No weapon formed against you shall prosper,  And every tongue which rises against you in judgment  You shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,  And their righteousness is from Me,”  Says the LORD.
Is. 54:17 

The Humanitarian Issue in the Gaza War

The Blood of the innocent lives is on the hands of Hamas

After watching these videos it is clear who carries the ultimate responsibility for the deaths of so many innocent civilians. And although there is debate about how many of the counted dead, are Hamas terrorists, even the loss of one innocent life is tragic. 

Are there any alternatives to this situation?

No, for one simple reason: Hamas is bent on one thing and one thing only - The destruction of Israel. As long as that is its goal, there is no chance of peace and Israel has no alternatives. None, but to continue fighting for its existence. 

Is it right and moral to continue fighting this way?

Yes. It is the right of every sovereign nation to defend itself. Israel left Gaza years ago, but Hamas has been attacking it from Gaza ever since. 

Just today, the chief of Iran's elite Quds Force was quoted as saying, "confronting the Zionist enemy is a necessity and the Palestinian resistance movement will turn the land and sky into hell for the Zionists." He further said that, "Disarmament of resistance is a daydream that will only come true in the graveyard" for Israel.(As quoted in Ynet)Israel does not have any alternative but to defend herself against terror and annihilation. Israel's war with terror is just and right! 

Some Christians feel that any war is wrong 

Christians have had to deal with the issue of war all throughout history; especially in Europe during the two world wars.  

P.T. Forsyth, a British theologian, faced this question regarding the First World War in his book, "The Christian Ethic of War". I quote: "It should be remembered that the object of war is not to kill but to bind the strong superman. And, if he so strong, infatuate, and criminal that nothing will stop him in his unrighteousness, but honest and judicial killing, such killing is not murder nor is it hate......Such war is not 'multitudinous murder,' It is a form of judgment."

C.S. Lewis in an essay titled, "Why I Am Not a Pacifist" wrote: "If a Germanized Europe in 1914 would have been an evil, then the war which prevented that evil was, so far, justified. To call it useless because it did not also cure slums and unemployment is like coming to a man who has just succeeded in defending himself from a man-eating tiger and saying, "it's no good, old chap. This hasn't really cured your rheumatism!"

War is a terrible thing. Those who don't think so, have never been in one. But sometimes it's the only choice, especially in the face of such evil as Israel is facing now. 

No one tries harder than Israel to keep innocent lives from harm's way. What you are seeing on your screens, is the cynical use, by Hamas, of human lives - the lives of their own people as a tool and a weapon in their war against the Jews. 

But even in this they will fail.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,  And every tongue which rises against you in judgment  You shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,  And their righteousness is from Me,”  Says the LORD. Is. 54:17 

Stand with us before the Lord for His full counsel and will, to be fulfilled in the earth. He plans to bless the nations of the earth through Israel in its restoration, not without it. 

Ofer Amitai
Jerusalem Prayer Center

Amazing Providence saves Israel from existential danger!

It is now safe to say that the chain of events that led to Operation Protective Edge, and the discovery of the terror tunnels were providential in saving Israel from a horrific and existentially dangerous attack.

״Hamas had apparently been preparing a murderous assault on Israeli civilian targets for the coming Jewish New Year Holiday, Rosh Hashanah, which begins on September 24, according anonymous sources in the Israeli security services, as Israeli Hebrew daily Maariv reports.

“The Hamas plan consisted of what was to be a surprise attack in which 200 fighters would be dispatched through each of dozens of tunnels dug by Hamas under the border from Gaza to Israel, and seize kibbutzim and other communities while killing and kidnapping Israeli civilians.

“According to the reports, each tunnel has arteries, veins, offshoots, and offshoots of the offshoots in intricate and complex arrangements. As one Israeli spokesman said, "There are two Gazas, one above ground and one below ground: an underground terrorist city.”1

Imagine this scenario 

Thousands of Hamas terrorists dressed as IDF soldiers emerge from dozens of tunnels dug into the heart of the villages near the Gaza Strip. They begin  murdering, invading, and abducting civilians. 

Meanwhile, thousands of rockets are launched towards Israel’s central cities. Possibly this is done in coordination with Hezbollah that has over 160,000 rockets in its arsenal and has its own an intricate system of tunnels under homes and cities of southern Lebanon. Imagine the possibility of the Israeli Arabs beginning riots everywhere, and the Palestinians join in by beginning another Intifada.

Some commentators are saying that Israel has not been in such existential danger since the war of Independence in 1948, and that the death of the three teenagers who were abducted and murdered on June 12, 2014 saved the nation. 

"Naftali Bennett spoke of a mother at Kibbutz Netiv Ha’asara who told him that her children wake her in the middle of the night and tell her that they hear digging beneath their beds."

For the rest of the article read here 

Psalm 83 - spiritual reality behind events and how you can pray

Although this Psalm speaks of nations and realities far back in history, we find much of the same spirit and intent, in the nations whom so oppose, and seek to destroy Israel today.

We will only quote small portions of the psalm here and recommend you read it for yourself.

What is the heart motive of the nations who war with Israel
Psa. 83:4  They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” 
Psa. 83:12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.”

