Barry’s Beacon - Shining a Biblical Light on Current Events
NEWS NOTES APRIL 2024.
April 17th - Summary: Iran's direct attack on Israel occurred in the middle of the night on Saturday 14th April, 2024. Air-raid alerts went off throughout Israel and residents were urged to seek shelter. Explosions were heard as air defenses were activated. Waves of 185 explosive drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel. Most were downed by Israel and its allies. At least nine countries were involved in these military actions - with projectiles fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen & Lebanon, and then downed by Israel, the US, the UK, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Tehran said the attack was retaliation for a presumed Israeli air strike on the military complex associated with its consulate in Syria on 1 April, in which 13 people were killed. Iran has indicated that it now deems the matter "concluded" unless Israel retaliates - with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi warning that "the slightest action against Iran's interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and painful response".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68832045
A Three-Phase attack:
Phase 1 started when over a hundred explosive drones began their eight-hour flight to Israel from Iran. As Israelis awaited their arrival, they felt it was like watching war in slow motion.
Phase 2 escalated the attack. Drones were launched from proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, countries closer to Israel. Those were followed by cruise missiles, each with 60 pounds of explosives. In all, 185 suicide drones and 36 cruise missiles filled the air. The Israeli Air Force used fighter jets to destroy these flying explosives before they reached Israel’s borders. The United States, the UK, and France joined Israel in shooting them out of the sky. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that 25 of the cruise missiles from Iran were shot down outside Israeli airspace. The role of the initial drones and missiles was to deplete Israel’s air defense system prior to the main, Phase 3, attack.
Phase 3 was the launch of 110 ballistic missiles, each with 880 pounds of explosives. While it takes a drone eight hours to fly from Iran to Israel, a cruise missile’s flight time is two hours following a flat trajectory. But a ballistic missile can traverse the distance in 12 minutes following an arced trajectory that uses gravity to reach very high speeds. The ayatollah’s plan wasn’t good enough. 99% of the missiles and drones were intercepted. Those that managed to make it through did cause a little damage to an airfield and critically injured an innocent child.
Israel’s 3-Tier Defense Umbrella:
Israel’s first line of defense was the planes, which knocked out quite a few incoming drones.
For anything that got past this, Israel used its Aerial Defense Array - the three-tier umbrella of missile defense systems in place since 7 October.
The highest tier is Arrow, used to physically intercept long-range projectiles. It is thought that Arrow dealt with most of the ballistic missiles aimed at Israel. Dramatic footage which appears to show one of these missiles being shot down outside the Earth's atmosphere suggests that Arrow 3 - the most advanced of these systems, using exo-atmospheric hypersonic anti-ballistic missiles - was employed.
The second tier is David's Sling, used to protect against short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, taking them out as far as 300km (186 miles) away.
Finally, the third tier is the Iron Dome system - designed to intercept unguided rockets heading for residential areas. This had recently been upgraded to deal with the threat from drones. The Israeli military said that none of the 170 drones fired by Iran and its proxies reached Israeli airspace.
US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces had destroyed more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, some before they were launched. However, former Israeli National Security Council head Giora Eiland said the biggest US contribution to the defensive operation was intelligence, which he described as "extremely precise".
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that UK RAF Typhoon jets also shot down a number of Iranian attack drones. Mr Sunak said the Iranian attack was a "dangerous and unnecessary escalation which I've condemned in strongest terms".
Jordan – has a peace treaty with Israel. A Jordanian cabinet minister stated they also intercepted flying objects that entered its airspace. Their primary was to secure the safety of Jordan’s citizens. Its advanced radar systems and air-to-air missiles were operated effectively at night-time by its F-16 pilots.
Saudi Arabia also intercepted any unidentified objects entering its airspace as a national defense policy. Many of those ballistic missiles crossing Saudi airspace originated in Yemen.
France patrolled airspace, but it was unclear if it had shot down any drones or missiles, the Israeli military said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68811273
Assessment by Amir Tsarfati:
His Telegram channel is continuously updated: https://t.me/s/beholdisraelchannel
Website: https://beholdisrael.org
Amir’s Weekly Newsletter and other information available from their website: info@beholdisrael.org
“It was historic in that Iran had never attacked Israel before from its own borders. As I mentioned earlier, they always had their proxies do their dirty work. This was the first time in the nearly 76 years of Israel’s existence and the decades of the Islamist regime in Iran that the ayatollahs put their own fingers on the trigger and pulled. It was historic in that never before had an aerial attack of this type and this size been carried out. [These projectiles were] launched in a coordinated assault with the intention to cause major damage and loss of life. Iran’s intention was to kill many Israelis, and it is by that intention that they should be judged and punished.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia and the UAE funneled classified intelligence through the US to Israel that helped spoil Iran’s plan. It’s truly remarkable to see the ever-growing effects of the Abraham Accords, mediated by the previous US administration.”
