NOVEMBER 2016 $2.25 Safe Water for a Thirsty World Page 21 Jezreel Valley Railway to Be Built Page 25 A perfect gift for all who love Israel! 316 Month Calendar: September 2016 through December 2017 3Beautiful, full-color pictures of the Holy Land for each month 3Room for notes 3High quality paper 3National and Jewish holidays listed 3Wall model with central poster Looking at these glorious pictures of Israel, you will be reminded daily to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” with the knowledge that “they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). Also, this calendar makes an excellent gift for family, friends, coworkers and church members. Order extra copies today! ISRAEL C ALENDAR 2016-17 $5.50 New! ITEM #9076 • 36 pgs. • Format: 11.61 x 8.66 in. Order online: midnightcall.com/9076 Everything You Need to Know About the End Times in One Easy Guide The end times can be confusing, or even troubling, as we struggle to understand such things as when Christ is coming back, who the Antichrist will be, when the tribulation will occur, and how to interpret biblical prophecy. If you are curious, confused, or fearful about any of these things— this book is for you. NEW! ANSWERS TO THE M OST I MPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE E ND T IMES ITEM #2312 192 pgs. • Paperback $10.99 New Author: Dr. John Hart News From Israel November 2016 ISSN 1095-7901 ONTENTS Published twelve times a year by C Midnight Call Ministries, Inc. PO Box 84309 Lexington SC 29073 DITOR S OTE Physical Location: 4 E ’ N 4694 Platt Springs Road By Fredi Winkler West Columbia, SC 29170, USA Dr. Wim Malgo (1922–1992), Founder Arno Froese, Editor 6 COVER STORY Fredi Winkler, International Editor Lisa Dixon, Layout Designer ISRAEL Kimberly Farmer, Copy Editor A Very Special People Ann Fankhauser & Gaby Berry, Part 5. Jacob. German-English Translators By Thomas Lieth Web: http://www.midnightcall.com Jacob, who was renamed Israel, was the Toll free phone: 1-800-845-2420 father of the nation of Israel. Satan knew Local and International: +1 (803) 755-0733 Facsimile: +1 (803) 755-6002 that out of Israel the Messiah would come. That is why he did everything he could to ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION drown this people in the sea of nations. RATES: U.S.A. $18 Canada $26.50 All other countries $38 U.S. CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRY: 12 The Imminent Expectation Please send your OLD and NEW of Our Fathers address when moving or when By René Malgo making any inquiry about your subscription. 20 ON THE HORIZON USA INTERNA TIONAL EDI TIONS 20 U.S.-Israeli Testing Firm Raises $35 Million Nachrichten Aus Israel (German), Postfach ETHIOPIA 290, Ringwiesenstrasse 12a CH --8600 21 D¨ubendorf Switzerland • Nieuws Uit Safe Water for a Thirsty World Israel (Dutch), Postbus 193, 3940 AD ISRAEL 23 Doorn, Netherlands • Noticias de Israel Jerusalem’s One World Religion in the Making (Portuguese), Caixa Postal 1688, 90001– ISRAEL 970 Porto Alegre RS, Brazil 25 • Noticias de Israel (Spanish), PO Box Jezreel Valley Railway to Be Built 84309 Lexington, SC 29073 • Nouvelles ISRAEL d’Israel (French), Case Postale 290, 28 Jewish Right-Wing Riots Ringwiesenstrasse 12a During Church Choir Song CH --8600 D ¨ubendorf Switzerland AZERBAIJAN 29 Unlikely Friend of Israel Fredi Winkler Dear Friends of Israel, Shimon Peres was the last living Israeli statesman who was part of the original found - ing of the nation. He spent 66 years in service to his country, practically until his death. He was born in Poland in 1923, and emigrated to Palestine at the age of 12, before the Holocaust. Ben-Gurion brought him into the inner circle in 1947, where he held a decisive position in building the Israeli army. In 1953, Ben-Gurion appointed him General Director of the Ministry of Defense. In that position, with the help of France, he modernized the army with the newest weapons. Within this relationship, the legendary nuclear center in Dimona was developed. He was elected to Parliament in 1959, and Ben-Gurion appointed him Assistant Minister of Defense. If Peres had simply been a man of war, then he would not have risen to such a high level of international distinction, and there wouldn’t have been so many important heads of state at his funeral. Peres once stated in an interview, “I changed, because the situation changed. When I thought that Israel was in danger, I saw it as my duty to strengthen my country. That wasn’t optional; it had to be done. I changed when I saw that we could move toward peace. War is a neces - sity; peace is a goal.” He spent many of his early years making Israel strong, so that it could prevail