What do they do?
Psa. 83:3  They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones.

The root of it is a hatred of God himself
Psa. 83:2  For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads 
Psa. 83:5  For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant—  (see psalm 2 for a further elucidation of this point.)

How we can pray, and the motive for such strong praying
Psa. 83:17  Let them be  put to shame and dismayed forever;   let them perish in disgrace, 
Psa. 83:18  that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

[Remember that we are praying against those evil organizations and not the innocent civilians who are being used as human shields by Hamas.]

Zechariah 12 - Another view of the same conflict 
Reading Zechariah 12 leaves no doubt as to God’s point of view regarding the nations that come against Jerusalem.

In reading this chapter, one cannot fail to find that the restoration of Israel is bitterly opposed by the nations of the world. This opposition results not in harm to Israel, but in grave consequences for those nations.

God Himself is deeply involved in this epic battle. (vv. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 ) Read especially vv 9 and 10 together and see how these things work together. 

May the Lord open His Word to your heart and make it real. May His Word produce faith in your heart and give you light and wisdom to know how to stand before Him in this crucial hour.

Ofer Amitai - Jerusalem Prayer Center

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1. http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4516/hamas-mega-attack

“Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us”
1Sam 7:8

- Three Israeli teenagers abducted and killed by Hamas terrorists
- Hamas in Gaza launches rocket attacks that reach Beer Sheba
- Palestinian teenager abducted and murdered 
- Nationwide riots in Israeli Arab villages
- Beduins in the South clash with police
- Palestinians riot near Jerusalem 
- An Israeli Arab who murdered a young woman caught 

Our newspapers and headlines all reflect the tremendous conflict, turmoil, and upheaval that we are experiencing; we are in the midst of a dangerous time. Just read some of the News headlines and you will get the feeling that the nation is aflame. Some are worried about another Intifada, others, believe things are not ripe for it. Read here for one analyst’s point of view. http://tiny.cc/intifada

Yesterday evening a heavy barrage of rockets was unleashed from Gaza toward our southern cities. This morning, Israel is widening its operation against Hamas in Gaza and is calling up some reserves. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to lob rockets at Israeli cities and towns. It seems likely that if Hamas does not cease its hostilities, Israel will decide to go into the Gaza Strip.


But regardless of the situation God’s plan of the restoration and redemption of Israel is on track!

This is what I felt the Lord impress upon my heart, right at the beginning of the events that have led to the current crisis. It was ignited by the abduction and murder, by Hamas, of three teenagers who were hitching a ride home for the weekend, from their yeshiva, located in the Etzion Block, in Judea, about a month ago. 


Our need is to get a hold of God and pray

It is not my purpose here to analyze and argue or prove Israel’s rights, or moralize, or compare Israel and Hamas and the Palestinians, or try to explain heinous acts that have been done by individuals. Rather, I believe that our urgent need is to get a hold of God. And this, must be based on His Word. 

I take it as a given, that the Bible clearly teaches that in the Last Days God would gather Israel from all the corners of the earth, and here meet her and apply the New Covenant to her people, as a nation. This is an essential part of His plan for the nations!  See Ezekiel 36

If some will want to find fault with Israel, and say that Israel’s sinfulness prevents her from the fulfillment of the promises of God, I would say that just the opposite is true. God has brought us back in an unredeemed condition and has promised to redeem, cleanse, sanctify us, and give us a new heart. The Jewish people have been brought back to the land for this very purpose: to be sanctified and made whole and holy.  The promises and the covenants are all we have, but they are enough. 

This should be understood most by believers; after all, on what basis have they come to salvation?

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A lambkin is enough


“Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.” 1Sam. 7:7-10

I have been struck again and again by the fact that Samuel, in the face of war, danger, and pressure, offered a small little lambkin to God as a whole burnt offering. No trumpets, Shofars, big to do, shouting and sweating. Just a lambkin, a whole burnt offering….and God heard and saved his people from their enemies. It is wonderful to notice too, that the place of victory becomes known as Ebenezer, and it is exactly the place where the ark was lost formerly. (See 1Sam. 4:1) The place of defeat and loss, became a place of victory by the help of God; all because Samuel knew how to get a hold of God….with one little lamb!

We need to get a hold of God, we need to see Yeshua again.

It is at the cross where we see light, and it’s at the cross where we understand and it is at the cross where we can stand in prayer.

The book of Revelation describes the greatest and most horrible conflict imaginable. But in the midst, always, there is the Lamb; and He is always in perfect control of events. If you lose sight of that, you will see only what the devil does; but if you see the Lamb— you will know how to stand before Him through it all.

I urge upon you our need to see God again in the crucified Messiah. There, we can see  and understand and be in the Spirit. There, we can intercede for the fulness of all He died for, and for the restoration of His nation in the Land.

Our nation’s need cries out to us, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us.”

Let us, then, cry out to God, standing on the finished work of The Lamb; that He may save us from our enemies and our sins!  

