:51 Israel is the return of the Prince of Peace. 23:56 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem his first visitors were 24:01 the Jewish Shepherds and then came the Wise Men from the East, 24:05 the Arab Princes, I like to think that when Jesus returns 24:11 it'll be that way again, I like to think that in the 24:15 great crowd waiting to welcome Him, they will be Jewish 24:19 shepherds and farmers and one time fighters and Wise Men 24:24 from the Arab world and all the rest of us including 24:28 you and me. And here's some real good news, 24:31 Jesus is the Prince of Peace, He can bring Peace to 24:37 troubled cities to troubled nations and also to troubled 24:42 hearts. When you make room for Jesus, He gives you one of the 24:47 greatest gifts here's what He says... 25:04 The peace that comes from the world is totally circumstantial 25:08 if you have a good job, then you're at peace, 25:12 but if you lose your job, then you are not at peace anymore. 25:16 If you got money in the bank, then you are at peace, 25:20 but when that money is gone, then you're not at peace anymore. 25:25 Jesus gives you a different kind of peace the Bible calls it 25:30 peace which surpasses all understanding. 25:34 And what does that mean? 25:36 Well, it means you have peace when there is no obvious 25:40 or visible reason why you should be at peace. 25:43 Everything around you could be in chaos but for some 25:48 unexplained reason you're at peace. 25:51 Well that's the peace that surpasses understanding 25:56 and it can only come from Jesus the Prince of Peace. 26:00 Jesus wants to give you that kind of peace so that you 26:05 won't be troubled or afraid. 26:07 If you would like to find out more about how you can 26:11 experience this heavenly peace, then I'd like to recommend 26:15 a Free Gift we have for you today. 26:17 It's the booklet Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd. 26:24 This booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely Free, 26:28 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever 26:32 so make the most of this wonderful opportunity 26:36 to receive your free gift today. 26:39 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia of 020.422.2042 26:49 in New Zealand, or 770.800. 0266 in the United States 26:56 or visit our website TIJ.tv or simply scan the QR Code 27:02 on your screen and we'll send you today's Free Offer 27:05 totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:09 You can also write to us at the addresses on your screen 27:12 or email us at info@tij.tv. Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:20 Be sure to join us again next when we will share another 27:25 of life's journeys, together... Until then let's pray to the God 27:30 who can bring peace to our hearts and peace to the 27:34 Middle East. 27:35 Dear Heavenly Father, Our world is witnessing war 27:40 again in the Holy Land once more all eyes are on Israel 27:44 We pray for Jerusalem, we pray with the relatives 27:49 of the victims and we pray for all those who are experiencing 27:54 hours of terror and anguish, we pray for the peoples 27:58 of the region and pray for peace. In particular 28:02 we pray for the safety of all civilians whether residents 28:06 or tourists and pilgrims and we pray for a cessation of 28:11 violence and the release of all hostages. 28:14 Come Lord Jesus Come. We pray in Jesus' name. 28:19 Amen! |
Revised 2024-06-17