A LETTER BY AN ISRAELI SCIENTIST April 16th 2024: Mordecai Avitbul, a Doctor of Physics who works for Israeli security, wrote the following words to his Rabbi yesterday: "I wanted to share with the rabbi something that is much more than a feeling. That on Shabbat night something happened here on the scale of the splitting of the Red Sea. I am a doctor of physics and I worked for several years in the defense industry in Israel, in projects that are still the cutting edge of the State of Israel. When I look at what happened on Saturday night on a scientific level, it simply cannot happen. Everyone, and I mean everyone, acted as one man in overall unity. He continued: "The likelihood that everything works out just as it should does not exist in complex systems like the defense systems that were operating. They have never, I mean never, even beyond the State of Israel, been tried in real time. I took a pencil and dove into the calculations to check the likelihood that such a result would materialize. The large number of events that had to be handled at precisely the right time doubles the chance of making a mistake. With all the high technologies, the expectation was for a breach in the defense of the skies of the State of Israel. Even if we got 90% protection it would be a miracle. What happened though is that everyone, I mean everyone - the pilots, the system operators and the technology operators - acted as one man at one moment in total unity. If this is not an act of God, then I no longer know what a miracle is." And the doctor marvels and adds, "This is sharper than the victory of the Six Day War or the War of Independence. There it can be explained according to nature. The rescue that took place for the people of Israel on Shabbat night is simply impossible naturally. I believe that this miracle saved the lives of many people from Israel. If the defense system had failed to intercept a number of cruise missiles, the result would have dragged us into a very complex campaign. I wouldn't bet that next time it will work like this without divine supervision. The simple proof of what I said is that the managers of the security industries who develop and manufacture these systems guarantee no more than 90% success! "’Since the day you came out of the land of Egypt we have shown you wonderful things!’ Happy Holidays!"
ISRAELI RESPONSE TO ATTACK:
April 17th 2024: According to Kan public broadcaster on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked on a pre-approved military response to Iran's massive drone and missile attack due to pressure by U.S. President Joe Biden, the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and President Macron of France, [details noted in the previous link]. Biden reportedly told Netanyahu during a phone call on April 14, that Washington would not participate in nor support an Israeli retaliatory attack. The ABC report cited Israeli officials as saying that Jerusalem on two occasions this week dropped imminent plans to strike Iran because “diplomatic sensitivities won out.” A U.S. official told ABC News on Wednesday 17th that any Israeli response is now expected to come after Passover holiday, ending April 30.
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/israel-iran-attack/2024/04/18/id/1161469/?ns
April 20th: [collation of reports from various sources]. During Thursday night and early Friday morning Israel unexpectedly responded to the Iranian attack with the element of surprise on their side. The first move was to attack and destroy security targets in Syria and Iraq in preparation for any action in Iran. Explosions were heard in northern Iraq near these facilities, while in southern Syria, air defense radar installations of Assad’s army were among those hit. At that time, 6 Israeli F-35 fighter jets were seen above Syria. Soon after, a US plane was seen above southern Iraq refueling fighter jets. In all, it was reported that 9 defense system targets near Tabriz and Isfahan in Iran were attacked by fighter jets which came from Iraqi airspace.
The Isfahan sites include the key Natanz nuclear facilities, while the Tabriz locations include the storage and launch facilities for their long-range precision guided missiles which can reach European targets a well as Israel. The air-defense systems (including the S-300 batteries) protecting these key sites as well as military and air-force bases were eliminated. Israel had selected its targets carefully to impress upon the Iranians that they could strike in the heart of the country where its nuclear program and their potential delivery systems were centered. The implication is that the nuclear facilities could be easily taken out if attacks continue. For their part, the Iranians are using a massive propaganda campaign to try and prove nothing happened except 3 miniature drones from dissidents within Iran setting off security alerts. The Iranian Foreign Minister assured the world these results were “like kids playing with toys” and that Iran had no intention of responding.