He declared that we will understand, and that we will thus cry out to Him: 

“Thus says the Lord God: For this also I will let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do it for them;  Ezek. 36:36-37

Ofer Amitai - Jerusalem Prayer Center

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For the latest update on the conflict:  http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3083,00.html

…is coming! 
“Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together” 
Psalm 122:3

Jerusalem is physically united but not spiritually 
This week on the 28th of May Israel will be celebrating the 47th Jerusalem day to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 war. The above verse, has been the theme of Jerusalem Day ever since its inception. The Hebrew wording of the verse actually reads, “Jerusalem is built as a city joined or bound together. 

And while we are grateful and joyful at the fact that Jerusalem is again, after 2,000 years the capital of Israel, we long for the fullness, when Jerusalem will be spiritually restored to the fullness of what God has meant and promised, a blessing in the midst of the earth.  

We look with deep longing for another Day, another Jerusalem Day, in which the city will become all that the Lord has destined her to be,  “A praise in the earth…,” “the Throne of the LORD,” and her new name, “THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 

The city and the people of Israel are one thing
That her future is bound with the people of Israel is clear from many scriptures. For instance, Jeremiah 33:16, partly quoted above says, “In those days Judah will be saved,  And Jerusalem will dwell safely.  And this is the name by which she will be called: ‘THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”

Clearly, in this verse Judah and Jerusalem is one and the same thing. 

In Jeremiah 2, verse 2, we see that the Lord relates to Jerusalem as symbolizing the whole nation. “Go and  proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD’,  I remember concerning you the   devotion of your youth,  The love of your betrothals,   Your following after Me in the wilderness,  Through a land not sown.”

Obviously, it is the people of Israel that went after the Lord in the wilderness and not the city. The city and the people are considered one and the same thing. 

Another, very moving verse, is found in Isaiah 65:19, “I will rejoice in Jerusalem,  And joy in My people;  The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,  Nor the voice of crying.” 

Here again, the city and the people are one and the same. God is speaking of the day in which he will delight in Jerusalem and joy in His people, when He comes to remove all sin, sorrow, and pain— in bringing salvation. 

But for now, Jerusalem is in bondage,
 “…..The present Jerusalem…… is in bondage with her children…..Gal 4:25

And we are called to pray and intercede  “And give Him no rest till He establishes  And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” Is. 62:7

Praying clear through
Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.  Isaiah 62:6-12

The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.  Micah 2:13

Go-through prayer demands a tenacity which must be fueled by vision, passion and desire, coupled with a consecrated life given to God. Go-through prayer becomes possible when faith arises in the heart that the thing hoped for is indeed the will of God; only this kind of faith is willing to risk all, to face any battle, and to endure every hardship until the desired end is reached. 

We were reminded of this recently when some of the congregation visited a ‘stronghold’ on the southern ridge overlooking the highway to Jerusalem. 

In May 1948, Jerusalem’s future lay in the balance. A siege threatened to bring the downfall of the city. Food, water, ammunition, and every other necessity were running dangerously low, and attempts to deliver supplies to the city were fiercely challenged. Ben Gurion, later the prime-minister of Israel, said, “Jerusalem can exist without the state, but the state cannot exist without Jerusalem.” The battle at that time was being fought over the road to Jerusalem — its very lifeline. 

At one of the most critical moments, the battle was concentrated on the high hill tops that dominated and thus controlled the way to Jerusalem. Those bare hilltops, covered with rock and little more, became the focus of ferocious fighting. The young men who fought there basically hung on to bare rock, clinging tenaciously with every fiber of their being.

We, too, are called to take our stand, and hang on to the ‘strongholds’ — the high ground of our faith — the Word of God. We hang on to Him, who is The Rock, to Him alone, and to what He has uttered. There is a ferocious battle on earth over God’s will being done, and we cannot let go. This is our high place; we must not, we will not let go of it. Israel SHALL be saved, Grace will be poured out. Mercy is coming! His Body in the land will be sanctified, purified, made holy, and filled with the knowledge of the Lord. 

As we gazed at the forested beauty of the Judean Hills, we could see the heavy roadwork being done below. From a narrow, little road in the  1940’s, the road to Jerusalem is now being expanded into a six lane highway. Israel is blooming, faith is becoming reality before our very eyes, the warfare and sacrifice were all worth it, and so it will be with us. 

We will cling to the Rock until God fulfills His every purpose and promise, to the Glory of His name.

“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.” Eph 6:13 ‘The Message’ version


“The soul cannot be listless when some great desire fires and inflames it. The urgency of our desire holds us to the thing desired with a tenacity which refuses to be lessened or loosened; it stays and pleads and persists, and refuses to let go until the blessing has been given.”1 

And we know that there are no gimmicks, no tricks, no easy bypasses along the way. This prayer battle demands our all. 

“No amount of money, genius, or culture can move things for God. Holiness energizing the soul, the whole man aflame with love, with desire for more faith, more prayer, more zeal, more consecration-this is the secret of power. These we need and must have, and men must be the incarnation of this God-inflamed devotedness. God's advance has been stayed, His cause crippled, His name dishonored for their lack.”2

Prayer is our battle-ground; this is the ministry that we are called to, whether in the congregation and in the lives of it's people, or in the Land. 


Ofer - Jerusalem Prayer Center


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1. E. M. Bounds. Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (p. 32). Kindle Edition. 
2. E. M. Bounds. Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (p. 466). Kindle Edition.

