IN TOUCH No.168 3rd Quarter 2011

In th

isis

sue:

“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her...” Isaiah 66:10

Jerusalem: A Place of Meeting p.6-7

Christian Friends of Israel

We welcome our new Area Reps p.10

~l’A[ olam

John Smith’s Hebrew Word Study p.8

(PART 1)

Plus, an opinion piece from Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, information on tours to Israel, special offers on resources and more...

2 // IN TOUCH

After Moses had pronounced the blessing on the Israelites, as his very last act he climbs the mount and there the Lord shows him the whole land. Then the Lord says to Moses “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendents’. I have let you see it with your own eyes.” (Deuteronomy 34:4)

Continually throughout the law or instruction, the prophets and the psalms or writings, God works out His purposes for both the people and the land. As time moves on, as recorded by the apostles, God once more works out His

In Touchis the newsletter of

Christian Friends of Israel UK

CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by means of practical and moral

support, and to serve the Church in teaching about God’s purposes for

Israel and the Hebraic rootsof our faith.

CFI also produces a monthly News Report, a monthly Prayer Letter and

a Middle East Update CD/MP3.Please send for full details of the practical projects and also of the many teaching resources available.

As an educational charity,we carry a variety of

resources relevant to ourpurpose. We do not

necessarily endorse everyview expressed by our

guest writers or authorsof these resources.

Published by:CFI Communications

PO Box 2687EastbourneBN22 7LZ

Tel: 01323 410810Lo-call 0845 230 3067

Fax: 01323 410211Email: info@cfi.org.uk

Websites: www.cfi.org.ukwww.isrelate.com

www.keshercourse.org.uk

Registered CharityNo. 1101899

Front Cover Image:© BiblePlaces.com

HIS LAND, HIS PEOPLE

Toward the end of his days Moses recited

the words of a song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel. Moses proclaims the name of the Lord, exhorts his listeners to praise the greatness of ‘our’ God, acknowledging He is the Rock whose works are perfect and whose ways are just, a faithful God Who does no wrong, Who is upright and just.

The song speaks of the way God led His people often in spite of themselves and toward the end exhorts the nations to rejoice with His people, closing by declaring that God will make atonement for His land and His people (Deuteronomy 32:1-43).

Notice that the atonement includes both land and people. On the same day the Lord told Moses to go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo and view Canaan the land He is giving the Israelites as their own possession.

CFI-UK’s Chief Executive Jacob Vince explains God’s purposes for Israel.

purposes in relation to the people and the land. In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:17), the genealogical time periods relayed in terms of generations until the coming of the Messiah (the Christ) are calculated in relation to people, Abraham and David, and land, the exile to Babylon and from that exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations at a time.

The record of Jesus’ life and teaching is set out in the four gospels and at the beginning of the actions of the apostles. As the time came for Jesus to ascend into heaven the disciples, having by now heard the post-resurrection Jesus open up the scriptures, have one last question for him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Is it possible that they were alluding to the way Moses departed this life, after which time the land was given to Israel? There is no record of what led up to this question, but in His answer Jesus explains that it is not for His disciples to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.

At this period in time the disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit

“Throughout the law, the prophets and the psalms, God works out His purposes for

both the people and the land.” to come upon them at which point they are to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. God’s priority was for people before land. The disciples followed Jesus’ instruction and today we have their witness recorded in the apostolic scripture.

However, the fact remains that these apostolic scriptures record the question of the disciples - it is not excluded or ignored. This would indicate that land remained a concern and God’s promise on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob still extant. How this is worked out is for God

CFI.ORG.UK // 3

to illuminate by His Holy Spirit, but over the time period of the Church many who have read the scriptures have become aware of passages set out in the prophets shedding light on this matter. This theme is explored in many publications available from the CFI web-shop and elsewhere, but the following passage from the prophet Jeremiah encapsulates it well.

“‘Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that it shall no more be said, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers’” (Jeremiah 16:14, 15.)

It is appropriate that this passage specifically compares the bringing up of the Israelites from Egypt during Moses’ time with a future restoration of the people to the land, referring to a migration to the land of greater proportion and significance. The return from Babylon did not surpass the bringing to the land under Moses, it was only partial and even more so when compared to the return of the Jews to the land in the modern era.

Furthermore, Jeremiah in this passage describes the return as both from the north and “from all the countries where He had driven them” (Jeremiah 16:15). Then again, if it is God Who has driven them from the land then presumably it must be God Who brings them back. The passage also makes clear that it is the land given to their fathers as that to which they will be brought back. It cannot mean heaven as they have never been there before so it is not possible for them to be brought back to it. The passage also makes clear that the gift to the fathers is still the land of the children of Israel, “I will bring them back into their land” (Jeremiah 16:15).

