Israel Trip Report March 27-April4, 2011
“We believe that this Statement of Doctrine presents this basic faith that was once and for all delivered to the sanctified believers, clearly, concisely, and briefly. We believe that this Statement of Doctrine will be instrumental in uniting us all under one banner as the body of the Messiah” SOD Preamble.
The awe-inspiring beauty of the doctrine of the Assemblies of Yahweh is that they were delivered through the sacred Word of Yahweh and that He has renewed in our life time-the same True Worship that His Son, Yahshua our Messiah, reinstituted as He walked the earth- the same True Worship that Yahweh instituted in the Garden of Eden as He laid commandments on the man, Adam, in Genesis 2:16. Yahshua described True Worship in John 4:22-24: “You worship that which you know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such does the Father seek to be his worshipers. Yahweh is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” “Every scripture Yahweh breathed is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of Yahweh may be complete, furnished completely to every good work. 1 Timothy 3:16-17.” By using the sacred Scriptures, we are able find the plan of salvation and are given an opportunity to work on our salvation, thereby becoming the people that Yahweh is seeking to find as described in Revelation 12:17. “And the dragon became exceedingly angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the remnant of her seed, that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and hold the testimony of Yahshua.” Yahweh has given a higher level of understanding to His Assembly, Matthew 16:13-18 “Who do men say that the Son of man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist; some, EliYah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He says to them, But who say you that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim. And Yahshua answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my assembly; and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it.” This Assembly, with Yahshua at the forefront, will exhibit an unapologetic adherence to the Word of Yahweh, standing firm, just as the Apostolic Assembly stood on the rock of Peter’s confession, that Yahshua is the Messiah.
On March 27th, the undersigned, along with 10 members of the Assemblies of Yahweh, departed from New York, bound for Tel Aviv, Israel. We arrived safely on Monday afternoon and proceeded to the abode we had rented north of the city. The next morning we began our tour of Israel by heading to the north, across the Jezreel Valley and through the upper Galilee, making stops at Megiddo, Nazareth, Capernaum, the Jordan River, Bethsaida, Beth Shean, and, finally, the Tel of Jezreel. I was very impressed this year with the difference in the advancement of the growing season in comparison with the seven times I had the opportunity to accompany Elder Jacob O. Meyer to Israel. There were no barley crops evident in the fields. The wheat fields that were not harvested were already beginning to dry and, of those that were harvested, most were replanted, and the subsequent crops had emerged. The citrus trees were harvested and most of the pruning for the next year was completed. Grape vines were dropping their vines and were leaf-covered. The carrots and other garden produce we took pictures and published each year were harvested, to name only a few.
The following day we travelled down Israel Route 1, turning at the Sha’ar Haggai Junction, heading south. Our intention was to verify the fields where Elder Jacob O. Meyer had picked the green ears of barley the last few times we were verifying the month of Abib. Our first stop was Tel Beth Shemesh at the head of the Sorek Valley. I was very much impressed with the archeological work that had been done since the last time we were there. Many of the ancient foundations had been excavated and some restored, even though the Tel, by and large, has been left undisturbed. We continued south to Lachish and were pleasantly surprised again. The Tel was open and unattended. Typical of a fortified chariot city, the strategic view from the top of this historic site is spectacular, and the fortifications were massive! The gate-house in which the Lachish letters were discovered is well maintained along with the other areas of interest all of which portrayed the daunting stance of this fortress. On the way to Beer Shiva, we made stops at Moresheth Gath, the Roman mile-post park, Elah Valley, and the Roman steps. We then drove to where Elder Meyer had been led to find the barley in previous years and found that, just as Deacon Solomon had reported, the fields were lying fallow this year. Continuing farther south, journeying deeper into the area of dry-land farming, where the green ears of barley were picked in early March, we found that the fields had been harvested and the remaining stubble was being grazed. We were also able to witness the maturing wheat in the northern Negev before heading north.
On the 31st of March, we went up to the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Over the years Jerusalem has always a spiritually refreshing area to visit, and this year was no different. We were able to walk around the old city, enter the Kotel, ascend the Temple Mount, and visit the historic sites on Mt. Zion, including the Diaspora Holocaust Museum which was closed for maintenance last time we visited. This year I was personally moved with emotion because, having lost my father almost exactly a year ago, I was blessed to be able to hold my grandson in this memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the tragic events during and following World War 2. Elder Jacob O. Meyer’s words each time we visited this historical museum were ringing in my head as we completed our tour, “Never Forget!” We completed our day with visits to Gallicantu and Mt. Scopus.
With April 1 being the preparation day for the Sabbath, I had planned a short day, spending time in the southern Carmel range and then visiting Haifa including the area on Mount Carmel where EliYah the prophet proved the fallacy of Baal worship, culminating with the slaying of the idolatrous, false priests. We then went back to our residence and made our final preparations to sanctify Yahweh’s Sabbath. I witnessed, during my first visit to Israel in 1999 with Elder Meyer, that there was a precipitous drop in traffic volume in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Sabbath day. But as the years went by, there was very little change between common time and holy time. This year we stayed in a relatively small community and it was very encouraging to see the shops shuttered by early Friday afternoon and, then, by sundown the streets were deserted, except for grandfathers, sons, and grandsons going to synagogue. It reminded us of the peace in the camp at Bethel during the Feast of Tabernacles and encouraged us to look forward to Yahshua’s return when the whole earth will obey Yahweh’s Law.