Prevailing in Prayer
Persistence in prayer is of utmost importance. Yeshua’s teaching in the parable of the unjust judge, is linked in the parable (click to read: Luke 18:1-9 ), to His coming. It is clear from this, that God’s people have an important role to play in the last days through prayer. And that it is important that they prevail in prayer.

The Parable ends with an emphatic assurance that God will speedily answer the prayers of His people, although it may seem to them that He is long in answering.  “Now shall not God  bring about justice for His  elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily.” Luke 18:7-8

A question is left in the air at the end of the parable: Will the elect persist in prayer, will they have that faith that persists till He comes?

To read the whole parable click on the link: Luke 18:1-9

What is persistence in prayer
Sometimes we can get into a real effort by thinking that persistence is endless repetition of our prayer request. Our prayer can become a “push” in our own strength and therefore unbearable. The result, often is discouragement; we give up praying.  

At other times, we can get obsessed with the praying itself as an activity. Or we can be taken up with the need and object of the prayer, till we lose sight of God; and that can be fatal to the prayer itself. Surely, this is not what Yeshua is teaching us or calling us to do.

Rather, I believe that persistence in prayer is getting to God and clinging to Him.

Persistence in prayer is getting a hold of God Himself
We have a wonderful example of this in the story of the woman from Shunem. (2Ki 4:8-37) The woman, as you would recall, had a heart for God and expressed it by making room for Elisha his servant. She arranged a special room for him on the second floor of her house. There, he could rest when he passed by.

The woman was childless, and her husband was old, but Elisha prophesied she would have a son, and so it came to pass. In the story, the son dies suddenly, of sunstroke apparently. Let us observe the woman’s actions, hers is the kind of persistence we need.

On her son’s death, the woman lays him on the prophet’s own bed, his dwelling place (thus defiling it.) Apparently she has no doubt of the outcome of her plan; she believes the man of God will resurrect her son! What an amazing faith and assurance! Next she saddles an ass and orders the servant to never stop till he gets to the prophet. The woman is utterly decisive and focused; she does not even take time to explain things to her husband.

Elisha, seeing her from afar, sends Gehazi to meet her, but she brushes him off, never stopping to explain the situation. When she gets to Elisha, she catches him by the feet, saying not a word; as far as she is concerned her journey is all but over; she has got hold of the man of God. Gehazi tries to remove her but to no avail, the woman clings to Elisha’s feet. Finally, her terse question reveals the matter to Elisha, but not fully; he probably does not realize the boy is dead.

He proposes to send Gehazi with his own staff, but the woman would have none of it. “As the Lord lives, and your own soul lives, I will not leave you.” With this, Elisha agrees to go back with the woman. The result is spectacular: the boy is resurrected!

Note here several things: 1. The woman became utterly focused on one thing only - getting a hold of the man of God. All her actions were directed to achieve this. 2. She kept the matter to herself and did not talk about it with anyone, not even her husband. Perhaps for fear of someone talking her out of it or weakening her resolve and faith. 3. She did not stop on the way for anyone or anything. She allowed no distractions 4. The woman was not satisfied with a representative of the man of God, but only with the man of God himself. 5. Her words were few - her purpose was to get a hold of Elisha, not explain thing. 6. The woman was not willing to take an answer in the form of the man of God sending his staff with a servant— a symbol of his power and authority, she would have none of it. (See God’s offer to Moses in Exodus 33:1-3. There, the Lord offers to give the Jewish people the Promised Land but declares He will not go up with them. See what Moses does about this.) 6. She clung to Elisha’s feet till he granted her desire, which was that he come with her. 

Let us suppose for a moment that the staff (power and authority of the prophet) would have done it. That is, give the woman the results she wanted. Still, she would have none of it; it had to be Elisha, period.

We need this same kind of heart
What a single-minded woman! What a God-focused heart! What utter faith and confidence in God! What a simple strategy: just get a hold of God. Nothing less will do when it comes to persevering in prayer in the last days.

This is the kind of heart-focus we need to have these days. Without it,  we will get weary. The enemy will do everything in his power to discourage and tire us; when we see the “waves” in the ferocious storms around us. Peter began to sink when he saw the waves instead of Yeshua; after all, Yeshua was standing on the water, right there in front of him. “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Dan. 7:25  

Without this heart focus, we may lose our way and begin praying out of our own head or understanding. Once we lose sight of the Lord and begin focus on the situation, we are in trouble. Put another way, if the sight of God is dimmed by circumstances or situations, we will see them with the natural eye more than in the Spirit and are apt to be led away into all sorts of byways.

Where did this heart come from - or how did it develop?
“Now, it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lamp-stand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”
2Kings 4:8-10
 
The secret of it was in her heart’s desire to make a place for God (expressed by making a place for his servant.)

Bear in mind that the woman lived at a time of great wickedness and unspeakable idolatry in Israel; during the reign of Ahab and Jehoram his son. So few were the godly people, even Elijah thought he was left alone.