So where does this leave us today? Well, despite many having an understanding of what has briefly been illustrated above, there is a significant proportion of the Church that needs to be reached with this understanding. Simplistically the Church in the UK today operates on three levels, the three Cs: Corporate, Clergy and Congregation. All of us can communicate this message at the congregational level to fellow believers. This needs to be done with grace. Some may be able to communicate at Clergy level. Then there is the Corporate level, where opportunities to contribute are more limited.

CFI-UK and several other ministries that are friends of Israel will be represented at various Christian festivals this summer. There is a further clergy tour at the planning stage with the aim of communicating a better understanding of Israel at this level, although there remains much further work required in exploring the theological perspective. As we come into the season of denominational conferences, including the Methodist Conference and the Church of England general synod, there are clear signs that a friendly understanding of Israel is being even further marginalised. Here too there is work to be done and wisdom needed as to how best to contribute to the often one-sided debates and fringe meetings.

In this edition of In Touch there are a range of resources available and don’t forget to look on our web-shop for other material useful in communicating a better understanding of Israel with others. May the Lord lead us all by His Holy Spirit revealing in what way we can be most effective in disseminating His purposes for Israel and the Church in our day and amongst this our generation. Y

Rev TV tour ad

For more information on this CFI-UK endorsed tour please visit www.landandlife.co.uk

Ideal first-timers tour

4 // IN TOUCH

For the Jews of Europe, these are the best of times and the worst of times. Take British Jewry as an example.

In the past 20 years we have built more Jewish day schools than ever before in our 355-year history. Culturally, a community deemed moribund a generation ago boasts a cultural centre, a community centre in the making, Jewish Book Weeks, arts, music and film festivals, and an adult-education event – Limmud – that has inspired offshoots in 50 other centres throughout the Jewish world.

Jews have achieved prominence in every field. Both parliamentary Speakers, in the Commons and the Lords, are Jewish. We have had, in recent years, two Jewish lord chief justices, Jewish heads of Oxford and Cambridge, a Jewish editor of The Times and Jewish leaders of both the Conservative and Labour Parties. Not only are Jews respected, but so is Judaism. The Jewish moral voice has become a significant part of the national conversation.

These are astonishing achievements. But they are clouded by the disturbing phenomenon of a new anti-Semitism spreading like a virus across Europe. This cries out for explanation. After all, after the Holocaust, if there was one thing on which people of goodwill throughout the world agreed, it was: Never again.

The entire post-war culture of the West – of the world – was tilted in that direction. Out of the determination that there should never be another Holocaust came the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, the concept of a “crime against humanity,” the idea that racism is a vice, the movement for interfaith dialogue, and the historic shift in Christianity known as Vatican II, Nostra Aetate.

How, then, did anti-Semitism return to the very nations that pledged never to repeat it? The cynical answer is that it never died, it merely went underground. There is a shred of truth to this, but very small. As a line of reasoning, it is deeply misleading. For the new anti-Semitism is only secondarily aimed at Jews as individuals. Its real target is Jews as a nation – in Israel.

What has happened in our time is an extraordinarily subtle phenomenon that can only be understood by travelling back two centuries to the Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution. For centuries, Europe had been disfigured by crude, theologically driven Christian anti - Judaism. Jews were accused of poisoning wells, spreading the plague, desecrating the host and killing Christian children.

Jews were not the only victims of the Church; witches and heretics were burned as well. Then, following the Reformation, Christians started killing their fellow Christians in Europe’s great wars of religion.

That was when thoughtful people said, “Enough.” This led to the rise of science, the age of reason, the doctrine of toleration and eventually the emancipation of hitherto disenfranchised minorities, including the Jews. It was the most enlightened age in European history, and it was at this precise time, in Paris, Berlin and Vienna – the most sophisticated centres of all – that a new form of hate was born: racial anti-Semitism. As the deadliest virus the West has ever known, it led otherwise ordinary, decent human beings to do, or remain passive witnesses to, unspeakable acts.

That was not a simple phenomenon. The anti-Semitism of the 19th century was not the crude anti-Judaism of the Church. Similarly, the new anti-Semitism of the 21st century is not the racist anti-Semitism of the 19th and 20th. It is not directed against individual Jews, but against Jews as a nation. It is not spread by conventional means, but by the new technologies of communication – websites, email, blogs and social networks – that are almost impossible to monitor and control.

Its most brilliant, even demonic, stroke has been to adopt as its most powerful weapons the very defences created against the old anti-Semitism. It accuses Israel of the five cardinal post-Holocaust sins: racism, apartheid, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide.

THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN JEWRYChief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks asks: “How did Anti Semitism return to the nations that pledged never to repeat it?”

“The new anti-Semitism is only secondarily aimed at Jews as individuals. Its real target

is Jews as a nation – in Israel.”

It is subtle, sophisticated and devastatingly effective. It is designed to mislead, and it works. Israelis and American Jews see it as a threat to European Jewry, which it is, but only secondarily. The real target is Israel. It is an attack on Israel where it is most vulnerable, namely among the opinion-forming classes of Europe. If Israel is delegitimised in their eyes, that leaves only America, and the shrewd judgment of Israel’s enemies is that, when it comes to supporting Israel, in the long run America will not go it alone.

This is a chess game more long-term and coldly calculated than people realise. It aims at the destruction of the Jewish state. To counter it requires a coordinated global Jewish response beyond anything thus far envisaged. Nor is it a battle that can be fought by Jews alone. Without allies, Jews and Israel will lose.

This means reframing the argument. Anti-Semitism is always a symptom of something more pervasive, an unresolved tension within a culture, that starts by targeting Jews but never stops with them. It was not Jews alone who died at the hands of medieval Christianity, Czarist Russia, Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia: it was freedom itself. The same will be true in the 21st century. Those who deny Jews or Israel their freedom will lose, or fail to gain, their own.Y

Article © Jerusalem Post 12th June 2011

Image ©Adrian Korsner Jazzpics.com

CFI.ORG.UK // 5

CFI-UK RESOURCES

How The Church Lost The Truth

To Life!

How The Church Lost The Way

The third book in Steve Maltz’ triology has arrived. To Life! asks: ‘Dare we believe that we could return to the Biblical Church of the first apostles?’Steve says the book is the hardest he has ever had to write as it attempts to answer the questions his previous two books raised.

Paperback: 190 pages £11.50 or buy all three

for £28

Paperback: 206 pages £11.50 or buy

all three for £28

The first book in the series asserts that the best place to rediscover our roots is not through any staging post in the Church’s journey i.e. the Reformers or Church Fathers, but the very beginning: the mindset and beliefs of Jesus and His disciples, the Hebrew roots of Christianity.

This, the second book in the series tells the sad story of what happened to the Church over the last 2000 years: how it managed to lose its focus. The book claims the Church has taken on so much Greek philosophy that Christianity today has become a melting point of strange ideas with only a dash of truth.

Paperback: 223 pages £11.50 or buy all three

for £28

NEW!

Jesus, The Man of Many Names

The Land of Many Names

The People of Many Names

Are you prepared for fresh insights without boasting new revelations? Drawing on sources from the Jewish world, ancient and modern, Steve Maltz takes you on an exhilarating, lively and entertaining exploration of the life and times of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.

Paperback: 206 pages £9.50 £7.00

Much heat has been generated by the controversial subject of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is a lively, entertaining and provocative introduction that helps Christians gain a clear grasp of the important spiritual and historical issues involved. This is an easy read, but one which is guaranteed to provoke.

Paperback: 200 pages £9.50 £7.00

This book is an entertaining, provocative and insightful account of the ‘miracle of the Jewish people.’ An ideal introduction to the subject, the book attempts to give clear answers and helps the reader understand the spiritual significance for both Christians and Jews.

Paperback: 174 pages £9.50 £7.00

All prices include UK p&p

6 // IN TOUCH

One of the earliest world maps, charted by German cartographer Heinrich Bunting circa 1580,

depicts Jerusalem in a small circle at the centre of the world. From the circle, three large petal shaped areas extend outwards. One to the south represents Africa, one to the north-east, Asia, and one to the north-west, Europe. America is an orange blob in the lower left corner and is subtitled Terra Nova, the New Land. Geographical dimensions have altered radically through the subsequent four hundred plus years. In place of the charts of the early, intrepid explorers on their wooden sailing ships, we now have telescopic images of our earth captured from computerised spaceships! When viewed from a biblical perspective, however, Jerusalem has been and always will remain the centre of the earth.

Together with the growth and spread of civilisation, the sacred writings of the People of the Book, viz. the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanach, and the New Testament carrying the good news of the God of Israel and of His Messiah, have gone forth from Jerusalem to the four corners of the world. There are now adherents to faith in the God of the Bible in every country on all the continents and on virtually every island of the earth.

It is an interesting fact that of all the sacred writings pertaining to every religion, the Bible is the only one that is inextricably linked with a particular geographical entity and the connection of a people with that piece of land. The very soil and rocks, the flora and fauna, and even the weather patterns all have a bearing and add meaning to the Bible itself. The God of the Bible specifically draws His chosen people to this Land.

