The following information is provided to assist you in connecting with believers in Israel.

Types of Assemblies and Congregations

As anywhere in the body of Christ, congregations in Israel vary in many different ways; however, here are a few general things you might want to be aware of…

• Languages: Since there is such a diverse population, there are many different languages spoken in Israel. The most prominent are Hebrew, English, Russian and Arabic. Most congregation leaders speak more than one language, so for Australians, communication with them is relatively easy.
• Assembly Sizes: Most congregations are relatively small, numbering 50-200 people with a handful growing upward of several hundred. There are many small home groups which are the seeds of new congregations. Over 1 million Russian Jews have returned to Israel since the fall of the USSR. They represent about 20% of the entire Israeli population and an even greater percentage of many of the local congregations. It is a great challenge for the congregations to serve the needs of all the various people which make up the body.
• Facilities: Most congregations rent facilities, very few own their own buildings. As many people in Israel struggle financially, assemblies in Israel also struggle financially on small budgets. Outside support can really make a large difference in their ability to meet their basic needs.
• Security: Because of the real threat of persecution, it is important for people to be sensitive to the security of individuals and assemblies in Israel. Some congregations don’t advertise their meeting place and many people don’t feel comfortable being photographed or videotaped.

Tips for making contact

• Phone: The country code for Israel is 972. The next digit (or two) is the City Code (CC), much like an area code. When dialing from Australia you need to dial 0011-972-(CC) and then the seven digit phone number. Remember that Israel is 7 hours behind us. So, to ring Israel at their 9am in the morning you would have to ring at 4pm in the afternoon from Sydney.
• Time Zone: Check out the clock below to see the actual time in Israel.
• E-mail: Israel is very small and many of the leaders are working very hard, wearing many different hats and dealing with a lot of challenging issues. Do not be discouraged if you email someone and they do not respond immediately, as they are generally just very busy and e-mails are sometimes low on the priority list. Do not give up though. Try phoning if you find emailing difficult.
• Post: Australian mail generally takes 4-6 days to get to Israel. The address format is the same for mailing a letter in Australia. Just remember to put ISRAEL after the area code. Most congregations use a P.O. Box for mail. This is quite normal and is usually done for practical reasons, and in some cases for security issues.

For detailed analysis of the weather in Israel click Here.

The current Date and time in Israel

By Brent

Paul tells us in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel message is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek … . What Paul is saying in this passage is that wherever we go to proclaim the Gospel message, we are to actively seek out those Jewish people in that community and present to them the Gospel message first and then to the Greek (non Jewish).

Most Jewish people in Sydney are only culturally Jewish, and have an array of religious beliefs that may include atheism, humanism, Buddhism, mysticism, new age and others. There are also many observant Jewish people, who are committed to practicing the particulars of the modern Rabbinic and Talmudic faith. One of the few common threads for Jewish people around the world is their refusal to consider the truth of the New Testament and Messianic claims of Jesus. This makes Jewish people very difficult to reach with the Gospel; and yet we must continue trusting the Lord …

If the Gospel message is still today the power of God unto salvation then it goes without saying that it still must be presented to the Jew first…This is a wonderful truth that must be restored to the wider Church today, and if we can even catch a glimpse of Paul’s burden here, we will see even in this dispensation of grace a great harvest of Jewish souls grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Lord invites us all into the wonderful privilege of being a part of this great work and being an instrument in that plan, and if you accept that privilege – Praise the Lord, how purposeful and bountiful your life will be … . If you refuse and turn your back, that’s Ok, go ahead, but know this: that your denial won’t effect God’s plan. He will raise up a people somewhere and He will send them to where the work needs to be done – and those Jewish people will hear the Gospel message and respond – for His Glory.

But above all, we should remember that Salvation is a sovereign act of God and everything in the Divine / human relationship must be founded in the fact that God has pre-eminence … our focus in evangelism should always be on the Glory of God and a passion for that Glory, and the fact that because of sin, the fall and man’s rebellion there are people on earth and amongst Jewish people who aren’t worshipping Him and glorifying Him as they should. God commands all people to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour through faith in the Gospel message.

It is the Gospel that is the Power of God unto salvation … . If you want a Powerful Gospel, then strip away all the gimmicks – strip away all the demographic studies of how you’re supposed to approach a certain person or those from within a certain culture. Whether it is Jew or Gentile, we need to stand in love and preach this simple message of sin, of the holiness of God, and faith in Christ alone – we need to preach this and not depend on any other thing.