Yet, she loved God; she had a great heart for God.The woman was an important, perhaps wealthy and influential, yet she was unafraid to associate herself with God’s servants. By making a place for Elisha, she was showing great tenderness towards God Himself and care for His place in the Land. In a way, she really was making a place in her life for God. Like Abraham who would not let the three mysterious visitors go by unless he fed them, like David who had in his heart to make a place of God, so the woman’s heart was deeply devoted to the Lord himself and no doubt to His ways and commandments.

And once she receives her son back from the dead, she does not simply walk happily away, but “Then she went in, and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and took up her son and went out.” 2Ki 4:37

Obviously, the woman was taken up with God, not the miracle only. She was overwhelmed by the being that did such a mercy, and not just the mercy itself. Thus, we see she returns to his servant to give God glory.  

And how does God feel about such a thing? Yeshua’s word to the Samaritan leper who returned to give him thanks reveals God’s heart in the matter.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” Luke 17:15-18

Prevailing in prayer is rooted in our relationship with Yeshua, not only in our standing as that of being saved. To his disciples Yeshua said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7.

It’s the state of the relationship that matters in prevailing prayer.  “Prevailing prayer….. is the outcome of a right relationship with God. The Bible is very clear on the reasons why prayers go unanswered, and every reason centers on the believer’s relationship with God.1

“Firstly, prayer is communion, prayer is fellowship, prayer is love opening the heart to God, and that is the foundation of all true forms of prayer.”2

You too can learn to prevail in prayer
The secret of all the great praying men and woman of the Bible, was a simple utter devotion to the Lord. They were ordinary people, called by a sovereign God, to walk with Him. They seemed more occupied with God than with ministry or anything else they had to do; from Abraham on we see this. These men and women of God gave themselves to love Him, seek His face, They walked with Him and humbled themselves to walk in His ways. They all seemed to be prepared by the Lord for a time of great need in the history of Israel. Daniel, was such, Moses too; both were prepared for long years in this very walk with God.

You too, can walk with God in this way, if you but wholly turn your heart to God to love Him, seek Him, obey Him. There is no telling what He can do in and with such a heart. He must have our hearts.

And so I close with Yeshua’s question, which still hangs in the air, perhaps now more than ever:

“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Or as, The Message, a paraphrased version, has it: “But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”


Blessings to you, from Jerusalem,

Pastor Ofer Amitai
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1. Sanders, J. Oswald,  Spiritual Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence for Every Believer (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) (Kindle Locations 2001-2005). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

2. Sparks, T. Austin. "In Touch With the Throne: Some Considerations on Prayer Pg. 7." Prayer. Jacksonville, Fl.: SeedSowers House, 2002. N.  Print.

An American attack on Syria seems to be imminent.

An American attack on Syria seems to be imminent, and Arab leaders warn of terrible consequences to Israel, if Syria is attacked.

Arab leaders spew bellicose threats
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is quoted as saying: "The intervention of America will be a disaster for the region. The region is like a gunpowder store, and the future cannot be predicted."1

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi warned that, “The basic repercussion would be a ball of fire that would burn not only Syria but the whole Middle East."1

In Israel
Thousands of Jews and Arabs line up at gas mask distribution to get their gas masks in preparation for a possible counter attack from Syria and Lebanon (Hezbollah).

Patriot anti-missile batteries in Haifa are put on alert, Netanyahu convenes security cabinet, and IDF announces major drill on Golan Heights (meaning the IDF is moving troops to the Golan if it is ordered to attack Syria, or if Syria launches a ground attack into the Golan.

But don’t get rattled or excited in the flesh – it won’t help
In 2006, at the beginning of the Lebanon War, as I began to pray earnestly for our security situation and the war (which was not going well at the time), the Lord stopped me in the middle of my praying. He warned me, “Ofer do not pray your opinions to me, pray what I show you!”


I took that to mean that I should not pray out of excitement, or be animated by my emotions or flesh, or even let my prayers be guided mostly by the newspaper headlines. So often, we are unaware that we are praying that way. Rather, He wanted to lead me by His Spirit, that I might pray what was strategic to Him.

But Abraham stood yet before the LORD…Abraham drew near
When the Lord came to Abraham and revealed to him that He was on His way to judge Sodom, Abraham’s response to the news, is instructive.

“And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near” Gen. 18:20-22

I take this to mean that Abraham turned His heart to God; he drew near to God rather than allow himself to let his emotions and flesh run wild with speculation and anticipation.  Rather, he approached God with the full weight and impact of God’s Word and revelation of His nature and character. These were the only things guiding His intercession on behalf of Sodom!  Who knows what prayers he would have prayed otherwise?

 So, I urge you to actually turn to God, get a hold of His Word and ask Him to lead you in your prayers and intercession on behalf of Israel now.

You should remind yourself that God is sovereign, especially in all that pertains to Israel’s restoration and protection. How beautifully it is expressed in Isaiah 54.

“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.14 In righteousness shall you be established: you shall be far from oppression; for you shall not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.”  Is. 54:13-17

This is just one of hundreds of promises and declarations of God’s purpose in these days, to restore Israel to the Land and to Himself.

If you let His Word fill your heart, you will find faith arise in your heart –His Word is the fuel of our faith.  His Word will inspire, lead, and guide your praying, and you will be taken into a realm of prayer and intercession that, you have not experienced before.