In Genesis, God guides Abram and establishes a covenant with him that permanently ‘ties the knot,’ as it were, between Himself, Abraham and his descendents and the land He shows him. It is a covenant that has vital implications for all the “families of the earth”.

Now YHWH said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves” (12:1-3).

“And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (17:8).

Throughout history many have risen in opposition, with all the hatred and violence they could muster, and have tried to destroy this cord of the land, the people and their God. But God Himself has declared it to be “everlasting” – a covenant established forever.

Holy City and Holy Land Jerusalem is the heart of this Land of Israel and without

her the land loses its meaning and identity. Throughout the past century, the restored Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital, has demanded of all people a radical paradigm shift in worldview. In particular, traditional Christianity can no longer, with any depth of integrity, think in spiritual generalisations and find a convenient label to attach to things. The rebirth and re-establishment of Israel is a proclamation of the extraordinary; one which continues to shake modern conventional thinking. It confronts the world with the reality of the Word of God.

The words of the prophets become current – the resurrection of the dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision, the returns of Jeremiah and Isaiah, the renewal of Zechariah. To quote Abraham Joshua Heschel: “Israel is a miracle in disguise. Things look natural and conceal what is a radical surprise. Zion rebuilt becomes a harbinger of a new understanding, of how history is intertwined with mystery.”

JERUSALEM: A PLACE OF MEETING

“The rebirth and re-establishment of Israel is a proclamation of the

extraordinary”Jerusalem is called the “Holy City” and Israel is called the

“Holy Land”. What causes this particular piece of ground to receive such an appellation?

When God sets anything apart from the ordinary it is termed holy. At Creation, God set apart the seventh day; time, this special day, was the first thing to be called “holy”. The people of Israel, the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were set apart by God to be His “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). The Temple in Jerusalem was declared holy because it was the place where God’s Holy Presence dwelt. So too, the land He set apart for His people is called holy, and His city of Jerusalem is holy because He chose it (2 Chronicles 6:38) and placed His Name there (Nehemiah 1:9).

Although Israel may be the size of a postage stamp on the face of the world map, it is that “stamp” – the Name of the Creator of the heavens and the earth – that makes it unique and has enabled the connection of earth with Heaven.The Gate of Heaven – Jerusalem

The real essence of Jerusalem is a stillness; an anticipation, a contained eagerness enfolded in longing, that reflects the yearning of centuries and the imminence of Redemption. This essence becomes almost tangible as the busy and bustling-with-life city slowly quietens every Friday evening as the Shabbat settles like a soft mantle upon her hills and her homes. One does not simply live in Jerusalem, one lives with her. Like a queen, her presence is felt. How does one explain this phenomenon?

Keren Pryor examines the Holy City’s long history and explains its significance as a coming together of both ancient and modern.

CFI.ORG.UK // 7

Yerushalaim Ir Shalom – Artist: Baruch Nachshon, Israel

The secret at the heart of Jerusalem is that it is a place of meeting – a bringing together of ancient and modern, the divine and the human, sacred and secular. The natural and the supernatural are bound together in a mysterious union that is at the same time invisible and yet corporeal. Also a mystery: it is the place where the past and future meet with the present. Time itself somehow colludes and is concentrated in a vibrant sense of immediacy. All history, and life itself, find their meaning in the “now” of this place – this Holy City of God, Jerusalem. As Heschel describes: “…in Jerusalem past is present and heaven is almost here.”

are two Jerusalems – the Jerusalem below on the earth and the Jerusalem above in the heavens, Yerushalaim shel matah and Yerushalaim shel malah. To celebrate the restoration of this city to its rightful place, as centre, heart, capital of the land of Israel, is ultimately a celebration of the God of Israel Himself. He chose Jerusalem to be His dwelling place forever. To be there, to build, to worship, pray and sing His praise, is to participate in its establishment on earth and also, in faith, to prepare the Throne of the soon coming King Who will reign from that place over all the earth.

“[He] showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most

rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal... And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it” Revelation 21:10-11; 23-24). Today, the Holy Temple no longer stands in its rightful place

on the Mount, yet the remnant of it, the Kotel or Western Wall, has remained the central physical point of connection with the Presence of God and also the spiritual focus of our thoughts and prayers wherever in the world the worshippers of the God of Israel may be. It always continues to be the “Gate of Heaven” – the place where the ladder in Jacob’s dream connected heaven and earth, the place where the Living Word, the Messiah of God, Yeshua, by His atoning death and glorious resurrection into new life, opened the gate for whosoever would come into the Presence of the Almighty God and Father of all.

