Propaganda is all the rage

Propaganda comes in many forms. Everyone engages in propaganda in some form or another, and in some measure of intensity or another. We might argue over Italian food vs. Chinese food. Or more importantly, what model of education is best?

In the end, the only real question is: Whose propaganda is true?

One of my areas of interest is studying how the early Soviet regimes emphasized propaganda and how they crafted what I believe was a satanic agenda to sway minds and hearts. Only recently, citizens of the United States have experienced some of what Russians a hundred years ago dealt with: the government lies all the time.

The Left has made a career out of manipulating language, images, and ideas. Shockingly, it works much of the time. By the way, the Soviet agenda to undermine America has continued all these years. I pray they will not be as successful as I think they have been.

A key plank in this evil agenda is to divide friends. That is going on right now with regard to Christian support for Israel. I admit to frustration sometimes when people can be so easily swayed.

The big thing now is to pry Christian Zionist support away from Israel itself. A recent column in the Jerusalem Post addressed this. The premise of the piece is that Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to defend Christian Zionists against opponents; in this case Jewish antagonists in Israel.

It’s no secret that in order to put together a ruling coalition, Netanyahu had to give concessions to ultra-Right groups, Orthodox parties and such. We can file this point under “Japs Bomb Pearl Harbor” headlines, as in, this is really, really old news. Netanyahu has been faced with this dilemma since he first got the top job in 1996. He always has to appease Jewish nationalist/religionist camps. Likewise (the propagandists don’t like you to think about), Leftist regimes must cobble together their coalitions by appeasing left-wing groups. It’s politics!

The column in the Jerusalem Post, written by Zvika Klein, cites recent incidents:

“A series of incidents, ranging in severity, have been reported since the new government was elected. One notable occurrence involved Deputy Mayor Arieh King leading a group of devout Jews to the Western Wall, chanting ‘Missionaries, go home’ as evangelical Christians attempted to celebrate Pentecost and pray for peace in Jerusalem.

“More recently, at the Kotel, a Western Wall Heritage Foundation employee asked a Christian abbot accompanying Germany’s education minister to conceal his cross – an incident captured by a German reporter and widely circulated on social media.”

Notice this was a rift with Germans. Can there be a more sensitive subject for Jews and Israelis than what the Germans think?

A Christian group dedicated to evangelizing appears to be the issue:

“The organizers explained in the invitation that the event ‘will mark the beginning of a decade of prayer, evangelism and discipleship, launching a ten-year journey of global collaboration between believers in Israel and the nations, churches of all denominations, mission organizations and ministries responding to the Commission of Jesus to see that all the world has an opportunity to hear the Good News of the Kingdom, hear and understand the Bible in their own language and be connected to a gathering of believers in a discipleship context by 2033.’

“This, as well as other texts published on the website, is what caused senior Israeli rabbis to call for their followers to demonstrate.”

This prompted rabbis to encourage their supporters to demonstrate.

I think what is going on here is really an effort to divide Christians and Jews.

Look, I’m aware there are differences between Jews and Christians concerning the identity of the Messiah. And so that you know, I always have told my Jewish friends, religious or otherwise, that I believe my faith.

I think that’s the answer you give to these questions. I am as committed to Christianity as one could be, because I believe the entire Bible is the Word of God. And it is about Christ from start to finish.

At the same time, I also recognize there are unique challenges when it comes to “evangelizing” Jews. I would bet that the vast majority of Christians have no idea about Jewish experience with Christians these last 1,500 years. The persecutions driven by the Church were and are ghastly. Forced conversions. Coordination with regimes hostile to Jews (Spain, Germany, etc.). Putrid theology that demonizes the Jews, especially when it comes to Christ’s death on the cross.

A pastor friend once was part of an evangelism effort in Israel, his first trip to the Holy Land. His first Sunday back he was sporting a black eye. When I asked what happened, he blurted out that he had set up a tent on the beach at Tel Aviv and was passing out gospel tracts. An Israeli came by and just punched him. Was that the right thing to do? No, of course not.

But did no one brief my friend ahead of time that this was a provocative act…in Israel? Plenty of people will not see my point, but I think it’s clear.