April 20, evening update from Amir: “Israel is planning to make a few more moves against Iranian interests in the region. Thursday and Friday morning were just the beginning. The plan is to continue with the ambiguity!”
Gaza Update:
April 19th: Brett McGurk, Biden's coordinator for the Middle East speaking about the ceasefire -hostage negotiations: “I'll be frank about where this stands. There is a deal on the table that would lead to a ceasefire and release of hostages. Hamas just has to release the women, elderly, sick and wounded and we'd have a ceasefire and other things that would bring relief to Gazans...and then get the rest of the hostages out. That deal is there and it has been flatly rejected by the leadership of Hamas in Gaza. Sometimes that fact gets written out of the story and we are determined not to let that happen.” [Mid East Intelligence].
THE TEMPLE, RED HEIFERS AND SACRIFICES:
The background to this currently developing story is outlined on this 5 minute YouTube session from 3 years ago:
An April 2024 update by those involved in preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple and the preparation for the sacrifice of an unblemished red-heifer (which is supposed to make the rebuilding possible) is here:
OUTLINE OF ACTUAL ACTIVITY AND VERIFIABLE DATA:
During the last few weeks, I have had communications with several Messianic believers and leaders in Israel and Jerusalem. Over the last several years, there has been a growing movement in Israel which has caught the public attention. This concerns the building of the 3rd Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The way it is presented is often to say that the 3rd Temple will bring world peace because people from all faiths from around the whole world will be able to come here and worship their deity, no matter who it is. A Rabbi pointed out that 20 years ago such suggestions would place you in a fringe group in Israeli society. However, he stated that today the outlook is very different as even members of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) are openly discussing these things and some have been facilitating these moves.
The Temple Institute was established in 1987, and since then, they have re-instituted the Sanhedrin, and prepared the priestly garments and implements for use in the Temple in accord with Scripture coupled with oral tradition. This includes the design of the Temple itself. In accord with the scriptural command of Exodus 20:25, that the stones for the buildings and altars involved must not be polluted by being cut by metal or similar tools, diamond saws were especially developed to do the task. Those building blocks are now ready. Finally, the Temple priests themselves must be in a direct blood-line with Moses’ brother Aaron, ritually pure, and never to have been near a dead body. For this reason, they must have been born at home, not in a hospital where people die, and never to have visited a cemetery. This plus all the other conditions required by the written law, plus the oral or traditional law has resulted in just 9 completely pure priests right now. These 9 are ritually ready to offer sacrifices and minister as the Torah traditions require.
Rabbinical tradition is insisting on still more requirements. In order to purify the priests and the specially chosen work-force and even to sanctify the ground where the Temple will be built, a perfect red heifer (female cow) must be sacrificed, and its ashes mixed with scarlet wool, cedar ash and hyssop (Numbers 19:1-6). Finally, the mix must be dissolved in spring water collected by ritually pure children who have been raised under specified conditions. From the way the Temple Institute presents the rabbinical procedure, it is claimed that only once the red-heifer sacrifice has been made can the Messiah return to earth and the Temple be rebuilt. Other groups have different views.
It is also pointed out that only 9 such sacrifices have been documented since the time of Moses, and this occasion will be the 10th. In the middle-ages, the Jewish sage Maimonides stated that the 10th occasion will bring the Messiah. Nevertheless, it is also necessary for the sacrifice to occur within sight of the location of where the Most Holy Place will be in the proposed Temple. There is one prime location for this, namely the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount. One ritually pure rabbi, Yitshak Mamo, brought suitable land on the Mt. of Olives some 12 years ago, and the appropriate altar has been built and is now ready for the sacrifice.
With everything else in place, the problem has then been to find pure red-heifers. To fulfill the rabbinical requirements, they must be at least in their 3rd year of life, but no older than 4. They must not have hairs of any divergent color; or have had to work or wear a yoke; must not have been mated or produced milk. The search for such animals has been ongoing for several decades. Finally, 5 completely pure red-heifers were born on a farm in Texas owned by Byron Stinson. They were 2 years old when they were flown to Israel in September of 2023 with the permission of the relevant Israeli government ministers, which means that the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) was well aware of these developments. This month, April 2024, they are in their 3rd year of life and eligible for sacrifice. It is hoped to have the ceremony sometime from Passover (April 22 - 30) to Shavuot or Pentecost (June 11 - 13) this year. Whether or not that actually occurs is yet to be seen. However, because of the rabbinical requirements, there is a time limit on how long this window of opportunity can last for these particular 5 heifers. Ideally, it should be performed by Passover or Shavuot next year, 2025.