The city of Jerusalem, with ancient and modern compacted side by side.

Seeing With the Eyes of FaithThe city’s Hebrew name is Yerushalaim. It is first mentioned

in Genesis when Abraham meets there with Melchizedek (Malki’tzedek – my King of Righteousness) a true forerunner of the King of Righteousness whose throne will be established in Yerushalaim in the last days.

And Melchizedek king of Salem (Shalem) brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth” (14:18-19).

After his supreme test, to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham named the place Yireh – to see. This indicates more than a physical seeing; it is a seeing with the eye of faith; a recognition of the Presence of God. “So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD sees’ [YHWH Yireh]; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD there is vision (ye’raeh)’” (Genesis 22:14).

Abraham prophetically saw ahead through the centuries to come. He envisioned the arrival of his grandson Jacob at this place, where he would dream and on awaking proclaim, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17). He saw the reign of David the first king of Israel, who would proclaim the place as the City of God and the capital of his kingdom. He saw the glory of the Holy Temple, the House of God built by King Solomon; the destruction, the exile. Then he saw the Second Temple standing resplendent on the Mount and the arrival of the Messiah through its gates.

He may well have seen further – Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection, again the destruction of the Temple, the long exile, the spread of the knowledge of God’s Kingdom in all the earth, and then the restoration and final Redemption of all Israel and the nations with the arrival on the Mount of Olives of Messiah as King of kings! Yeshua declared: “…Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).

Yireh and Shalom are combined to form the name Yerushalaim – the City of Vision and Peace. It provides the world with a vision of God and the promise of His Peace. It is of interest to note that the name is a plural noun. This is indicated in Hebrew by the suffix yod-mem, pronounced im, such as the word eyes – aynaim, and hands – yadaim. This tells us that there indeed Y

Although the most beleaguered, fought over, destroyed and rebuilt city in the history of man, for thousands of years Jerusalem has remained the subject of poets, songwriters, artists and psalmists who have cherished the city of God in their hearts.

King David sang his Psalm that has been echoed by the Jewish people and lovers of Jerusalem for centuries:

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do

not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!” (Psalm 137:5-6). How can a city be above one’s “highest joy”? The reason is

one that gives no credit to man, it is only because it is the City of God, the place that He chose as His dwelling place in the earth. It is the place where the supreme sacrifice was paid, and where Messiah’s blood was spilled. Where God raised Him from the grave and where He will return to reign over all the earth. In that day there will be great rejoicing, as Isaiah foretold:

Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD

has comforted his people, He has redeemed Jerusalem (52:8-9). “May YHWH bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and

earth!” Psalm 134:3

8 // IN TOUCH

Sometimes I have heard Christians, including preachers, being rather dismissive of the importance of recourse to the Hebrew meanings of words.

They will say something like, “An expert might be able to tell us about the various nuances of the Hebrew in this verse, but...”. The implication is that a good knowledge of the meaning of the word, whilst possibly interesting, is not necessarily relevant or important. Indeed, to many Christians, Hebrew word-studies feature very low, if anywhere, on their list of priorities. They would not regard Hebrew as a matter of life and death. Is this justified? Is Hebrew important for Believers or not?

Earlier this year a book called Love Wins, predominantly about hell, caused quite a stir in the Christian world. Its author, Rob Bell, is a very popular American Bible teacher and the Founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Time magazine says, “He could be one of the most important 21st century Christian leaders”; the New York Times states emphatically that “Rob Bell is a central figure for his generation”; whilst the Chicago Sun-Times asks if he is perhaps “the next Billy Graham?”.

Rob Bell may be popular, but Love Wins presents a very unorthodox, though not entirely new, perspective on hell. He writes in short, punchy sentences and paragraphs; yet, whilst it makes for easy reading, it is often unclear exactly what he is trying to say. But one thing is clear: Rob Bell believes that hell is not forever. He also suggests that the way to heaven—albeit through Jesus—“is open to all religions” and “has many paths”; “the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists...” (pp. 154-155).

How could Rob Bell come to these conclusions? Part of the key is his understanding of eternity. He writes, “...‘forever’ is not really a category the biblical writers used. The closest the Hebrew writers come to a word for ‘forever’ is the word olam... It’s a versatile, pliable word, in most occurrences referring to a particular period of time. So when we read ‘eternal punishment’... Jesus isn’t talking about forever” (p.92).

