On This Time of the Year.

 

On this time of the year, we celebrate joy and togetherness as a people. Also, we realize the reason for the season. The reason that we celebrate with family and friends is because we recognize the birth of Yeshua (whose life has been documented by the New Testament, Tertullian, Ignatius, Josephus, Polycarp, the Talmud, Thallus, and early Roman writers). He was a person who was more than a rabbi, a leader, a prophet (who predicted the destruction of the Second Temple in the book of Matthew), and a healer of the sick. He was the Son of the living God whose power transformed the world forevermore. Yeshua worked as a carpenter being loved by Yoseph and Mary. He lived in Israel and Egypt (as many Jewish people back then took part in the census). Many of the apostles died by being murdered like Peter, Thomas, and others. Paul was murdered in Rome too. There was courage and strength of the martyrs like William Tyndale who translated the Bible into English, the many Anabaptists who rightfully believed in the separation of church and state, and others who risked their lives for us to express our religious faith in public and in private. Back then, many of the early followers of Yeshua were persecuted. Even now, persecutions against Christians occur in Pakistan, China, North Africa, Nigeria, India, and other places of the world. 

Yet, we have hope and faith to keep on living our lives in the spirit of truth and wisdom. Yeshua was a person who walked during the peak of the Roman Empire (which existed from Great Britian to Iran). Back then, the Roman Empire occupied the land of Israel during the time of Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. Political groups like the Zealots wanted freedom from Roman injustice. The Edomite Herod Antipas was involved in the conspiracy to murder John the Baptist (who celebrated the arrival of Yeshua). The Roman Empire used imperialism and colonialism against oppressed people (both Jewish and Arabic peoples in the Middle East). People paid taxes, some were forced against their wills to worship Greco-Roman gods, and many suffered slavery. Yeshua and his apostles gave a Gospel of hope, love, and being in support of the poor and the rejected of society. 

Yeshua was a revolutionary who proclaimed the words of the Kingdom of God is within you, love your neighbors, Blessed are the poor, and I and My Father are one. This caused a stir among the hypocritical religious establishment (among the Pharisees, Sadducees, etc.), but he gained followers worldwide. Yeshua died on the cross, resurrected 3 days later, and ascended into Heaven to ascend to the right hand of God the Father. In late 2023, we face the challenges of the war in Israel and Gaza, war in Ukraine, massive gun violence globally, environmental issues, book bans, and other important political plus social issues. Over 2,000 years later, we went from chariots to space travel. We went from papyrus to smartphones and other advanced technological developments. Therefore, on this day, we believe in righteousness and justice to stand firm on our august convictions that oppression must be abolished, that helping people is important, justice for all is a true cause to advance, and that improving our lives means a great ideal to embrace.

Recently, Kanye West issued his apology to the Jewish community over his anti-Semitic comments. Previously, Kanye glorified Nazis, collectively blamed Jewish people for corruption in the music industry and made other anti-Semitic statements. He should apologize. The question is if his apology is sincere or not. The other question is when Kanye West is going to apologize to the black community. Kanye West said that slavery was a choice, he promoted a White Lives Matter T-Shirt, and he made other anti-black statements for years. He supported Trump, who is a racist xenophobe. Kanye West obviously doesn't care about the interests for black people proven by his words and his deeds. Kanye West is the type that once shown a conscious image, but he seeks validation from the establishment so much (without realizing that true validation comes from within and from God, not from those who hate you).

There are more U.S. troops being attacked in the Middle East. Later, America retaliated in Iraq against Iranian-backed forces. This conflict has expanded. American military forces have strike against the Houthi rebels in Yemen as they have attacked ships being in support of Hamas. The Houthis are in league with Iran too. The truth is that there should be a balance between legitimate self-defense to protect innocent lives and prevented a massive war in the region. The Middle East is a region filled with controversies and complex histories. Out of every history that I have studied on Earth, Middle Eastern history is the most debated history that I have witnessed in my life. In Israel and Palestine alone, people have 2 completely different interpretations of that conflict.

By Timothy