Can These Bones Live?

[Jim Watt]

*"TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt – Beth Chesed, **Tacoma***

*PO Box **25116 – Federal Way** **WA** **98093-2116***

*Web: www.2rbetter.org – Fax: 253.474.0189*

*Tel: 253.874.4265 – Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*May 31, 2007** *

* *

*"CAN THESE BONES LIVE?" – Reuven & Mary Lou Doron, May 14, 2007*

"Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up
from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from
the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and
they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons." Joshua 24:32.

Joseph's life shines brightly in the pages of the Bible as a profound
prophetic type of the coming Savior. Beloved by his father; rejected by his
brothers; abandoned beyond hope; tested and pure; brought up from the pit;
and having been elevated to become second to the throne, Joseph "saved" both
Egypt and Israel from sure annihilation. He accomplished all this and also
married Asenath, the daughter of Egypt's high priest, and established a
godly 'One New Man' household.

Of prophetic significance is the fact that Joseph, through his unwavering
faith in God and in His promises, commanded that his bones be exhumed and
carried to the Land of Promise at the time of Israel's exodus to be buried
in the field his father had purchased in Shechem. Sure enough, about 350
years after his death in Egypt, Joseph's bones led the exodus as nearly 3
million Hebrews left a devastated and desperate Egypt on their way to the
Promised Land. His bones were indeed buried in that very field in the heart
of the mountains of Samaria.

"Joseph's Tomb is one of the tombs whose location is known with the utmost
degree of certainty and is based on continuous documentation since Biblical
times," says Dr. Tzvi Ilan, one of Israel's prominent archaeologists. Over
the centuries Jewish worshippers have made their way to Joseph's Tomb
regularly for prayers and for worship, and the site has been the point of
continual pilgrimage honoring God for the past while trusting God for the
future. Can these bones live? Do they still speak?

A CONTESTED HERITAGE

After millennia of Jewish worship at the site, access was denied in 1948
under Jordanian rule. That access was restored in 1967 following the Six-Day
War as Judea and Samaria returned to Jewish sovereignty after the fierce
fighting subsided. A Rabbinic school, "Od Yosef Chai," JOSEPH STILL LIVES in
Hebrew, was founded near the site and the word of God was upheld by
multitudes of students and teachers as they commemorated the patriarch's
godly legacy, impeccable character and mighty service for God.

However, Jewish presence at Joseph's Tomb came to an end in the year 2000
after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) retreated from the territory of
Shechem as part of the Oslo agreements with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Rabbinic school was uprooted and the site was handed over to the PA who
"guaranteed" Jewish freedom of access and of worship. The arrangement,
however, did not last long (as have all other agreements with this unstable
and unreliable body) and the "freedom of access and of worship" was
frequently disrupted by Arab terror attacks.

With the IDF's return to the region during the 2002 counter-terrorism
initiative, monthly visits to the tomb were restored only to be lost again
due to ongoing Palestinian terror. Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Joseph is, to
this day, barred when intelligence reports indicate the possibility of
terror strikes.

During the counting of the Omer, the 50 day period between Passover and
Pentecost, Jewish tradition attributes special significance to those days as
they are associated with attributes corresponding to the biblical
patriarchs. The day corresponding to Joseph's memory is at hand and Jewish
worshipers will focus on the principle of YESOD which means foundation in
Hebrew. This precept is associated with Joseph, YOSEPH in Hebrew, in light
of his foundational role in Israel's formation and the similarity in words
between YESOD and YOSEPH.

As part of this observance, Jewish worshippers plan to visit Joseph's Tomb
despite warnings by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that their pilgrimage
will be blocked in light of impending danger. For security reasons, military
officials said, the army will bar all visitors to the site due to concrete
warnings of imminent terror attacks. This is a painful as well as a
prophetic issue to be mindful and prayerful of.

WHAT DO THE DEAD BONES SAY?

Joseph's bones still testify today of the prophetic and unchangeable reality
that the land of Canaan is God's, and that He has promised it in covenant to
the sons of Israel. Neither millennia, exile, persecution, warfare nor even
death can nullify the power of God's Word. And, while yet in spiritual
blindness as to the Messiah's identity, Jewish worshippers will flock to the
ancient tomb at all costs to celebrate that faith.

The prince of darkness knows that the presence of the Hebrew nation in its
homeland is central to the divine plan as their presence secures the
"Landing Strip" of the coming of the Lord in the power and glory of His
Kingdom. In other words, according to scriptures, Israel must be in her land
and Jerusalem must be in Jewish hands when Jesus returns!

"And it will come about in that day that I will set about to destroy all the
nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of
David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of
supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they
will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son… In that day a fountain
will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
for sin and for impurity… For I will gather all the nations against
Jerusalem to battle… Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those
nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet will
stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east…
Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! …And it
will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem….
And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be
the only one, and His name the only one." Zech. 12-14.

Given these and other scriptural declarations regarding the destiny of
Jerusalem, the enemy is desperate to muck up and frustrate the fulfillment
of God's purpose through Israel's dwelling in her land, and is "raising
hell" in his efforts to nullify and undo the inevitable.

Having failed to annihilate the Jewish nation during the holocaust in order
to stop them from creating the State of Israel, the enemy is presently
working overtime to obliterate them IN the land of Israel. In a sense, his
work is simpler now that most Jewish people are already "concentrated" in
one location, and there is no need for "concentration camps" to herd them
into for their final destruction. However, as it was for Pharaoh by the Red
Sea and for Haman by his proud gallows, this seeming vulnerability of
Israelis but a trap.