There is one usage of ~l'A[ olam which Rob Bell concedes is “much closer to the word ‘forever’ as we think of it, time without beginning or end”, and that is when it “refers to God, as in Psalm 90 (‘from everlasting to everlasting you are God’)” (p.92). But is “much closer” really as far as Rob Bell is prepared to go? Surely in this context olam means ‘forever’ in the fullest possible sense. Indeed, ‘forever’ness must take its very definition from the unbounded, limitless God; for there can be no greater measure of eternity than the Eternal God, ~l'A[ lae El Olam!

Logically, therefore, the Biblical writers would understand and use the word olam to mean ‘eternity’ in precisely the same way that we understand and use it.

If it is ever used to mean something less than eternity then this would be the exception rather than the norm.

Referring to Jonah 2:7a Rob Bell writes, “Olam, in this instance, turns out to be three days” (p.92). A literal rendering of the Hebrew, here, would be: “I descended to the extremities of the mountains; the land, its bars roundabout me to eternity [olam]”. There seem to me to be two possible interpretations of olam in this verse, neither of which concur with Rob Bell’s:

1. that Yonah (Jonah) is describing what he had assumed would be his fate: “I was going down to the bottoms of the mountains, to a land whose bars would close me in forever” (Complete Jewish Bible);

2. that olam/‘eternity’ in this instance is applying to space rather than time, since Yonah was completely and utterly enveloped in the depths of the sea, with absolutely no way out. Olam is sometimes used to refer to unbounded space, particularly in Mishnaic and Modern Hebrew, meaning ‘world’ or ‘universe’.

So, it seems to me at best that Rob Bell is calling the exception, the norm; and the norm, the exception.

“The Biblical writers would understand and use the word olam to mean ‘eternity’

in precisely the same way that we understand and use it”

Y

~l'A[ Olam(PART 1)

“The God of antiquity is a refuge, and underneath are arms of olam (eternity)” Deuteronomy 33:27

Hebrew Word Study with John C. P. Smith

The word ~l'A[ olam occurs 439 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Of these, the King James (Authorised) Version, for instance, translates 80% (350) of the occurrences by words equivalent to ‘forever’:

• ‘ever’ x272• ‘everlasting’ x63• ‘evermore’ x15...not to mention ‘perpetual’ x22 and alway(s) x5.Similarly, the New American Standard Version (1995)

translates olam by words equivalent to ‘forever’ 77% of the time (335 of the 435 times listed):

• ‘forever’ (and ever) x207• ‘everlasting’ x112• ‘ever’ x10,• ‘eternity/eternal’ x5• ‘forevermore’ x1...not to mention ‘perpetual(ly)’ x30, ‘permanent(ly)’ x11, ‘always’ x1, ‘continual’ x1, and ‘lasting’ x1.But let’s not just look to two English Bible translations

for our definition of olam; we need also to consult some Hebrew lexicons. For instance, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon has a thorough list of meanings for olam, including “indefinite futurity... for ever, always... continuous existence... indefinite, unending future... everlastingness, eternity” (p.762). And the first five words used to define olam by The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament are ‘forever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual...’ (entry 1631a).

All this supports an orthodox understanding of olam and, in exposing the weakness of Rob Bell’s thesis, demonstrates the importance of obtaining an Hebraic perspective. In PART 2, we will dig deeper in our study of olam and also examine its Greek counterpart aion.

CFI.ORG.UK // 9

Free taster DVD available on request

Also features Hebrew word studies with John Smith

10 // IN TOUCH

AREA REPS UPDATEW e are pleased to welcome on board new Area

Reps Tony & Gloria Greenwood for the East Midlands area (Leicester/Coventry), Tom

Richters, an American Pastor, who has taken on the Stockton-on-Tees area from myself in the North East of England, and Christine & Roy Sherrard (Selby), who will be taking on their area, which will include Leeds to York and the surrounding towns.

Tony & Gloria Greenwood: Tony spent most of his working life as a fire fighter in Yorkshire and Warwickshire, and he has been involved as President for his chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His wife Gloria spent her working life in an office environment. They have two grown up sons, one living locally while the other lives in Sydney, Australia. The Greenwoods have attended church for 40 years.

Tony writes, “I don’t know why God gave us a love for Israel or the Jewish people, we didn’t know any Jews, or anything about Israel, but when we gave our lives fully to Jesus, He gave us a heart for His people. We have been to Israel 3 times and love the place. We now believe that as we are retired we can devote our time to doing the work of CFI, and with Gods help we shall soon be impacting the churches with the Word of God for His chosen people.” Contact: 01827 713864 gloria.greenwood1@ntlworld.com

Tom Richters: Tom has taken on the Stockton-on-Tees area where he has pastored a church for the past 23 years. When Tom read that David needed help, he felt that now was the time to do something about the passion that has been in his heart for Israel for a long time. Tom has been around others who had a love for Israel most of his Christian life. Derek Prince had a great influence and inspiration with regards to Israel.

