Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng stated unequivocally yesterday that he will not retract or apologise for remarks that he made about Israel during a webinar on June 23.
Mogoeng, who has been facing bitter attacks from the ANC and other political and activist groups, and demands that he withdraw his comments in which he lamented the South African government’s one-sided approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was speaking at the conclusion of a three-hour, virtual, Africa-wide prayer meeting in support of his right to speak his mind as a Christian.
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After emphasising the biblical basis of his remarks and his message of love for all people during the recent webinar hosted by The Jerusalem Post newspaper, he said: “Even if 50 million people can march every day for the next 10 years, for me to retract and apologise for what I said — I will not do it.”
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Yesterday’s prayer meeting was organised by Healing The Nation Of Africa Campaign, which Mogoeng agreed to lead in order to bring the message of hope, healing and restoration at a time of despair due to lockdown to mark an end to their 3days Esther Fast. This was done because they felt that the attack on Mogoeng was aimed not only at silencing him but the Church and anyone who prays for the peace of Jerusalem.
Mogoeng told yesterday’s prayer meeting that he faced similar attacks because of his Christian faith in 2009 when prominent people in SA and overseas opposed his nomination as a Constitutional Court judge, and in 2011 when his nomination as Chief Justice was opposed. Soon after his appointment as Chief Justice, lies were published in media claiming he had forced fellow judges to attend a Christian leadership conference.
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“So it [attacks on him] has always been about my love for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and my devotion to Christ,” he said.
Summarising what he said in the webinar, in which he was interviewed with SA chief rabbi Warren Goldstein, on the topic of overcoming racism, he said that based on Mat 5:44, Psalm 122:6 and Genesis 12:1-3, he explained that he cannot hate anybody but can only love.
He said he told the Jerusalem Post: ” I can only love. I love Israel. I love the Jews. I love Palestine. I love the Palestinians. I love everybody. I don’t hate anybody. And I said I am even commanded by Psalm 122 verse 6 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
‘So people — even politicians — want to tell me what to pray for. How can you condemn prayer? I said I must pray, meaning I must ask God. How can you condemn me for asking God for peace?”
Mogoeng declared to yesterday’s gathering: “I will not reject my God. I will not apologise for believing in my God. I will not apologise for being a Christian. I will not apologise for prayer. I will not apologise for holding on to the Word of God. I will never! Even if 50 million people can march every day for the next 10 years, for me to retract and apologise for what I said — I will not do it.
“I will never say I hate anybody or any nation. I will never. I love everybody. I love Israel. I love the Jews. I love the Palestinians. I love everybody — every nation, every people. I love.
“I said in that webinar those that those that are plotting against me right now, even to kill me; those who will plot to destroy and kill me even in 10 years to come — they are already forgiven. I meant it. Everybody who is insulting me. Everybody who is lying about me — whether Christian or not Christian — I love you and I forgive you. May God have mercy on you. May God reveal the truth to you, in the name of Jesus.
“There will, therefore, be not retraction. There is nothing to retract. There will be no apology — not even this political apology that ‘in case I have offended anybody without meaning to offend them, for that reason I …’. I will not apologise for anything. There is nothing to apologise for. There is nothing to retract. I can’t apologise for loving. I cannot apologise for not harbouring hatred and bitterness. I will not.
“If I perish, I perish. Like Esther said: ‘If I perish, I perish.’
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will sustain me. He has released at least five prophecies since the 23rd, saying that the battle is won and that He will personally fight it.”
Listen to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s message at yesterday’s prayer meeting:
See also: Sign petition calling on president to respect chief justice’s right to express his views
We thank God for your stand CJ, we have been silent for a long time as the church of God, we have been looking and praying for at least one man who can stand for the true Gospel of Christ. We are supporting you CJ, we are behind you man of my living God. Forward we go, backward never. Now is the time.
I continue to pray for you, CJ. Indeed it is my believe, that you have been appointed to your current position, for a time such as this.
I thank and praise God for your principled, Godly position.
