What does it mean to stand with Israel? My wife Lynnette and I were challenged to think about that question in a completely new way on Friday, June 7, when we heard a firsthand account of the terrorist massacre that Hamas unleashed last October 7.

Presenting were two survivors of Kibbutz Be’eri, an avocado farming community situated roughly two miles from Gaza. It was Hamas’ first target on that horrible morning. For the sake of caution, I will use only the first names of the speakers, Yarden and Mika.

The event, called “Faces of October 7th,” was held at DaySpring Church in Pewaukee, Wis., with roughly 350 people in attendance.

Like everyone in the close-knit kibbutz, Yarden and Mika were neighbors and friends. Now, their bond has been forever changed—united by the horror and loss they have experienced.

Yarden, who is more fluent in English, gave most of the presentation. He was born on the kibbutz, where his grandparents moved in 1946—“before there was a state of Israel.”

‘We know that Gazans don’t like us, but we still flourished and felt safe,” he said. “It was a very great place to live. We had the best life. It’s green, there are flowers, people coming from all over the country. It was the best place in the world to grow up. It was almost a paradise.”

Yarden summarized: “We felt very safe.” He explained that residents never even locked the doors on their homes. “We never anticipated terrorists coming to our house.”

That changed on the morning of October 7, when between 500 and 600 terrorists—roughly half the number of the kibbutz’s population—flooded the area. A bulldozer broke through the fence that surrounded their homes, leading pickup trucks loaded with machine guns. There were six to eight terrorists for each house, Yarden said.

He explained that every house in the kibbutz had a safe room—but they don’t protect from things like fire. He said they are “for rockets, not for terrorists.”

“We were expecting the Israel Defense Forces to arrive very fast,” he said. “Where is the Army? Why is the Army not coming? There was no way to stop them.”

Yarden said that houses were burned with people inside of them and that archaeologists had to be utilized to identify the remains.

Yarden was part of the kibbutz’s security team but was away camping that morning and was blocked by the IDF from returning home. His brother, also part of the team, was killed after seven hours of protecting the community. Mika’s mother was murdered, and her house was burned down also—one of more than 120 homes destroyed. Based on Yarden’s comments, 101 members of the kibbutz were killed, and another 31 were kidnapped. Eleven of those remain missing—of which seven are confirmed dead.

“Most of my friends lost their parents,” he said. “We lost so much on that day. We had, some days, 15 funerals a day. There was so much sadness.”

Residents were not allowed back in their homes for several weeks, as there was the possibility that terrorists could still be there in hiding. People tried to salvage as many valuables as possible from the rubble.

“We don’t want this to be the end of our home,” Yarden said. “We want the story of Be’eri to be the story of resilience. If we stop and walk away, we are asking for the next October 7. We are the front line. If we retreat from the front line, no one will be safe.”

Rebuilding the kibbutz is expected to take two years. Everyone at the event was invited to come and see it when it is finished.

The evening’s program included comments from several local and state officials and prayers from area pastors. I had the privilege of leading in a closing prayer myself.

There was special music including “Hatikvah,” Israel’s National Anthem, and a message from host Pastor Daniel Reehoff.

I left the program with the following verses of Scripture embedded in my mind:

“My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war” (Ps. 120:6-7).

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.

For over half of my lifetime, I was like so many other people. The term could be called “CINO” – Christian In Name Only. Believing Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit existed was no problem. However, I didn’t figure out at that time that I needed to develop a true relationship with My Savior. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

James 2:19 stands out in reference to this attitude; “You believe that God is One; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.” What is so sad is the “demons” were angels that followed Lucifer in rebellion against the Father. In Revelation 12:4a, “His tail swept down a third of the stars of Heaven, and cast them to the earth.” For them, there is no pathway to forgiveness. They are doomed to the Lake of Fire forever (Matthew 25:41).

Paul gives the Father’s promises to us in Romans 8. Starting with 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Knowing first of all, every last human on this earth that ever has lived has had the sin nature within us, compliments of Genesis 3, where the original sin took place. The only exception has been, and ever will be, our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.