Recently the Holy Spirit impressed on Tom that now was the time to do something with the passion that God had given him for Israel and to teach the Church the importance of returning to its Hebraic roots and supporting our friends in Israel. Tom is looking forward

to serving the nation of Israel and working alongside his fellow pastors and local churches in order to help them with a deeper understanding regarding this issue. Contact: 01642 645194 thomas.richterf@ntlworld.com

Christine & Roy Sherrard: A former coal miner for 29 years, Roy has also been treasurer of FGBMFI in Selby. Christine is a tutor in post-16 years education in Colleges of Further Education as well as other establishments, and also a qualified counsellor. She has also been active in various leadership roles within church and secretary/Administration Officer (she gave her life to the Lord aged 7 years-old in the Salvation Army).

As their understanding and knowledge grew about the roots of the Christian faith, so did their love for Israel and the Jewish Nation. During their “learning period”, they spent a lot of prayer time in tears of repentance for the past behaviour of Christians towards the Jewish people, and over the years their love for Israel and the Jewish people has deepened and grown. This has given them a desire to edify the Church in the UK regarding their Hebraic roots. They are members of Leeds Messianic Fellowship, along with Grace Community Church in Cookridge, Leeds. However they feel that the Lord is also opening the doors in Selby. Contact: 01757 291685 christinesherrard@mypostoffice.co.uk

CFI-UK Church Liaison Officer David Soakell introduces our new area reps.

Y

CFI-UK exists to edify the Church by teaching on her Biblical roots, in many forms, and you can be a part of this. The following are some of the areas in which you can be involved:

1. Serving as a local resource centre for information about Israel, Judaic-Christian Studies, CFI-UK publications.

2. Arranging meetings in Churches etc. in the locality. We would be glad to assist with speakers.

3. Setting up local Prayer Groups where none exist under another organisation.

We would like to help where we can to facilitate every potential God gives, to encourage you, and to enhance the work of CFI-UK, ultimately to bring the restoration of His name in the Church and to bless Israel. If you feel the Lord is calling you, then please do contact me at david@cfi.org.uk or get in touch with our Head Office.

Is God calling you to be an Area Rep?

CFI.ORG.UK // 11

Weekend Workshop with David Bivin“The Difficulty of Living for Jesus: Being Overcomers by Better Understanding the

Demands Jesus Made of His First Disciples”

This 3-day workshop with David Bivin (author of New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus) contains 14 hours of interactive study. David has lived in Israel for more than 40 years and is a specialist in the Jewish background to the New Testament. Keren Hannah Pryor will participate in the workshops, leading a Shabbat evening meal, plus teaching one session on the High Holy Days in the Jewish calendar. A resources stall with a wide range of written, video and audio materials for further study will be available throughout the weekend.

CFI-UK presents a new tour to Israel...INCLUDES VISITS TO:

• Tel Aviv (2 nights) including Independence Hall and a unique opportunity to worship with a local congregation during their Shabbat meeting.

• Galilee (2 nights) including a boat trip and visits to historical and Biblical sites.

• Jerusalem (5 nights) including the City of David, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane and the Western Wall.

• Extension tour includes visits to Masada and the Dead Sea.

PRICE: £950 per person or £1,350 with optional extension. Includes half-board accommodation in twin bedrooms (there is a Surcharge of £325.00 for Single Occupancy for the main tour and £100 for the extension), internal travel in Israel, entry fees, and gratuities. Air fares are NOT included.

MORE INFORMATION: For a full brochure and booking form please contact Expressions of Faith Tour, CFI-UK, PO Box 157, Llandudno, LL30 9DE. Tel: 0845 230 6364 Email: roy@cfi.org.uk

DATE: 23-25th September 2011

LOCATION: High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire

PRICE: £175 for the workshop or £120 if registered before the 26th August. Participants may ensure a place by payment of a £30 deposit (non-refundable), which will be applied to the tuition fee when full payment is made.