in its wars. As Defense Minister in 1974, he was considered a hawk in the Israeli cabinet. He was prejudiced against territorial compromises and was decidedly opposed to a Palestinian state. He favored settlements, because they were the roots and the eyes of Israel. Settlements from Sinai to the Jordan Valley, he stated then, would protect the borders against attacks and fortify Jerusalem. As Defense Minister, he didn’t simply favor settlements along the borders. In the beginning, he even encouraged and supported settlements in Samaria. After the 1984 elections, Peres was popular and loved as president in 4 NEWS FROM ISRAEL Editor’s Note the national coalition government that formed then. When the country experienced 415% inflation, he saved the country from bankruptcy and led it to stability, growth and wealth with budgetary cutbacks. Peres was in a position to become the national savior. Carried away by his enormous popularity, the man who once built set - tlements steered toward his new goal, namely peace. It was a decision that cost him every bit of his hard-won popularity. He first attempted to secretly negotiate a peace deal with King Hussein of Jordan, which would have included the Palestinian areas. King Hussein pulled out of the deal, however, because Jordan was not interested in a relationship with the West Bank. After that, Peres lost the election in 1988 and, consequently, he also lost the chairmanship of the Labor Party to Yitzhak Rabin. The Oslo Treaty with the Palestinians and the wave of terror from the first Intifada led to an even further decline in his popularity. Although he jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize with Arafat and Rabin, he lost the 1996 election as Prime Minister against Benjamin Netanyahu. His greatest defeat was perhaps the loss of the presidential election against Moshe Katsav in the year 2000. That changed, however, when he was elected President in 2007, at the age of 84, for a period of seven years. Reconciled with himself and his former opponents, he was honored by everyone and recognized as “the Last Mohican” of the Zionist revolu - tion, and as Israel’s collective “grandfather.” In the end, Peres got what he had earned but had for so long eluded him: recognition, but above all, the love of the people. Biblically speaking, he was a tool in God’s plan to revive Israel. In the certain knowledge that God will always find tools to fulfill His plan, Shalom, NOVEMBER 2016 5 Cover Story Thomas Lieth inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which After Jacob had stolen his God gave unto Abraham” birthright, Jacob’s brother, (Genesis 28:4). The “few Esau, was understandably days” of which Rebekah extremely angry with his spoke became twenty years brother, and also with him - (cf. Genesis 31:41). Jacob self (see Part 4, August came to Haran to his uncle issue). He was now full of Laban (Genesis 29), and in feelings of revenge, and this time he married the Jacob had to flee. Rebekah two daughters of Laban and sent her son to her brother was father to twelve sons. Laban in Haran, where he In Haran Jacob himself was was to stay “a few days, deceived by Laban, and he until thy brother’s fury turn had to marry the older away” (Genesis 27:41-45). daughter Leah first before As the Bible does not tell he was allowed to marry us anything of Rebekah’s the one he loved, Rachel death, nor that she ever saw (Genesis 29:5-30). This her favorite son Jacob was ultimately a result of again, it is to be assumed the lies and deceit of Jacob that this was a forever toward his father Isaac. farewell. It was the result Laban was a brother of of lies and deceit. Rebekah Rebekah, Isaac’s wife and a probably never knew that grandson of Nahor, a broth - her sons would be recon - er of Abram. ciled with one another. The sons of Jacob by Jacob fled and his father Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Isaac confirmed his bless - Levi, Judah, Issachar and ing, “And give thee the Zebulun; by Leah’s maid blessing of Abraham, to Zilpah: Gad and Asher. By thee, and to thy seed with Rachel: Joseph and thee; that thou mayest Benjamin; and by Rachel’s Visit www.midnightcall.com NOVEMBER 2016 7 ISRAEL A Very Special People Part 5 maid Bilhah: Dan and was Satan’s plan. And so Naphtali. Jacob returned to his Genesis 34 tells us how Satan homeland after 20 years of attempted to let the slowly exile, and reconciled with his evolving people drown in the brother Esau (Genesis 31— sea of nations. 33). Before this, however, he Dinah, who was a daughter had a strange meeting with of Leah, left the tents of her God, who gave him the name father to visit the Canaanite Israel (Genesis 32:25-32).