On Tuesday, April 4th, 2000, we journeyed to the southern part of Israel. We stayed in a kibutz and we were able to witness for Yeshua to Tomer and Hillary, the managers, and now we were at Timna Park. It's, among other things, an ancient site where the Egyptians mined copper before Moses was born. Ruti and I went to a copper demonstration. We found out how copper was mined and how the ancients melted the copper out of sand and combined it with iron to form bronze. After the presentation, Asher, an Israeli about 24 years old, and his buddy, Gidon, who alternated presentations every other hour, offered those present an opportunity to purchase some copper items. Ruti and I, as well as a number of other people, went to view them.

In a few moments, only Asher, Gidon, Ruti and I were left. I asked them some questions about themselves and the presentation and then a very blunt thought came to me to ask them if they believed in God. I don't usually do that. They told me that they were both raised in the Masorati Movement, which is Conservative Judaism here in Israel. It's less strict than the Orthodox. And then I was off telling them about the need to really know God, by His Spirit and His Word. They were captivated. I shared about the concept of the two Messiahs and how the God of Israel had promised our People that He would bring us back from the four corners of the Earth and sprinkle us with clean water to cleanse our souls, that we might worship Him in righteousness. They hung onto every word and my presentation grew stronger and more powerful in our Lord.

I spoke to them of the Tabernacle (a replica of which is in the same park), and how the copper-bronze censors that were used in the rebellion of Korah (Num. 16-17) were hammered into the Bronze Altar. This was done as a reminder to Israel that God, and not Moses, had chosen Aaron as High Priest. Korach had accused Moses of placing his brother, Aaron, in the office. This was the accusation of the rebel, Korah.

I said that God brought back to life, a dead branch of an almond tree, to proclaim to all Israel that Aaron was His chosen High Priest. I shared how the Messiah is called by the title of Branch by Jeremiah (23:5) and Zechariah (6:12-13, etc.). I could see that they had never heard anything like that before and they were hungry for more. I told them about Yeshua coming from Nazareth and that the name of the town means 'branch.' 'Yeshua the Nazarene', I said, 'could equally be translated as, Yeshua the Branch.' I spoke of how Yeshua was crucified for our sins, as the Prophet Isaiah (53), and Zechariah (12:9-10; 13:1) spoke of, and how God raised up this dead Branch named Yeshua (whose name means, salvation), so that all Israel would know that Messiah Yeshua is what Aaron's branch pictured. Yahveh has shown us who His High Priest for Eternal Israel is. And just as ancient Israel needed Aaron to mediate between God and Israel, so Israel today needs the Heavenly High Priest Yeshua to bring us into the Presence of the Living God.

A group of noisy Israeli kids came in for the next copper presentation and Gidon took his place on the stage. Asher and I sat down in the back and continued to talk. He was very interested in what I shared. After awhile, I saw that our time was over for now, and I gave Asher two Bibles in Hebrew (Genesis to Revelation), and A Picture of Messiah, for him and Gidon, and our phone and e mail, etc. I told him to seek the Lord with all his heart and to read the first five books of the New Covenant, and that the Messiah of Israel would reveal Himself to him and Gidon. He said something about the God of Israel, and I told him that the Messiah said that anyone who saw Messiah, saw God. We shook hands several times and parted, Asher very grateful and appreciative, and so were Ruti and I.
We left and immediately began to pray that our High Priest Yeshua, who bled and died for them, would bring them into His Kingdom. And that He would water, nurture and protect them, and give them Life Everlasting. As our Lord leads, please lift them up, that they would come to know their High Priest, Yeshua.