Good evening from here after a hot, hard, and long day.
Our trial — no pun intended but very apropos — is not yet over, and will be convened again for a final date on November 23 at 9:30 in the morning. The verdict will then be given by December 23.
I have been greatly encouraged by the response of the believers within and without Israel to us and this case. It anticipates a day when there will be a unity that transcends all those things that still is out of God’s order in His perfect redemption of His creation.
Thank God that we can trust in Him! He rules in Heaven and Earth and in our hearts, which sustains us in opposition to sin and sinners against His righteousness and glory. When there is no fear of God, anything can become justifiable. We still pray and believe that the truth will be heard, discerned, and judged as truth, wiping every smug smile off those who do not want to come to the light, because their deeds are evil. Without Yeshua as our Head is to be as without God in the world in a daily and practical way. We once were like that, and it is dreadful to consider where I would be today if that were still the case.
The courtroom was filled today by believers, from different parts of the country, who got there early enough to have a seat in the small room (maximum 20 seats for visitors). While we were all waiting for the defendants and their lawyers to arrive, we introduced ourselves to one another and prayed with each other! The only person in the room during that precious time was a journalist for the Jerusalem Post, Larry Derfner, who came down to cover the story. So far, he is the ONLY secular reporter to take an interest, after some urging by other believers who know him. His article is supposed to appear in the Friday, July 3rd, edition of the Post, in their Friday magazine section. (I have been offered to write an article for the Post this week, which, if printed, should be in this week’s paper sometime as an opinion piece.) For some reason hard to understand, the Judge did not accept the Chabad Rabbi and head of their yeshiva (rabbinic orthodox educational system) as a hostile witness, which was why we subpoenaed him. On the witness stand, he called us “troublers” (like Ahab called Elijah), and claimed that Messianic Jews do not exist (since they think that a Jewish person who believes in Yeshua/Jesus is not a Jew). Of course, remember that Chabad believes that the rabbi from Brooklyn, who died in 1994, is the Messiah!
By strangely not accepting him as a hostile witness, who is the one whose English was featured in a major Hebrew newspaper in April 2008 to convey his expressive ‘admiration’ for me, the Judge did not allow our lawyers to question him any differently than had he been a witness for us!
Our case rests on words spoken and written by the defendants themselves the day after the riot. We have sufficiently demonstrated to the judge that an extremely serious riot took place, which is the reason for the compensatory damages we are seeking. November 23 is the day we have to prove that the two defendants are joined together and responsible for that event. What seems so obvious is not so simple to prove in a court of law. In the same, but more perfect, way that the defense attorneys and the judge want to pressure us as the plaintiffs, so will the Righteous Judge and Lawgiver hold those who oppose Him answerable in the Judgment Day. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! Every mouth will be stopped, but those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb will burst with inexpressible joy!
Your prayers to God and your words to us will move the Lord to do something wonderful for His glory. Thank-you.
Howard and Randi
