Weekly Update: Times of crisis

The Coronavirus is dominating the news at the moment. Israeli PM Netanyahu has stated: “We are in the midst of a global event unlike anything else in the history of the state’s existence,” comparing the situation to the 1918 Spanish Flu, which infected some 500 million people and killed between 17 and 50 million people.

We are living in a time where crisis follows crisis. More and more problems are arising that are greater than our capacity to solve.

C4I President Willem Glashouwer reminds us: “In the midst of this Corona virus crisis, we can lift our eyes to Him who is enthroned in heaven. And we may pray. Peter said in Acts 3:19: ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.’ When we turn to Him, Jesus can and will give us redemption.”

There is little doubt that this current crisis is part of the “birth pangs” leading to the birth of the new kingdom, when Christ returns.

In addition to prayers for ourselves and our nations, let us pray especially at this time for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. May the Lord protect them, and use this crisis to reveal His glory in and through them as He continues to bring them home.

‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’ (Psalm 91)

Shabbat shalom,

Andrew Tucker
Editor-in-Chief – Israel & Christians Today

Israeli elections – still no government

The leaders of the Likud and Blue and White parties spoke by phone late Thursday to discuss the possibility of setting up an emergency government, as they sought to put differences aside in order to effectively manage the coronavirus crisis sweeping the country and the globe. Read more..

Israel continues its tough coronavirus policies

With an influx of coronavirus patients looming, Israel’s hospitals are scrambling to prepare for the worst, while working to ensure that procedures in place and lessons learned from other countries keep the country’s health system from being overwhelmed. Read more..

Announcing nationwide school closures and urging an emergency unity government to “save the lives of tens of thousands” of Israelis from the coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night presented a profoundly stark assessment of the pandemic’s potential global consequences, indicating that it could cause tens of millions of deaths if it cannot be stopped. Read more..

Aliyah continues – despite the crisis

The Jewish Agency has decided to continue to bring olim to Israel, notwithstanding the crisis. Danielle Mor, Vice President Israel and Global Philanthropy, announced Thursday: “I am proud to update that despite the many concerns and voices asking that Aliyah be halted, the clear decision is that Aliyah will go on. Since 1948, The Jewish Agency never stopped bringing olim to Israel and this will be no exception. 2019 was the highest Aliyah year in over a decade and 2020 promised to be even higher. All olim will be advised of the current situation and the need to go into home quarantine, all will be welcomed, receive their citizenship papers and taken to their destination of choice where they can maintain quarantine.

Koen Carlier, C4I coordinator in Ukraine: “Over the past few days we already received some worried phone calls from Jewish families, because they were wondering whether we would continue our transport to the consulate and the various airports, because of the Coronavirus. Since last night Ukraine has gone into quarantine. 180 border crossings with neighboring countries have been closed. We were able to reassure these families just like the Jewish Agency done: in difficult times the Aliyah continues! The team of Christians for Israel in Ukraine is well trained to continue their work under difficult circumstances! In the coming time it will be extra busy. All drivers are informed and on standby! Read more..

COVID-19 brings life to standstill

Israeli airline El Al will halt flights next week to most destinations worldwide, including cities across the United States and Europe, the carrier said on Thursday.

Flights to most European destinations, except for London and Paris, will end by Sunday night, the airline said. Final flights to Boston and Mumbai will depart on March 15; to San Francisco, Moscow and Brussels on March 16; and to Miami and Los Angeles on March 18. Read more.. 

The United Nations Human Rights Council has suspended its 43rd session in Geneva as result of the coronavirus outbreak as of this Friday, thereby delaying its Agenda 7 debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict until an unspecified time. Read more..

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently called the coronavirus a “blessing.” After China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, its ally, has emerged as the second focal point of coronavirus, and thanks to the ruling mullahs’ lies and cover-ups, Tehran is spreading it to the rest of the planet. Read more..

 “Focus on the future” – Video teachings by Rev. Willem J.J. Glashouwer

Rev. Willem Glashouwer helps us understand God’s prophetic word, and how prophecy is being fulfilled in our generation.

Volume 3 episode 7:
A lot of people talk about end times, “we are living in the end times” they say. How do they know? Some say: “well, they have talked about the end times for thousands of years already and nothing happened. How do you know that today is the end times?” How do you even know when these end times started? The Bible tells us that the end times started the moment that Jesus Christ was born upon this earth.

“The missionary” – Video teaching by Johannes Gerloff

Episode 16 in the series of teachings by Israeli-based Bible teacher and journalist Johannes Gerloff:

Abram preached the gospel of the one, true and only God. He “made souls” for this cause. So he became a blessing to his generation and all generations of the world.

Update from Amir Tsarfati

Bible teacher and commentator Amir Tsarfati gives an update on latest developments in Israel and the Middle East.