Hastening the coming of Jesus

Column by Gilbert Lammerts van Bueren

The Bible tells of, and also prophesies, many wars against Israel. Christians who pray for the coming of God's Kingdom are sometimes confused as how to interpret these wars. Praying against violence and threats seems to thwart Gods purposes. Related to this, many Palestinian Christians believe that Christian Zionists only support Israel in order to try to hasten the coming of Jesus! In the midst of political conflict and fear of wars, we must listen to the Scriptures.
Clearly, Biblical prophecy is given either to encourage believers or to correct them. God is in control and always has been. This however does not mean that there is some kind of fixed divine computer program which is running and which we can speed up or slow down by our deeds and prayers. The God who is in control is a loving God, longing to relate to His people in truth and righteousness. The heart of God towards Israel can be seen in Ezekiel 33 v11, so we can pray 'Lord have mercy', against war and injustice.
As for hastening the coming of Jesus, there is one text in the Bible suggesting how we can do this; "You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming", 2 Peter 3 v12. It is all about sanctification in our daily lives. Supporting Israel is not mentioned here and as such does not speed up His coming. Support for Israel is all to do with our identity. We are related to Israel whether we like it or not. Everything we value in our faith belongs first to the Jews. For God chose to bless the nations through them. Through our faith in Jesus we are grafted into Israel .
Hastening the coming of Jesus is above all about praying as the Holy Spirit does: "Come Lord Jesus!"

A Forgotten community

Every tour group to Israel visits the fascinating Old City of Jerusalem with its ancient narrow streets, alleys and courtyards, and oriental bazaars. Here the air is filled with the wonderful smells of spices, falafel and fruits, and the cries of the tradesman. Most tourists will be unaware that in the backstreets behind the bazaars daily life is being lived out, sometimes in conditions of poverty and hardship. Let's focus on the Christian quarter which grew up around the Holy Sepulchre. At the time of Jesus this area was outside the city wall. Here every Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Christian community has sought... read more

Along The King's Highway

Along the King's Highway, was the theme of the bi-annual NEM field-workers conference held this April in Israel. Workers attended from the different parts of the 'Highway': Israel, the West Bank, the surrounding Arab countries and from the home front in Holland and the UK. It was great to be all together as a NEM family. Everything had been very lovingly prepared and was conducted in English, the common language. The worship was beautiful; workers from Israel and Arab teams playing together and songs in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Dutch! Building the Highway; We started... read more..

Tour in England

Our director Rev. Gilbert Lammerts van Bueren is planning a speaking and teaching tour around the 19th November 2010.
For invitations, please contact Ruth Youngman a.s.a.p.

Exciting short term program

The short term program from January until end of March 2011, will start in Egypt with a taste of the Arabic culture. After travelling through the desert and climbing mount Sinai, the group will head... read more

Highway in the Bible

Serving on the King's Highway is NEM slogan for short and long-termers in the Middle East. The word 'highway' is found in the prophecy of Isaiah 19 verse 23. Read more...