Israel Trip in 2011
Kim Kee and Sok Han Lee (General Executive Director) 2011
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.
On 18th November Sok Han and I responded to an invitation from the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, to make a 5 day visit to Jerusalem. The Knesset is a symbol of the nation's right to sovereignty and independence, and standing there we had such a sense of God's faithfulness to His promise. The God who created the universe and everything in it, who set the stars in place, ordained the passing of seasons and established the natural laws which govern our world, made a proclamation long ago that Israel would never be abandoned or kept from being restored as a nation without the very laws of creation also being abandoned. The Israeli people, exiled from their land for nearly 2000 years and 'scattered to and fro' across the whole world, were miraculously restored by God as a nation in 1948.
Security is unavoidably strict at the Israeli Parliament, a building which is ostensibly modest in appearance, but carries an air of grandeur. Should the heart of the nation’s government be taken over, it would be very hard for Israel to keep their foothold in the promised land. Enemies both spiritual and physical relentlessly pursue any opportunity to destroy Israel and negate God’s faithfulness. Towering over the front of the Knesset is a huge menorah commemorating Israel’s past while at the same time looking with hope into the future. On top is engraved the story of the Old Testament along with the history and traditions of the Jews. Under the theme of the spiritual battle of the Jews is inscribed, ‘It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD’ (Zechariah 4:6). The restoration of Israel, its current territory, the battles it is facing, and its continued existence all depend of God’s promises and not on power, politics or military. God’s promises belong to an eternal, unchanging covenant. When the nation was restored, the menorah was chosen as a symbol of the continual and eternal nature of the Jewish people. This menorah not only acknowledged Israel’s history, but also declares its future and the eternal calling of God. The covenant He made with Abraham endures into eternity.
This time our trip was amazingly fruitful. Representatives from over 30 organizations came to dialogue and share God’s love for Israel, as well as to discuss the practical initiatives that are going on to support God’s chosen people at the ‘Christian and Israeli Friendship Conference’. There was time for in-depth discussions with a few organizations concerning how we might work together in our ministry serving Israel and the Back to Jerusalem vision.
Summary of the key points from the trip:
1. We have made new connections with a number of organizations and individuals, including some from China, Australia, Europe and Israel itself. This will strengthen the development of our ministry in Israel.
2. One organization has offered to provide an office for us in Jerusalem. This will give us a base in Jerusalem which can be used to advance the ‘Back to Jerusalem Vision’. They also would like to work with us to provide a training course on Israel and Jewish culture from a Biblical and historical perspective.
3. This organization would also like to provide the facilities for us to hold a ‘Life Impact Conference’ in Israel.
4. While in Jerusalem we were able to visit the organization responsible for the Anne Frank exhibition. They would like to work with us to set up an exhibition in China including workshops and forums on Judaism, Jewish culture, and history. These will help believers in China gain a better Biblical perspective in understanding Israel. The Diary of Anne Frank is a very popular book in China, and so we believe that it is a sensible strategy to use the Anne Frank exhibition to take advantage of the Chinese people’s interest in Israel to communicate the message. We can also use this opportunity to include workshops and seminars on Jewish culture, history, and religion before the poison of anti-Semitism is able to penetrate into the hearts of the Chinese people. It is important for us to provide in depth knowledge and up to date information on Israel to the Chinese, because in the wake of China opening her doors to the outside world, all kinds of ideologies, opinions, and philosophies – including anti-Semitism and anti-Israel – will inevitably make their way into China’s psyche.
5. We are praying for the right openings to set up a China Centre and Prayer Garden in Israel. We believe these will be very significant in both the spiritual and natural realms, and can become a ‘home’ for millions of Chinese Christians to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and carry out the Back to Jerusalem vision. The plan is to locate the prayer garden in the territory of Benjamin which was the home of the prophet Jeremiah. The territory of Benjamin lies in what is called the West Bank today. There are two significant reasons for the prayer garden to be located there. Firstly it is a prophetic act to fulfil God’s desire in reclaiming the land which belongs to His people (Jer 32:6-44). Secondly we can provide employment opportunities to the local people who live in that area, which is a practical way of demonstrating God’s love for them.