May you grow in strength and may we as South Africans, continue to benefit from your wisdom and justice that you will dispense.
May the good Lord bless and keep you.
We stand in agreement with you Chief.
Amen. Glory be to the Lord. We need more people like the Chief Justice even in the Presidency, who will go a long way to defend and stand firm in the Word of God even in the mist of all the opposition.
In every generation God has chosen for Himself a man who will stand in the gap for Truth, Righteousness and Peace…. in these perilous times… I believe God has chosen and called our Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng , to be that faithful and courageous man to uphold the banner of Christ,in not only S A but in Africa and indeed around the world.
As believers we apologize for nothing and to no one for our obedience to and faith in the Truth of God’s Word. The Bible has stood the test of time and no government or opposition to it will prosper…. on the contrary every knee will eventually bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.
We continue to pray that God will bless, protect and use our Chief Justice to bring unity and revival in the Body of Christ and in South Africa, Africa and indeed the world. Let the church arise to speak with one voice and become the moral compass in a very dark world ????
You have our support ntate Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng, stand firm in your faith, our Lord Jesus Christ said The world rejected me, so you too will be rejected. Let this not come as a surprise to you.
Chief Justice..God is on your side….He is the focus in All you shared.Be blessed and remain steadfast for Him.He will prevail at the right time.
We thank God for you judge…may He continue to bless you abandently for standing up for His Word
Bonang why should us Jews repent for apartheid? Are you an idiot????
Amen. We need Men to stand up for Christ and be counted. I back you All the way !
Your obedience to speak up for Israel in the face of overwhelming fake news about the sovereignty of the people upon whom God has put his name. May He strengthen you with might in your inner man, by His spirit.
Amen! We Christian community stand steadfast behind you Chief Justice Mogoeng . Jesus said when He was tempted .” It is written”. Just so what your statements were are from the word of God!! Stand fast in these dark times we need you my brother!! Amen for such men who don’t cringe of faulter in God’s name!!
Amen Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng the battle is the Lord’s. You are a wonderful example. We praise the Lord for raising up children like you.
It’s abt time CJM for the manifestation of the true sons of the Most high God …for those who worship Him will worship by the trueth therefore we stand for trueth …
Wooow wooow chief justice we clap hands for u & we will pray for u – u strengthened even us . May the good God protects u.
After the invasion of Canaan in c.1406BC, the conquered land was divided between the twelve tribes of Israel (see Map 49).
The land east of the Jordan, in Gilead and Bashan, captured earlier from King Sihon and King Og (see Numbers 21:23-35) was allocated, as agreed by Moses, to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh (see Numbers 32:1-19).
The other nine and a half tribes drew lots to divide the land on the west bank of the River Jordan (see Joshua 14:2 & 18:1-10). The tribe of Levi was not allocated a separate territory as they were given land throughout Canaan wherever they served their fellow Israelites as priests and Levites. On the other hand, the descendants of Joseph were divided into two tribes named after his eldest sons Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim received the lightly wooded territory in the central hill country near Shiloh (later referred to as the Forest of Ephraim), while Manasseh took over the hilly land to the north in the area around Mt Gerizim, Mt Ebal and the Vale of Shechem (see Joshua 16:1-17:18). In addition, Joshua was personally rewarded with the town of Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim (see Joshua 19:49-50).
Further north, land around the Vale of Jezreel was allocated to the tribe of Issachar (see Joshua 19:17-23), while the tribes of Asher, Zebulon and Napthali were granted territory stretching from the coastal foothills near Tyre to the inland basin occupied by the Lake of Kinnereth (the Sea of Galilee) (see Joshua 19:10-16 & 24-39).
On the southern boundary of Canaan, the tribe of Simeon received the semi-arid foothills of the Negev Desert between Beersheba and Kadesh Barnea (see Joshua 19:1-9), while the tribe of Judah gained the hill country between Beersheba, Bethlehem and Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:1-63). In addition, the city of Hebron was allocated to Caleb in recognition of his faithfulness to God after spying out the ‘promised land’ forty years earlier (see Joshua 14:6-15).