I do not agree with laws passed that ban evangelism. At the same time, I strongly believe Christians should educate themselves on this issue. Dive into Holocaust studies. Read about left-wing propaganda, that stirs trouble between Jews and their Christian supporters. Talk to Jews that have been persecuted by the Church.

The world is full of bad people. It’s full of good people. There are rude rabbis. There are rude preachers. If each could put aside their egos, the recent clashes in Israel between these two cousins would subside.

Just as we don’t recognize left-wing political efforts in our country (the U.S.), so too do we not see how desperately the Left is to foment tension between Christian Zionists and Jews. It’s obvious, which makes it even more aggravating.

I do not agree with religious Jews being violent against Christians. I do not agree with Christians having an aggressive evangelism agenda, as in pushing tracts on Jews in their own country.

The Spirit comes to those whom It will. I’ve had countless conversations in Israel, about Jesus. My friends know who I am. And I know who they are.

If we could all see we’re being played by leftists, these struggles between natural allies would end.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

www.patreon.com/TheGodThatAnswers

 

 

 

 

The Long Arm of the Lawless

I think we’ve all known from the beginning that the crude rockets of Hamas and the crude roadside bombs would not stay crude.

At least when Israel is the target.

The problem in the region, as always, is Iran. The mullahs have the money to develop sophisticated weaponry, much moreso than Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

Now the Iranians have reportedly got a new high-tech drone that is lethal. Flying at 24,000 feet, at 130 miles per hour, the payload is a 600 lb. bomb. To add insult to injury, the device has a message in Hebrew: “Prepare your bombshelters.”

It can stay airborne for 24 hours and is similar in design to the American armed MQ-9 Reaper.

Named the Mohajer-10 (Farsi for “immigrant”), the drone was recently unveiled at a conference. The Iranians said that the drone could carry electronic surveillance equipment and a camera. Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also viewed the drone on Tuesday.

According to a report from Ynet News:

“’Today, we can firmly introduce Iran as an advanced and technologic nation to the world,’ Raisi said in comments aired on state television. He reiterated Iran’s stance about friendly relations with ‘all countries in the world,’ adding that Iran’s armed forces will cut off any hand that will reaches out in an attempt to invade Iran, state TV reported.

“The Associated Press could not immediately verify the claims about the drone’s capabilities, though an arm of state television shared a video of it taking off from a runway. Long-range drones like the Reaper also require ground stations and satellite communications.”

At the same time, an Iranian delegation was in Moscow to visit with Kremlin officials about their own drone program. Iran has supplied the Russians with drones in the fight in Ukraine.

For years, the Iranians (and other Western enemies) have attempted to recover or steal American drones. It’s thought that the country has obtained pieces of drones; in 2011, Iran got control of an RQ-170 Sentinel, a CIA drone that was monitoring Iranian nuclear sites. Launched from Afghanistan, the drone was reverse-engineered by Iran.

In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk in the Strait of Hormuz amid high tensions over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran is up to more mischief than this, though. This week, an Israeli mother was shot to death near Hebron, in front of her 12-year-old daughter. Netanyahu visited the site and had this to say:

“We are in the middle of a terrorist onslaught that is encouraged, guided, and funded by Iran and its proxies. A significant portion of this wave of terrorism came from external guidance.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added this:

“It is important to understand the significant change that is taking place on the ground – it is related to Iranian funding, and to the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive. Iran seeks every means to harm the citizens of Israel.”

In a report from the Jerusalem Post:

“Their decision to accuse Iran is important because it shows how the defense and security establishment is increasingly convinced that Iran is behind the increased attacks in the West Bank. This extends beyond what is already known about Iran’s backing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas. Iran’s hand is seeking to inflame the West Bank. This is also linked to the smuggling of weapons in the West Bank, as the statement noted ‘proliferation of weapons.’”

Iran is also working hard to transfer weapons into Judea and Samaria, something Israel hasn’t seen before. Lately, there have been dozens of terror attacks daily in that area.

Still another front for Iran is to encourage the Syrian regime at the expense of Saudi Arabia, seeking a severing of any ties between Israel and the Saudis, so that Iran continues to exert influence in the region. The overall goal is to threaten Israel on as many fronts as possible.

It’s pathetic that human beings expend so much energy for evil. We that love Israel expend much energy in praying for her and against her evil foes.