Kim Kee and Sok Han Lee (General Executive Director) 2011
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.
On 18th November Sok Han and I responded to an invitation from the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, to make a 5 day visit to Jerusalem. The Knesset is a symbol of the nation's right to sovereignty and independence, and standing there we had such a sense of God's faithfulness to His promise. The God who created the universe and everything in it, who set the stars in place, ordained the passing of seasons and established the natural laws which govern our world, made a proclamation long ago that Israel would never be abandoned or kept from being restored as a nation without the very laws of creation also being abandoned. The Israeli people, exiled from their land for nearly 2000 years and 'scattered to and fro' across the whole world, were miraculously restored by God as a nation in 1948.
Security is unavoidably strict at the Israeli Parliament, a building which is ostensibly modest in appearance, but carries an air of grandeur. Should the heart of the nation’s government be taken over, it would be very hard for Israel to keep their foothold in the promised land. Enemies both spiritual and physical relentlessly pursue any opportunity to destroy Israel and negate God’s faithfulness. Towering over the front of the Knesset is a huge menorah commemorating Israel’s past while at the same time looking with hope into the future. On top is engraved the story of the Old Testament along with the history and traditions of the Jews. Under the theme of the spiritual battle of the Jews is inscribed, ‘It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD’ (Zechariah 4:6). The restoration of Israel, its current territory, the battles it is facing, and its continued existence all depend of God’s promises and not on power, politics or military. God’s promises belong to an eternal, unchanging covenant. When the nation was restored, the menorah was chosen as a symbol of the continual and eternal nature of the Jewish people. This menorah not only acknowledged Israel’s history, but also declares its future and the eternal calling of God. The covenant He made with Abraham endures into eternity.
This time our trip was amazingly fruitful. Representatives from over 30 organizations came to dialogue and share God’s love for Israel, as well as to discuss the practical initiatives that are going on to support God’s chosen people at the ‘Christian and Israeli Friendship Conference’. There was time for in-depth discussions with a few organizations concerning how we might work together in our ministry serving Israel and the Back to Jerusalem vision.
Summary of the key points from the trip:
1. We have made new connections with a number of organizations and individuals, including some from China, Australia, Europe and Israel itself. This will strengthen the development of our ministry in Israel.
2. One organization has offered to provide an office for us in Jerusalem. This will give us a base in Jerusalem which can be used to advance the ‘Back to Jerusalem Vision’. They also would like to work with us to provide a training course on Israel and Jewish culture from a Biblical and historical perspective.
3. This organization would also like to provide the facilities for us to hold a ‘Life Impact Conference’ in Israel.
4. While in Jerusalem we were able to visit the organization responsible for the Anne Frank exhibition. They would like to work with us to set up an exhibition in China including workshops and forums on Judaism, Jewish culture, and history. These will help believers in China gain a better Biblical perspective in understanding Israel. The Diary of Anne Frank is a very popular book in China, and so we believe that it is a sensible strategy to use the Anne Frank exhibition to take advantage of the Chinese people’s interest in Israel to communicate the message. We can also use this opportunity to include workshops and seminars on Jewish culture, history, and religion before the poison of anti-Semitism is able to penetrate into the hearts of the Chinese people. It is important for us to provide in depth knowledge and up to date information on Israel to the Chinese, because in the wake of China opening her doors to the outside world, all kinds of ideologies, opinions, and philosophies – including anti-Semitism and anti-Israel – will inevitably make their way into China’s psyche.
5. We are praying for the right openings to set up a China Centre and Prayer Garden in Israel. We believe these will be very significant in both the spiritual and natural realms, and can become a ‘home’ for millions of Chinese Christians to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and carry out the Back to Jerusalem vision. The plan is to locate the prayer garden in the territory of Benjamin which was the home of the prophet Jeremiah. The territory of Benjamin lies in what is called the West Bank today. There are two significant reasons for the prayer garden to be located there. Firstly it is a prophetic act to fulfil God’s desire in reclaiming the land which belongs to His people (Jer 32:6-44). Secondly we can provide employment opportunities to the local people who live in that area, which is a practical way of demonstrating God’s love for them.