The intercessors must realize that the battle over the land of Israel will
only intensify as it holds the key to the return of the Lord Jesus and the
devil's ultimate demise. The conflict over the land is not about Palestinian
refugees, territorial disputes, international agreements, or even Muslim
aspirations. Rather, it is primarily about the return of the Son of God to
reign and rule over the earth, and about the devil's final defeat and 1,000
year imprisonment.

However, in principle the enemy has already been defeated, defanged, and
decommissioned at the cross of Messiah. The only reason the devil is still
present here on earth is only to serve as a "target practice" for the saints
and an occasion to perfect long suffering and the overcoming nature of the
Bride of Messiah until the time appointed for his final judgment.

Do not be fooled – the enemy is but a mad dog on a leash and is hardly
deserving of your attention. It is our flesh that presents the real problem
to the progress of God's Kingdom in our lives and families. However, this
does not mean that we ever lay our guard down; rather we are commanded to
remain diligent and vigilant. "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls about LIKE (emphasis ours) a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren
who are in the world." I-Peter 5:8-9.


WARS AND RUMORS OF WAR

Israel's policy of restraint in Gaza in the south (from which more than
1,000 Kassam rockets have been launched against Israeli civilian communities
during the last year) while turning a blind eye to Hezbollah's re-arming in
the north is a recipe for disaster. Striking an Israeli kindergarten and a
gas station last week, the Kassam rockets from Gaza are becoming more
effective and accurate, yet the Israeli government does not feel that a
military response to "clean up Gaza" will receive international approval
unless Israeli civilian fatalities are much higher. Watch and pray as this
tragedy unfolds, and as Israel's civilian population is being sacrificed on
the altar of world approval.

The recent escalation in Palestinian terror attacks from Gaza and throughout
Judea and Samaria came as Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Abbas and
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have grown increasingly powerless to stop
terrorism and have consequently cancelled their by-weekly American sponsored
meetings. Each is facing his own crisis and an eroding political base at
home, with Hamas openly challenging the Bush administration recently
snubbing an American plan calling for more "good will" measures by Israel in
return for stopping Palestinian terror.

The US government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more military
checkpoints throughout the territories as a gesture of "good will" toward
the Palestinians. Yet the removal of such checkpoints has historically
produced an increased number of terror attacks against Israeli targets.
Meanwhile, Abbas, Fatah's "moderate" leader, has renewed his warnings that
he will call for new Palestinian elections in an effort to undo the Hamas
control of the Palestinian legislature. Tensions between Fatah and Hamas are
very high, according to senior PA officials, and the situation could
deteriorate into full scale internal violence any moment.

Gaza is increasingly turning chaotic and barbaric with Palestinian terror
gangs running the strip. With arms and ammunition flooding in under Egypt's
ineffective watch (Egypt has taken responsibility for patrolling the
Egypt-Gaza border following Israel's withdrawal from the area two summers
ago), the task of "cleaning up" Gaza is becoming more costly and dangerous
with each passing day. In fact, Hamas militias proudly announced recently
that they have taken control of most of the Jewish communities (evacuated
and demolished in 2005) which were supposed to have become the backbone for
agricultural development and prosperity for Gaza's civilian Arabs.

In other words, the stakes are rising daily and there is no solution in
sight in this world. Darkness is increasingly surrounding Israel as a
spiritual noose tightening, and the gallows are being hammered into place by
evil and lustful hands. Yet, the darker the night appears, the closer we are
to the breaking of the new dawn. Be encouraged therefore, and stand fast in
your faith and intercession. While the coming days will be fraught with
danger and hardships for Israel and for all who understand and love her
calling, victory has already been decreed.

One New Man Call is a faith ministry supported by friends and partners, and
we welcome inquiries and correspondence. We especially invite pastors and
ministry leaders who desire further insight into the oneness between Jew and
Gentile in the Body of the Lord to contact us directly at the address below.


His grace be with you,

REUVEN AND MARY LOU DORON
(C) 2007 One New Man Call

One New Man Call
P O Box 164
Hayfield, MN 55940 USA

Ministry Contact: OneNewManMail at aol.com





*NOTE:*  In the above mailing, Reuven & Mary Lou Doron point out the
importance of the bones of Joseph in Shechem. In the book of Genesis, Joseph
instructed his brother – that the time will come when God frees Israel from
the land of Egypt, and brings them into the land of Canaan, the Promised
Land. When He does, Joseph says, be sure that you bring my bones with you
and bury them in Shechem, where I was sold into Egypt nearly 4000 years ago.
Some 3500 years ago God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He brought them into HIS land, and gave it to them as a Trust and an
Everlasting Possession – dependant upon their obedience to His Covenant with
them.



Twice Israel was ejected temporarily from their land for disobedience. 70
years after the first ejection, King Cyrus of Persia (Iran) restored 50,000
of them to the land some 500 years before the birth of Christ. Then in 1948
God again restored them to their land after the second dispersion following
the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.



Israel and Canaan land have a marriage relationship. The land is only
blessed in fruitfulness when Israel lives within it. Since she left Gazaunder
Sharon, the Palestinians have seen what was fruitful turn into
unfruitfulness. They have confessed, "It appears that only when the Jews
live here is the land fruitful." Correct!



There is scarcely a nation of the earth, including the United States, which
seems to believe this. Even Israel's present leaders seem to misunderstand
God's Word and this thesis.



Receive and read "The One New Man" by Reuven Doron. This thesis comes out in
abundant clarity.



Jim & Marie Watt




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