The most controversial allocations of territory were made to the tribes of Benjamin and Dan. Benjamin received land bounded on the south by the Jebusite fortress of Jebus (Jerusalem) (which remained a Canaanite stronghold for the next four hundred years until conquered by King David in 1004 BC) (see Joshua 18:11-28 & 15:63). Dan was allocated land on the coastal plain of Philistia, but was never able to wrestle this lowland territory from the Philistines. As a result, the tribe later conquered land in the far north around the city of Leshem (Laish), which was renamed Dan after it was captured (see Joshua 19:40-48 & Judges 18:1-31).
I stand with you CJ there is indeed nothing to apologize for. True man of faith are needed during these times.
We are so highly blessed from the Christian community, to have produced, the person of the Chief Justice calibre. May the Good God divinely protect, our dear Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. More years of success and opportunities to him.
Hallelujah Hallelujah his holy and his worthy to be praise,
Glory be to GOD Almighty to have you chief justice, we’re highly blessed, continue we’re behind you all the steps of any way you are taking, GOD has called you to differed his from this evil world, May the spirit of God be with your Amen,
Hallelujah Hallelujah his holy and his worthy to be praise,
Glory be to GOD Almighty to have you chief justice, we’re highly blessed, continue we’re behind you all the steps of any way you are taking, GOD has called you to differed his from this evil world, May the spirit of God be with your Amen,
Yeees , this is just as the time of Nebuchadnezzar , where one chooses to be a man pleaser or stand for his faith. God sought a man and found one in CJ Mogoeng. We pray for you Sir no apologies
Oh Lord have mercy, may the good Lord be with you CJ may he strengthen his hand upon you ???
I surely agree with prayer for peace and mutual understanding
I respect and honor the judge’s moral forthrightness but even a prayerful and honest man can be blinded. May the Lord who directs and leads us to our final destiny have the last word.
It is best to fear God only and no man. Chief Justice Mogoeng does just that. I honour him for his unwavering love for God and his unconditional love of others as the word of God instructs. Reading from the book of Numbers chapter 22-Balak sending for Balaam to come and curse Israel-you will realise that one can bring harm to, or even curse what God has blessed unless they they do not believe in God and want others to believe so. May God bless you CJ for your love of Him that created the heaven and earth and everything in it.
I stand with chief Justice.no apologist anything,you fight for the truth.Fear not ,for the Lord is with you.
I am a lawyer, an aspirant judge and devoted and unashamedly Christian. Justice Mogoeng, the Lord will preserve you, He will preserve your soul, He will preserve your going out and coming in. I salute and honor you. Even in the legal profession, the Lord is raising up a calibre of lawyers, who will not be silent, who will administer the justice of the Lord and walk in the fear of the Lord. You have been an exemplary example.
Well narrated Tata Mogoeng, let Love prevails.
As a regional magistrate untill 2019 I was honoured to serve under this excellent Chief Justice. The Lord bless you and keep you.
Reading every positive comment on this article has shown me how Beautiful we can be when we stand together as ONE. I find my eyes tearing up, for it is this unity I longed for, for a very long time. May our Father Bless you all, keep you all safe, and may the Lord wash you in His beautiful Light. I wish this for Everyone – even for the individual(s) who left a negative comment (there is only one negative post thus far).
Amen Justice Mogoeng. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We win by righteousness. Thank you Man of God for standing strong and upholding the principles of God’s Word and not wavering. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The Word of God is truth. They shall know the truth and the truth shall set them free. God has not given us a spirit of fear but love, power and a sound mind. Continue to be steadfast, immovable and abounding in the Lord. You have been definitely chosen for such a time as this. I pray that you will continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord as you fulfill God’s purpose and destiny for your life.
If you say you love both Israel and Palestine equally it means you love the annexer and the annexed equally.You love the illegal occupier of Palestinian land and the occupied Palestine equally.It means you do not want a position and that is the worst hipocracy of our times.You cannot be a fence swatter..