From the very beginning, our Heavenly Father knew that if any of us were to be saved, He would have to provide the means for us. No sacrifice we could ever make would meet His standard for perfection. He allowed blood sacrifices at regular intervals prior to Calvary so those who were in His will could receive divine forgiveness.

In John 19:30, Our Savior stated, “Tetelesti” or “It is Finished!” This declaration told us that from that very moment on, there would not be any other sacrifice accepted for forgiveness, as the sinless “human,” Jesus, shed His precious blood once for all. When He rose from the grave on that third day, sin and death were conquered for all who would receive and accept Him as their Savior.

Continuing in Romans 8, verses 2-4, “For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

In Romans 3:10, 3:23 and 6:23, we’re told we all are sinners without exception, and the final verse gives the perfect summary of God’s love for us; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:31; “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:35-39; “Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In this present world, it’s getting harder to receive and accept our precious Savior as more and more Christians are being called “haters.” The fact of the matter is that we love everyone for their immortal soul but do not have to like or accept what our Heavenly Father calls abominations. We pray that those who are on the broad path leading to destruction will realize they need Jesus, and as Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 advise, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Satan has worked very hard from the beginning of the creation of this earth to turn as many souls as he possibly can away from our Heavenly Father, Jesus our Messiah, and the Holy Spirit. He was allowed to tempt our Savior when Jesus was in human form; however, Jesus did not fall for any of his ploys.

Not understanding the true nature of our Savior is nothing new. Even His own disciples had issues with their beliefs. Probably the most significant event was the reaction of the apostle Thomas. He was not present when Jesus first appeared to the others after His resurrection. When they told him Jesus had appeared to them, he stated, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I shall never believe” (John 20:25). This is exactly how we have the term “doubting Thomas” today.

Eight days after his remarks, Jesus appeared to the apostles, and Thomas was there. Jesus proved to be alive, and Thomas made his famous profession, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus told him he believed because he actually saw Him, but “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:28-29).

On one other occasion earlier, Jesus had made the statement, “And you know the way to where I am going” (John 14:4). Thomas spoke up and said they didn’t know where He was going and asked to be shown the way.

This led to our Savior telling us in no uncertain terms exactly who He really was and the authority by which He acted. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” For anyone who believes there are “many ways to Heaven,” this verse needs to be read again and again.

This includes Acts 4:12, “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Once a person opens their heart to the Savior, the change is absolutely wonderful. There is a song written by Thomas Mosie Lister called “Then I Met the Master.” Several Gospel groups have recorded it; however, my favorite version is by the Booth Brothers. They came to our area in concert a number of years ago, and this song has stood out as a true inspiration. It’s very simple and straightforward, yet absolutely gripping.

1.) Like a baby when it cries for its mother, like a child, I was helpless, alone. Then I met the Master; now I am one of His own.

Ref) For all things were changed when He found me; a new day broke through all around me. For I met the Master; now I belong to Him.

2.) Like a blind man who walks in the darkness, I had longed, I had searched for the Light. Then I met the Master; now I walk no more in the night. I met the Master; Now I belong to him. (refrain twice)

Please understand that all who truly receive and accept Jesus as Savior have no fear about where we will spend eternity. Once we leave this earth, either through rapture or by death, we will be with Him forever.

On the other side, all who refuse to ask the Savior to forgive them and be their Shepherd forever will spend eternity in total darkness in the lake of fire with Satan and all his demons. No one who attends the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15 will be pardoned or able to be forgiven there. False prophets and antichrists would like for you to believe otherwise, but they’re doing Satan’s will, not the Father’s.

It is a free-will choice that each and every individual has to make for themselves. Our Heavenly Father will force no one to receive and accept the free gift He has made available to us.

Our Jesus died for all who would ever live on this earth, as he spoke of in John 10:16. He told us there would be one flock, one Shepherd. This applies to all who truly believe in Him and receive and accept Him as their Savior.

Reach out today; call on Jesus before it is too late.

huebshman46@gmail.com

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