There, when you are in the Spirit, you will pray boldly and on subjects that you have not thought of, but that He wants you to pray. And when you pray His Will, you have the confidence that He will answer.

One example scripture that can inspire and guide your praying
Zechariah 12:

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also, His heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And your enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shall tread upon their high places. 
Deuteronomy 33:27-29

Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
Jeremiah 33:14-16

Some Thoughts Surrounding Holocaust Memorial Day

On Holocaust Memorial Day, I thank God that there is a Jewish State in which we can protect ourselves. In the shadow of the Holocaust, I am horrified to think what would have happened to us in the last 60 years, had God not resurrected the nation. This is not racism, but the survival of the Jewish people against all odds, and in the face of past and present hatred -- unfathomable hatred.

The verses quoted from Deuteronomy are the last words of Moses before his death. The prophecy looks forward to Israel’s ultimate destiny: to dwell in the Land safely under the presence and glory of her eternal God.

Notice the word, “alone”, in the quote from Deuteronomy. It “carries the nuance of strength… Israel dwelling securely and peacefully in self-reliance, in the sense of “independent, unaligned” from a political point of view.” (World Bible Commentary)

How amazingly prophetic and accurate; who would have thought, in the midst of WWII, that the Jews would survive the Holocaust, return to the Ancient Land of Israel, and establish, against all odds, one of the strongest armies in the region?

Who would have imagined that, 68 years after the Holocaust, Israeli soldiers would be marching under an Israeli flag as a testimony in Auschwitz –Birkanau?

At the ceremony-marking day in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to foreign dignitaries, “The murderous hatred against the Jews that has accompanied the history of our people has not gone away, it has simply been replaced by murderous hatred against the Jewish state. What has changed since the Holocaust is our determination and our ability to defend ourselves, by ourselves.”

“We will not stand helpless against our enemies again,” he declared. “The Declaration of Independence 65 years ago gave us a country and the ability to make independent decisions that are necessary to ensure our future here. We will act to protect ourselves. In this place and on this day I promise: There will never be another Holocaust.” (Jerusalem Post)

The Hatred Continues

Anti-Semitism in the world has increased 30 percent in the last year!
This includes: murders in France, desecration of synagogues, cemeteries and monuments all over the world, threats on lives, attacks with weapons, and vandalism. (Jerusalem Post)

“Iran openly declares its intention to destroy Israel and does all it can to achieve that goal,” the Prime Minister said. Zionists are “microbes and bacteria”, and Jews, “dirty people who spread disease”, “a cancerous growth that must be excised from the Middle East,” all expressions of that regime  Netanyahu said. (Jerusalem Post)

In Palestinian areas, a third Intifada seems to be brewing. Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Arab party Balad (Balad is an Arab-Israeli party in the Israeli Parliment – O.A.), “has declared that 'Zionism is going to come to an end', and that it 'has no future in the Middle East. I am not a Zionist, I am an anti-Zionist.' He declared that a third Intifada is on the way.” (Jerusalem Post)

The Eternal Purpose of God

The quote from Deuteronomy points to God’s ultimate purpose; the quote from Jeremiah shows the fullness of it and how God will do it:

"The Branch of Righteousness…shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." Jeremiah 33:14-16

It will be Yeshua! He will come to execute judgment and righteousness in the land. He will save Israel, both from her sins and from her enemies, and He will cause her to dwell safely in the land.

Some Scriptures to Meditate on and to Pray From

Isaiah 9:7 "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." 

Isaiah 32:15 -18 "Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;"

Ezekiel 28:24-26 "And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Thus, says the Lord GOD; when I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob.  And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God."

 

The intervention of God in the earth in pouring out His Spirit in the Land (and on all flesh), the sanctifying of a whole nation in view of the entire world, and the exercising of His sovereignty and authority in the earth in judging the nations, (Psalm 2) will make the world know that He alone is God.

How glorious! He has brought us back to the Land, not to be trapped, and not to be annihilated, but that we might be saved, cleansed, and filled with Himself. He has done it so that we might serve Him, and that the light of salvation would shine bright in the Earth.

But we must pray:

Luke 18:7-8 "And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"

And what shall we cry to God, but His own Word and promise?

Let us stand together before the Lord and give Him no rest, surely the days ahead will press us to thus cry out to Him!

Blessings from Jerusalem!

Ofer Amitai
Israel Prayer Center
www.israelprayercenter.org

(All underlined scripture references can be clicked to be read online)

Feast of Esther - Adar 14-15, 5773 - February 24-25, 2013
 

Not much has changed in 2500 years. Israel today faces a threat of annihilation from the same part of the world.
 
 “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore, it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.” - Haman, to King Ahasuerus, Esther 3:8-9, 473 BC
 
“Kill all Jews and annihilate Israel!” - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, February 2012
 
“Israel is destined for destruction and will soon disappear.” –Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, November 2006
 
Israelis “should know they are reaching the last days of their lives.” - Ahmadinejad, August 2006
 
 
The Restoration of Israel and the Amazing Forethought of God
 
Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews back to Jerusalem in 537 BC.
 
The rebuilding of the temple was completed in 515 BC.
 
Ahasuerus's banquet took place in 483 BC (Esther 1:1-12).
 