My heart sings that Chief Justice of the Constitution is also a true man of God. What an inspiration for ALL of us in our divided country. May God bless and protect you from all evil in whatever shape or size and may this eventuality be the wakeup call to all Christians to speak up for what God asks from us.
Amen for standing for the truth you are a real Christian may God protect you.
Wow ,so amazing.Such boldness can only come from the Father himself.May our Lord Jesus Christ lead and protect you at all times.
So inspired!!?
Honourable Chief Justice Mogweng,
Together with the innumerable host of Heaven, WE SALUTE YOU!
“And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of their testimony, and they counted their lives cheap, even unto death” Rev.12:11
Amen Honorable Mogoeng, we stand with you and Israel. No weapon formed against you will prosper. I pray for your persecutors that they will find Jesus before its too late. In Jesus Name Amen
Faith is a religion an politics is also a religion, therefore those who believe in Christ must be allowed to love everyone.
The SA position which is informed by politics against Israel should be observed by those who live politics
As for CJ he is demonstrating the freedom of speech, right to speak an his faith. In our SA constitution there is nothing wrong….
May these words be true for you also that was spoken over Christ:
“…Your words will always be vindicated and you will rise victorious when you are being tried by your critics!”
Romans 3:4 TPT
I salute you man of valor,may the favour of God be with you wherever you go.Im standing in agreement with you man of God.We must stand as a Sedrag,Meshag and Abednigo before people want to compromise
Thank you Chief Justice for the kindness words of God our Father, let the truth be told, let the people of God stand by you unwavering in faith, let the whole world see the light in you and let Africa and the rest of world praise the Lord God ???Amen ?????
We thank God for His son who boldly declares His word. May God protect Chief Justice Mokgoeng Mokgoeng. May the Lord increase a nd renew his strength as he keeps doing Gods work
This is an absolute freedom of speech and must be allowed. Faith on the finished work of Christ is demonstrated by love for all. That’s why the CJ dispenses Justice ( with no prejudice) for all irrespective of their religious and political affiliations. We pray that your faith will continue to show light for our beloved country and the world. Thank you Chief Justice.
Praise GOD for Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.What a mighty man of South Africa.So Honor you for the spirit of Boldness that GOD has placed in you to take a stand.Praise GOD for you.
Thank you Lord Jesus for the man our CJ. Even those who conspired against Daniel were put to shame, Daniel 6v24. I pray that those who are trying to persecute the CJ may repent before it is too late. May our God send angels to shut the mouths of the lions, like He did in Daniel 6v22.
The Word of God is power, it piece like a double adge sword those who stand against it. I support you Chief Justice Mogoeng
Thank you chief justice for your firm stand even in the face of fierce criticism. We will continue to pray for you and all saints.
So proud to be a South African and have Gods people stand for Christanity. Israel is the apple of Gods eye. Anybody in convenant with Isreal will be blessed. Chief Justice Mogeng God bless you. You will rise and you will not be silenced no matter how many try to silence you. Always remember those that come against you are not coming against you but the God that dwells inside of you. They went against Jesus and so they are with you but man of God stand and stand in God. God got your back. I am so proud of you , a leader standing for the gospel and faith of many Christians.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might for the Lord your God in your midst is mighty and you are like a battle axe in His hand, He will go before you as a man of war and your enemies that comes against you will split in seven directions.
The late Nelson Mandela once said “The Mistake the the Political Anelist make sometimes, is to think that their enemies should be our enemies.”The ANC Cannot DECTATE who MOGOENG MOGOENG’S enemies should be. If Mogoeng Mogoeng chooses to pray for the Peace of Israel why should that be a crime? I stand 100% behind him.
CJ – does one not side with the oppressed and dispossessed?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGQGi10Atc&feature=youtu.be
I salute you Honorable Chief Justice for standing up and to bow to noone but God. May you and your loved ones be blessed by the Almighty.