As we go out to share the Good News of the Gospel with the Jewish people, may we all concur in the words of those early Moravian missionaries as they set out on their journeys… “May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of His suffering”.

His words and promises will not fail… What more motivation do we need in sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people?… Shalom

by Dr Randall Price

This article looks at the attitudes of three groups have towards the modern state of Israel:  amongst the churches in Israel; amongst the churches in the ‘West’; and amongst evangelic Christians.

[Read Article]

Note: If the link above no longer works, please go to the Pre-Trib Research Center website (https://www.pre-trib.org/) and insert the title of this article into their search engine.

By Richard

I came across it while researching the subject of being patient while we await the soon return of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The full title of this article is “Hold On To Your Crown: Don’t Let Anything Rob You Of The Anticipation Of Jesus’ Soon Arrival”.
Written by: Jonathan Brentner.
Date: 31 Dec 2024.

[Read Article]

Note: If the link above no longer works, please go to the Harbinger’s Daily website (https://harbingersdaily.com/) and insert the title of this article into their search engine.

By Mr Brent Grey

A little more than 100 years ago in a small village in Scotland there was a conference of believers, and one man raised the question to one of the brothers at the conference who was involved in Jewish ministry, and asked him “What is the critical need in ministry to the Jewish people today?”, and the answer that was given to him was “More Tears”…

If that very same question was asked of us today, I think the answer would sadly remain the same, because when we look at the Christian Church today, her tears of compassion for Israel have long dried up.

“More tears” based on the truths of God’s word regarding Israel is one of the pressing needs I see in the Church today.

But be forewarned, some may not weep with you, and some may not share your burden. God will allow Israel to serve as a strategic point of division in the Church today, as some in the Body of Christ will stand with Israel; others will turn away.

As global conflict escalates between Israel and her enemies – your stand in the end will be less about Israel and more about the God of Israel, and more about the integrity of His unfailing word, because sadly today Christians are forsaking the word of God at such a rate there is no real concept of Israel in the sense that Israel is the primary instrument in the outworking of God’s plans and purposes throughout human history. If I were to ask you what is the purpose of human history and in particular Jewish history – How do you think you would answer that?

I believe Jesus answers that for us in Matthew 23:37 where He outlines the purpose of Jewish history and says “Jerusalem, Jerusalem those who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”… That friends is the purpose of Jewish history – for God to gather His own under His wings. But in the very next breath we see the tragedy of Jewish history when Jesus says “and you were unwilling… behold, your house is being left to you desolate”. If there is one thing that describes the last 1900 years of Jewish history, it is one of complete and utter desolation. But Jesus didn’t leave it hopeless; as He went on to say what will be the triumph of Jewish and world history… “For I say to you, from now on you will not see me again until you (Israel) say blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD”. This is a Messianic acknowledgement, meaning that Jesus won’t return until Israel as a nation acknowledges that He is the promised Messiah bringing about His second coming and God’s kingdom on earth. Even the prophet Zechariah foresaw this event in Ch 12:10, but sadly it will take a tribulation or what is known as “the time of Jacobs trouble” for them to realise that. We worship and serve a covenant keeping God and every jot and tittle of His unfailing word will be fulfilled regarding both Israel and the Church, and we need to clearly understand that and get excited about it.

But why does Israel seem to draw out the best and worst in us?

The Jewish nation is designed by God to test and expose the hearts and intents of humanity – the scriptures and history shows us that, but does that mean everything Israel does is right? Of course not; the test would prove less genuine if issues involving Israel were so simple. Though matters may seem complex on the surface, Israel is ultimately about Him and His word, and if you know Him as the God of Israel, with your heart beating with His and His word raised up high, all you can do is shout Amen.

That is what we are all about at Awake to Israel, lifting up high and making known to all the God of the book, the Messiah of the book and the people of the book and shouting Amen.

I believe the Lord is using Awake to Israel to grow in His Church a deeper prophetic understanding of His ways and character, because God wants you equipped to live for Him and understand clearly what He is doing in the world both now and the days ahead, because sadly these truths have been obscured for centuries to the Church through amillennial and postmillennial teaching which had served to rob the people of Israel of their promised inheritance, the Messiah of Israel of His earthly throne, and the God of Israel of His future glory… we need to again awake to the truths of God’s word and “awake to Israel”.

Now is the time for us all to once again take a stand, rekindle our passion and find our tears for the lost sheep of the house of Israel based on the wonderful truths of God’s unfailing word.

May we all share in the words of Paul in Romans 11:15 “for if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” – Much is depending on it…

Shalom Brent