Esther became queen at 478 BC  (Esther 2:17).
 
Ezra leads a second group to the Land in 458 BC, 15 years after the amazing salvation of Purim in 473 BC (Esther 9:20-32).
 
Had God not used Mordecai and Esther to intervene and save their people from the plot of Haman, Ezra and Nehemiah would not have survived. There would have been a mortal blow to the restoration of Israel in those days, and a great disaster to the plan of God. Thank God there is never a ‘’what if” with Him!
 
As God chose Moses, Daniel, and others long before they were needed, He also placed Mordecai and Esther strategically in place years before they would be called upon to intercede. God, foreseeing the threat to His people with the eminent rise of Haman, placed His own in position at least five years before they would called upon to breach the evil and save their nation.
 
The Amazing Grace of God in His Choice of Mordecai and Esther
 
Mordecai and Esther are both of the house of Kish, the father of Saul.  God had commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15), but he disobeyed.  Haman is a direct descendent of the royal house of Agag the Amalekite, sworn enemy of Israel.
 
Unlike their ancestor, Mordecai and Esther fulfill God’s will and calling completely, putting their lives on the line. Not only do they save their people from annihilation, but also continue to press on to a great victory over Israel’s enemy; they carry the intercession through to the end (chapter 8), and thus open the way for God to unfold His kingdom plan.
 
Again and again in scripture, we see that God does not give up on those who have failed, but rather gives them a second opportunity to fulfill their call. While Saul faltered, his descendants stood the test.
 
So it was with Aaron who failed to intercede for the nation when Moses came down from the mount and found the nation worshiping the golden calf. Aaron at that time accused the people instead of interceding for them. Moses recounts in Deuteronomy (9:20) that God wanted to destroy Aaron, but Moses interceded for him.
 
Later, Aaron fulfills his calling as a priest when he runs into the midst of the congregation as the plague breaks out, to make atonement and to save the people. (Numbers 16:46-50).
 
The Amazing Opportunity for the Church to Rise up in Intercession for Israel
 
Esther can be looked upon as a type of the Bride of Messiah - the Church. She is adopted by Mordecai (Ephesians 1:5), a type of savior to his people in this story. She is nurtured by him (Isaiah 60:4, 1Thessalonians 2:7), and she is taught by him (1John 2:27). She is endowed with grace and mercy in the eyes of all who behold her, never using fleshly means to procure it (Acts 4:33). And although she recoils from the danger she faces, Esther responds to Mordecai’s rebuke, entering the fullness of her calling and the presence of the king to intercede. Boldly now, she appears before him and intercedes until the decree is reversed and full victory is won.
 
The Church alone is in a position to have access, not to an earthly king, but to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Hebrews 10:19-22). Only she can effectively come before God to intercede on behalf of His people.
 
It is the Church who possesses the knowledge of the plan of God and the purposes of God on the earth; only she can understand the importance of Israel to that plan; only she can care enough to come boldly before the King to pray for Israel’s deliverance and salvation.
 
But will she? 
Esther, at the most crucial point, was tempted to abandon her calling. “It is far too dangerous, I will lose my life,” she thought.
 
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, 'Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then enlargement and deliverance will arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'” (Esther 4:13-14)
 
Will the Church awaken and turn from herself to God? Will she turn from self-centered enjoyment of the world in order to stand before God?
 
Or will she leave Israel to fend for itself?
 
Will she awaken to her calling and fulfill it by rising in great courage, wisdom, and grace, to stand before God and intercede for His people?
 
The Church should know: 'As goes with the Jews, so with the Christians', for they are grafted into her.
 
God will save Israel. “Enlargement and deliverance will arise to the Jews from another place..” BUT, it does not have to. Esther awoke, arose and shined in her moment to effect a complete turn around. We are praying that the Church will arise likewise in this, her moment.
 
 
Pray for Israel and fervently beseech the Lord to save her from those who want to destroy her. 
 
Pray for her safety and victory over those who want to destroy her, wiping her from the face of the earth. 
 
Pray for the Church, that God will mightily shake and awaken her to her calling. Pray that she might come into the fullness of her true anointing, and enter the presence of God in the name of her King and Savior.
 
[Note on present dangerous situations:

There is much unrest in the Palestinian areas – A possible 3rd Intifada is brewing.
 
The unrest in the Middle East has created an opportunity for terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah to receive arms from Libya, Syria and, of course Iran.

Hezbollah has over 60,000 rockets aimed at every part of Israel. There have been efforts to smuggle into Lebanon, Anti aircraft rockets, long range rockets and possibly Chemical weapons.

Iran of course, is racing to build an atom bomb.]

Blessings from Jerusalem

Ofer Amitai - Israel Prayer Center

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14

Thus the Word of God announces the incarnation of Yeshua. The brief and straightforward manner is mind-boggling; bereft of detail and explanation, it is unbearably succinct. 

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18

Again, in one sentence, one of the greatest of all wonders and mysteries is described.

Anyone with a bit of life experience would either fall into doubt and turn away, or begin to feel weak-kneed at the hearing of such a statement.

Only a little child can receive, believe, and embrace this! We must become child-like to accept the report. I do not speak of mere mental acquiescence, but of the opening of the heart to the wonder of such a sight – God has become flesh.