The Reaction by 3 groups:
As a result, anticipation is growing within three groups in particular. First, because of implications for the future of the Temple Mount, Muslims are claiming that the very fact that the heifers are now in Israel is already an offence. Indeed, if this proposed sacrifice is performed, it will be an ”international provocation that will affect 2 billion Muslims from Indonesia to Toronto to New York,” and the future of their 3rd holiest place of worship. Second, on Capitol Hill in the USA, at a recent Prayer Gathering welcomed by the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, those special heifers were showcased to those attending. As a result, many evangelicals, including Joel Rosenberg, are starting to link these events directly with Christ’s second coming. Third, to many Jews, these upcoming events are gaining attention with the implication that the 3rd Temple and Messiah will shortly become a reality. So, it seems that each of the world’s three monotheistic religions are anticipating some key event in the near future as a result of the arrival of these heifers in Israel. In a word, that event is already gaining international attention.
PROBLEMS (1) Timing:
Despite the enthusiasm of the Temple Institute, their associated rabbis and the preparation of the sacrificial altar on the Mount of Olives, their claim that the sacrifice of a heifer there will bring both the building of the Temple and the manifestation of the Messiah is only a rabbinic tradition. Scripturally, there seems to be a defined order in which these events will occur as outlined in Daniel 9:27 & 11:21 onwards. As a result of an unexpected wipe-out of overwhelming armed forces in the region, this person (often referred to as the Antichrist) rises to power and popularity internationally and is able to make a Covenant with “the many” (perhaps the majority in the Israeli Knesset). The terms of the Covenant will bring peace to the region and security to the world. As part of that Covenant, the Temple will be permitted to be built, and it is likely that any sacrifice demanded by rabbinical tradition to accompany that process, will occur then. Thus, the scriptural order is (1) the emergence of a world figure who then (2) establishes a Covenant which (3) allows the building of the Temple, whose process will be purified by (4) the sacrifice. Therefore, even if a sacrifice is offered prematurely, that will not in itself be responsible for bringing the false Messiah, the Covenant and building of the Temple to fruition. Rather, it will simply be another marker that our time is close.
PROBLEMS (2): Temple Location:
In their publicity, both Byron Stinson and the Temple Mount Rabbis seem to assume that the Temple will be built on the site where the Muslim Dome of the Rock is located. This is meant to be the place where Muhammad ascended into heaven, leaving his footprint on the Rock which is now covered by the golden Dome. This location, including the Al Aqsa Mosque, is the third most holy place for Muslims. Indeed, prayers were originally made facing that direction until the shrine in Saudi Arabia was secured. Those involved with the Temple Mount group assume that the Dome will be removed somehow, and have made their expansive plans for the Temple on that basis. However, that is not what is indicated by science nor by the New Testament. The very fact of assuming the removal of these structures before building the Temple is definitely problematical for all Muslims and its link with any sacrifice announcing that intention is distasteful to say the least. Indeed, it may be wondered how it would be possible to demolish those buildings as part of any peace plan. However, archaeological studies coupled with biblical comments show that the answer which emerges will allow these buildings to remain and the Temple to be built as well, but to a more restricted plan than the one currently in favor by the Temple Institute. Let us briefly look at this with the help of this diagram showing some of the results from Dr. Asher Kaufman’s analysis up to October 1984 in the public domain.
Although several likely sites for the Temple exist, Dr. Asher Kaufman’s well researched site may be favored because of minimal interference. His research tools included infra-red thermography, ground-penetrating radar, isotope analysis for blood channels, and detailed examination of how huge rocks in the area were cut and shaped to fit in with the Temple pattern. Most of this was done prior to mid 1984, following which the Muslim Waqf placed restrictions on research and covered or removed key evidence. Dr. Kaufman’s archaeology shows that the Holy of Holies was located where the small cupola called Dome of the Tablets (or Dome of the Spirits) now stands. It is in a clear area with no other existing structure. Since this site is on the northern part of the mount, it may be legitimate to wonder if this is what the psalmist was hinting at when he wrote in Psalm 48:2 that the most beautiful location on earth was Mount Zion “on the sides of the north…”. Further, is this what Satan was meaning when he said in his heart that he was going to “sit on the mount of the congregation on the sides of the north….” (Isaiah 14:13)?