MORE INFORMATION: Please contact John Talbot. Tel: 07968-802-588 ~ Email: talbotjdt@aol.com

12 // IN TOUCH

David Dolan Speaking Tour: October 16th – November 5th, 2011Sunday 16th October: Morning Service (10.30am plus Q&A at 3pm) Venue: The Welcome Baptist Church, Alexandra Road, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 8EQ Contact: Doug Prentice – Tel: 01825 762921 ~ Email: dgbp@btinternet.com

Monday 17th October: Evening Meeting (7.45pm) Venue: Main Hall at Brentwood County High School, Shenfield Common, Seven Arches Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 JFH Contact: Moira Dare Edwards – Tel: 01277 213243 ~ Email: mdareedwards@btinternet.com

Tuesday 18th October: Evening Meeting (7pm)Venue: Providence Baptist Church, Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, SN15 4EL Contact: Colin & Sylvia Sinclair – Tel: 01249 891127 ~ Email: colinandsylvia@neateimaging.com

Wednesday 19th October: Evening Meeting (7pm) Venue: Elim Pentecostal Church, The City Temple, Dyfatty Street, Swansea, SA1 1QQ Contact: David & Lynne Brown – Tel: 02920 761882 ~ Email: harmony50@hotmail.co.uk

Saturday 22nd October: Evening Meeting (7.00pm) Venue: St. Julian’s Methodist Church, St. Julian’s Avenue, Newport, NP19 7JT Contact: Pam Smith – Tel: 01600 714951 ~ Email: barry@monmanse.freeserve.co.uk

Sunday 23rd October: Evening Meeting (6pm)Venue: Nuneaton Community Church, Church Road, Stockingford, Nuneaton, CV10 8LH Contact: Tony & Gloria Greenwood – Tel: 01827 713864 ~ Email: gloria.greenwood1@ntlworld.com

Monday 24th October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: Providence Methodist Church, Windmill Hill, Colley Gate, Cradley, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 2LA Contact: David Walker – Tel: 01384 567042 ~ Email: frankwalker488@btinternet.com

Tuesday 25th October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: Longton Elim Church, Carlisle Street, Dresden, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 4EN Contact: Sue Mountford – Tel: 01785 812214 or 01782 320008 ~ Email: h.mountford@talktalk.net

Wednesday 26th October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: Emmanuel Christian Centre, Lloyd Street, Llandudno, LL30 2YA Contact: Roy Thurley – Tel: 0845 230 6364 ~ Email: roy@cfi.org.uk

Friday 28th October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm) Venue: Dewsbury Revival Centre, West Park Street, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 4LA Contact: Brian Taylor – Tel: 01924 459294 ~ Email: bngtaylor@talktalk.net

Saturday 29th October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm) Venue: St James’ Church, Selby, Yorkshire, YO8 4HL Contact: Christine Sherrard – Tel: 01757 291685 ~ Email: christinesherrard@mypostoffice.co.uk

Sunday 30th October: Sunday Service (6pm) Venue: Rivers of Life Church, Lightfoot Grove, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3EE Contact: Tom Richters – Tel: 01642 645194 ~ Email: thomas.richterf@ntlworld.com or David Soakell – Tel: 01642 469663 ~ Email: david@cfi.org.uk

Monday 31st October: Evening Meeting (7.30pm) Venue: Gateshead Evangelical Church, Derwentwater Road, Gateshead, NE8 2XXContact: Joan Parkin 01914 402668 or David Soakell – Tel: 01642 469663 ~ Email: david@cfi.org.uk

Tuesday 1st November: Evening Meeting (7.30pm) Venue: Solace Centre for Public Christianity, 4 St Peter’s Street, Dundee, DD1 4JJ, Scotland Contact: Donald MacDougall – Tel: 01738 583466 ~ Email: donald_macd@hotmail.com

Wednesday 2nd November: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: Edinburgh Free Church of Scotland, 29 Arthur Street, Edinburgh, EH6 5AH, Scotland Contact: Paul Hayes – Tel: 01968 678850 ~ Email: paul.hayes@basilicon.com

Friday 4th November: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: North Down, Northern Ireland. (Attendees will be notified of the venue on the week of the event)Please RSVP with your contact number to Ivor McClinton – Tel: 02891 453287 ~ Email: postmaster@imcclinton.plus.com

Saturday 5th November: Evening Meeting (7.30pm)Venue: Belfast. (Atendees will be notified of the venue on the week of the event)Please RSVP with your contact number to Ivor McClinton – Tel: 02891 453287 ~ Email: postmaster@imcclinton.plus.com

CFI-UK UPCOMING EVENTS

ISRAEL TOURSCFI-UK + Isrelate.com are endorsing the Revelation TV tour to Israel (see page 3) in November 2011 as an introductory first-timers tour.

Roy Thurley is running a CFI-UK advanced tour to Israel in February 2012. (see page 11).

Please refer to the relevant pages for information on how to book.

Annual CFI-UK Conference: 14th–15th October, 2011Special Guest Speaker: David Dolan ~ Venue: Victoria Baptist Church, Eldon Road, Eastbourne, BN21 1EU