During the past years, I have witnessed something that grieves my heart immensely – the increasing use of children to commit acts of terror in the ongoing struggle in the Middle East. In past years, children were encouraged to take to the streets to riot, to spit on and curse at law enforcement, and to throw stones and Molotov bottles. Yet, as we have recently witnessed in Israel and France, children are now being manipulated and brainwashed into committing brutal, murderous acts.
The tragic reality is that many of these young people are born into and raised in a reality of extreme hate, without having any chance of knowing the truth for themselves. In fact, most of these children do not stand a chance at life, because they are so fiercely brainwashed by propaganda and lies. Lately, the years of brainwashing have translated into stronger actions, such as 13 to 16-yr-old youth stabbing and shooting people in cold blood. I have been following the story of a 13- year-old Arab boy and his 15-year-old cousin who attacked and stabbed a 13-year-old Jewish boy riding his bike in Jerusalem. What saddens me most about this story are the lies these boys had been told about Jewish people – Israelis in particular. These lies bred such a deep hatred within them, causing them to commit attempted murder, the results of which they could not possibly have foreseen.
It saddens me to see the ways that Satan is using children to fulfill his purpose of breeding more hatred, war, and darkness in this world. The words of Golda Meir, one of Israel’s prime ministers, keep coming to mind, “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.” While I personally believe that true peace will come upon the return of Yeshua the Messiah, I believe there is much truth to her words. The hatred of today is blinding the eyes of the future generation, and in reality, if this continues, we will be dealing with a whole new generation of terrorists.
The purpose of this blog is not to increase hate, but rather to expose an unspoken reality, which is growing rapidly throughout the world. I implore you, reader, to join me in interceding for God’s protection over the future generation, and to deliver those youth who are blinded by hatred and lies, regardless of their background. In particular, please pray for the Arab youth who are victims of their leaders who spread the propaganda and lies. May they find the truth of the LORD in the midst of the darkness in which they live.
Why is this so important to me? Simply, because it is important to God. From the days of old, we see how important youth are in God’s eyes. He commanded Moses to instruct the Children of Israel on the importance of teaching their children the truth in all ways of life. One of the most well known scriptures relating to this is found in Deuteronomy 6:
“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to inherit it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:1-8
Yeshua Himself also stressed the importance of children, saying that the “…Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” (Matt 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16)
Let us take the time to pray for the future generation; let us take action by reaching out to them, investing in them, and teaching them to walk in the truth and the light rather than the darkness.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moran