As shown on the map, the Mosque called Dome of the Rock occupies part of what used to be the Court of the Gentiles. This may be why Revelation 11:2 says that the Court of the Gentiles should be omitted from this (3rd) Temple. So, the Temple could be built today on that favored site with little or no interference with any existing structure, provided the Court of the Gentiles is left out. This could conceivably be done as part of a peace agreement, since it was actually included as an item on the fringes of the July 2000 Summit. If the right political outlook existed, it may well be considered as a viable option again.
Response from some USA Pastors:
At a roundtable meeting Wednesday 17th, some of these issues were discussed. Two points emerged. First, it was agreed that, setting aside the validity or necessity of sacrifices and Temple construction in a Christian context, the main conclusion to be drawn from all these activities is that they are a sign to Christians that the Lord’s return is very near. For the Jews, they are also an indication that the Lord is taking up His dealings with His chosen people again after 2000 years of estrangement. Second, it was also agreed 100% that the red-heifer sacrifice had been completely done away with by Christ (as had all sacrifices for sin and impurity), and this is specifically stated in Hebrews 9:11 and the following verses like this:
“But Messiah came as High Priest of good things to come with a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands … Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained an eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Sprit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason, He is the mediator of the New Covenant … For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people saying ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you’….Therefore, it was necessary that the earthly copies of the things in the heavens should be purified this way, but the heavenly [reality] has better sacrifices than these…for without the shedding of blood is no remission. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with human hands, which are only copies of the true, but into heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for us…so now He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…and to those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time apart from sin, for our salvation.”
Reaction from an Israeli Messianic Ministry:
https://lightofzion.org/general/encountering-yeshua-in-war-by-sandra-teplinsky/
“…I immediately thought of the growing movement here in Israel to rebuild the temple. The movement’s goal is to restore the ancient practice of animal sacrifice in pursuit of forgiveness of sin. A significant step in this direction was recently taken by the successful breeding of red heifers, or female cows. (Ashes of ritually slaughtered red heifers are required in animal sacrifices according to Numbers 19:1-6.) Besides the red heifer, other signs point to construction of a third temple in the not too distant future.
(As an aside, if you are a Bible believing Christian, you know the ceremonial laws for forgiveness of sins were all fulfilled in the atonement of Messiah Yeshua [Galatians 2:15-16, 21; 3:10-13; Hebrews 10:3-4, 11; 7:27; 9:12-15]. Very few Jewish people, however, currently acknowledge this liberating truth. Sometimes, Christians intentionally do not tell them about it. They forget it was specifically to the Jewish people that Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” [John 14:6].
A temple built for the worship of YHVH in Spirit and Truth will be glorious! However, a temple that reinforces the mistaken traditional Jewish belief there is a way to the Father which deliberately excludes His Son, will be grievous. Unfortunately, well-meaning Christians who proactively support re-institution of the sacrificial system of atonement actually communicate to us Jews that they agree, directly or indirectly, with our people’s rejection of Yeshua as Messiah.)
Still in prayer, I saw that over time, the present war will help pave way not only for the building by men of a third temple, but for the building by God of HIS temple. As men build one temple in Israel, He will build another. His temple will be comprised of living stones, Jewish and Arab Israeli followers of Jesus, bound together in love. His delight in building His temple, a mature and perfected body of believers, far exceeds His grieving over a future, intrinsically anti-Messiah temple.”
Barry: I also have a question which I am persistently asked. If Yeshua (Jesus) has fulfilled all sacrifices for all time, why are the sacrifices still offered in the Millennial Temple when Messiah is reigning over the whole world (Ezekiel 43 onwards)?
Light of Zion Answer: “This is a question I get asked fairly often. While none of us can understand everything with absolute certainty about the future animal sacrifices until they take place, I believe the best biblical understanding at this time is that they will serve as a memorial and form of worship to the Lord. This is why I wrote that Messiah is the complete sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The future memorial or worship involving animal sacrifice will not relate to the forgiveness of sins any more than conducting a Passover seder liturgy in this age is a means of atonement or forgiveness for sins. Rather, such annual Passover ceremonies serve as a memorial and form of worship. The main thing is to remind others that animal sacrifice is not limited to the purpose of atonement and forgiveness, but can serve other purposes, as it did before Yeshua came…”
Barry: Many thanks for these comments by Sandra and Kerry Teplinsky of Light of Zion Ministries. Their website can be found here: https://lightofzion.org
Prayers, blessings, and Maranatha to you all.
Barry Setterfield, 20th April, 2024.