On Sabbath morning we had worship services and rested according to the commandment. It is always an inspiration to observe the Sabbath in the Promised Land. At the end of Sabbath, we journeyed to Jerusalem and visited the Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall as we do every year. Walking into one shop which we frequent, I was instantly recognized by the shopkeeper who asked concerning my father’s health. Upon hearing of his passing, he became very emotional and even hugged me, calling me his brother. We then reminisced for a while about the many times Elder Meyer had traveled to Jerusalem, including when Elder Meyer spent a great deal of time encouraging him when his wife was rehabilitating after being seriously injured in the Sbarro homicide bombing in 2001. It was also encouraging when my sister was about to purchase a menorah necklace and he said “Wait, you can’t buy that, there is a hamsa (good luck symbol) on the back. The Elder wouldn’t want that. I will find you another without it.” It was a very pleasant night, as Jerusalem consistently proves to be.
It was with sadness that our final full day in Israel arrived. We left first thing in the morning and headed northeast past Megiddo and then down to the shoulder of Gilboa, stopping at the Ein Harod. This is the site where Gideon tested the Israelite army. We then continued east, turning south down the Jordon Valley, amazed again at the progress of the growing season and the dramatic change as you continue south out of the Jezreel Valley and past the Far’ah Valley to Jericho. Stopping at Qumron to replenish our picture archive, we then continued south to Masada. This fortress in the wilderness was the site of the last stand of the Zealots as they withstood the Roman army. Rising 1,300 feet above the Dead Sea, it was considered impenetrable, until the Judean Governor, Silva, devised and executed a plan to construct a ramp on the west side of the stronghold, thereby conquering the city. After “running” up the snake-path, we explored all 18 acres of the plateau from the north palace to the main cistern in the south. After descending via the cable-car, we drove to Ein Gedi, bathing in the Dead Sea. It was then time to finalize our preparations for our return trip. We left Tel Aviv early Monday morning and arrived safely home late in the evening of the same day, thanking Yahweh for the success of this enlightening trip.
We had originally planned to go to Israel to bring back the Abib 2011 green ears. When Yahweh led Deacon Solomon to bring back the evidence of green ears in early March, we changed the purpose of our trip to be a verification of our decision to not add the 13th month this year as planned. Praise Yahweh that Elder Jacob O. Meyer had previously dealt with each aspect of what transpired this year and ruled according to Yahweh’s Word each time. In 1999 Elder Meyer was challenged by an individual claiming to be the authority for the Karaites who proceeded to call into question his integrity, saying that we did not find the green ears, because he could not. This is what Elder Meyer wrote in a special communication to the brethren announcing the dates for second Passover. “Several weeks ago, I received a call from someone who identified himself as an individual who lives in Israel, calling into question our evidence concerning the green ears of grain. After some questioning from the undersigned, I learned that he did not know very much about agriculture (and) that he didn’t know much about the geography of Israel. It has astounded me, therefore, to learn that he intends to cause confusion with so little information. The evidence of TWO FAITHFUL WITNESSES is called into question by a few uninformed individuals who are not even members of the Assemblies of Yahweh. It is they who are in serious error and would lead others astray! Therefore, do not be deceived if you encounter some of these erroneous ideas. Rely upon the evidence of the Assemblies of Yahweh leadership, because it is TRUTH (emeth).” In 2005, Elder Meyer proved that “wild barley” is not to be considered for Abib barley, is not a harvestable crop, and is actually a noxious weed (a quote by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development [Kiryat Gat, Israel]). In 2008, Elder Meyer proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that when the grain is undeveloped, it would force an intercalary month to be added. Each time Elder Jacob O. Meyer ruled, the Assemblies of Yahweh membership saw the evidence and moved forward.
It seems that the same attack our Messiah Yahshua dealt with is evident today. Individuals who reject the Word which contains clear Truth, place themselves in a seat of power by obfuscating plain instructions and attaching rules with limitations to simple doctrines, thereby insuring that they are the only ones who can “understand” the Bible and alone set the doctrines for the people, effectively eliminating Yahweh’s and Yahshua’s leadership. Yahweh’s Word is clear: green ears of barley-New Moon-Abib. The evidence brought to Bethel by Deacon Solomon and viewed by thousands of individuals, shows that green ears of barely, sufficient to produce a wave sheaf offering, were evident for the New Moon of March 6. “This basic faith that was once and for all delivered to the sanctified believers, clearly, concisely, and briefly. (SOD, Preamble)”. As the Bible says though, there is nothing new under the sun. How can multiple witnesses go into the land of Israel and give different reports? Numbers 15 clearly describes how false witnesses led Israel to lose heart and stand still even though the evidence given by Yahweh, brought by Caleb and Yahshua, was in front of them. When Yahweh leads by the outstretched hand of Yahshua our High Priest, we follow.
What did our group find in Israel this year? We found no barley in the field, only grain bins filled with harvested barley. Camels, horses, donkeys and sheep grazing on the weeds and stubble that were left in the field after harvesting the barley. Wheat (which must wait, by the Jews assertion, a full ten weeks until Shavuot until it can be harvested) that is almost totally dried in the field, along with the aforementioned signs of an advanced agricultural year. I speak for all who traveled with us in saying that our Faith in Yahweh and our Savior has been strengthen by this trip to Israel because, with our eyes, the group, which contained 116 years of actual accumulative agriculture experience, was able to see with clarity the power and consistency of His Word and the way the Assemblies of Yahweh follows His leadership. I have discovered though that, just as Elder Meyer instructed us through the years, “People who do not want to believe, won’t.” This is the drive behind Colossians 2:16 “Let no man judge you therefore in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day, or a new moon, or a Sabbath: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body of the Messiah.” The Assemblies of Yahweh has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, just as it has since 1999 (and before), with tangible evidence, that Yahweh’s calendar in the heavens is His and correct, and we, His people, follow His directives.
We continue to thank Yahweh for His leadership and pray that, as Yahshua prepares for His return, we will also. We also thank Him for safe travels and the opportunity to deliver a good report. On to the Kingdom!
Deacon Nathaniel Meyer