Perhaps if the Lord were to reveal the glory and wonder of the incarnation in its fullness, we would find ourselves unable to bear it. Truly, we must be transformed in order to behold such glory and such love.

And this brings us to another mystery, a second wonder:  

“I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Galatians 4:19

Messiah formed in us? “How shall this be?”, we might ask as Mary did.

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” Gabriel said to Mary; and so it will be with us.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2Corinthians 3:18

Our transformation will be by the Spirit of the Lord, by the power of the death and resurrection of Messiah, and by the wisdom and power of God.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1John 3:2

This is the pinnacle of the Incarnation: He came to dwell among us, that we might dwell with Him; He came in the form of man, that we might be conformed to God; He came and died as man, that we might live forever in God.

Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb, God in flesh incarnate, Messiah and Savior!

A blessed Christmas to all of you in the nations who are celebrating HIM tonight.

Ofer Amitai

Jerusalem Prayer Center - Jerusalem

Chief of staff meets with his top ranking officers. In the background is a verse from scripture. Psalm 27:3 " my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me,"

Amazing!
Picture is from Ynet.co.il 

As I write this update, a rocket has been fired at Tel Aviv – my son, in Tel Aviv presently, just wrote an SMS, informing me that one of the rockets was intercepted right over the campus.

After four days since the beginning of Operation Cloud of Defense, there is a lull in the fighting.  Israel has made it clear it will launch a ground operation if the Hamas continues to fire rockets at Israeli cities, targeting innocent civilians.

Egypt and Turkey although thoroughly anti Israel, are discussing with both sides cease-fire options.

Background 

From January to November Hamas has been shooting rockets at Israeli cities with intent to kill and injure as many civilians as possible, including woman, children and babies. Eight hundred fifty-eight rockets were shot in those 11 months. In the last four days, an additional 700 rockets have been fired from Gaza.

Clearly these are heinous crimes against humanity perpetrated by an absurdly hate-possessed evil movement that will stop at nothing to destroy the Jewish nation.

To read more about the moral aspect of the conflict:

1. Morality and warfare in Gaza
2. Israel's right to self-defense against Hamas
3. Between a rock and a hard place – Melanie Phillips

Arab nations are thoroughly one-sided - condemn Israel for defending itself

Egypt:  has unashamedly come out on the side of Hamas, “Egypt will spare no effort ... to stop the aggression and to achieve a truce," Kandil said during a visit to a Gaza hospital.”  

“Egypt President Mohammed Morsi on Friday called Israel’s attacks on Gaza “a blatant attack on humanity,” according to Egyptian news agency MENA.

Iran: "Putting an end to the Zionist regime's crimes is only possible through a united, revolutionary retaliation by the Muslim world," Israel is "massacring the oppressed Palestinian people, including women and children" and its strikes amount to a "clear example of war crimes," the defense minister charged. (This is total hypocrisy because Iran is the animating power behind Hamas and Hezbollah – who are being used as surrogates by Iran.)

Turkey: Erdogan fiercely slammed Israel over Operation Pillar of Defense. Speaking at the Cairo University he said that Israel "was turning the region into a blood swamp." He further added, "Every drop of Palestinian blood is pouring from the veins of all Muslims and every tear dropping from their eyes is our tear too."

Clearly Israel cannot hope for fairness in this matter and must resolutely defend itself. 

Praying into the situation

We turn to the Lord and to His Word for direction and for inspiration to pray for the current crisis.

If you read the following passages of scripture, you will notice that Israel’s restoration includes the following ingredients:

1. God restores the Jewish people to the Land
   
2. God reveals His Son Yeshua to His people
3. God withstands and punishes Israel’s enemies
4. God’s amazing compassion and love and blessing are poured out in His covenant faithfulness, upon His people. 

An example of this (we only give one place in the scriptures here.)

1. Jeremiah 30:2-3  God restores the Jewish people to the Land to inherit it.
2. Jeremiah 30:7-9  Israel serves her king David (Yeshua). This passage clearly shows that this prophecy belongs in the end times when the Lord restores Israel to Himself.
3. Jeremiah 30:10-11 , 23-25 (25 is verse one in chapter 31 in the English Bible) God deals with the nations, in the last days.
4. Jeremiah 31:1-13 God’s grace, blessings and love are poured out in restoration mercies upon Israel. Read the rest of the chapter for more context.

Praying for Israel at this time

Pray for the people of Israel: 

• Pray into the scriptures given above – along the four points given.
• Pray for vision to be given the people to make them resilient, especially for those suffering most from the rocket attacks.
• Pray for courage to be given by the Lord to the mothers, the elderly and the children.
• Pray for safety for all those millions of civilians who are under threat.

Pray for the Government of Israel:

• Pray for wisdom to be given to the government, who is no doubt under pressure from the nations to cease its operations. (see Zech. 12:5-6)
• Pray for courage and a stout heart for the leaders as they weigh sending its soldiers into harms way.
• Pray for inspiration in planning.

Pray for Israel’s army (we have all have kids and grandkids in this.)

• Pray for Wisdom, resourcefulness, blessing and good intelligence
• Pray for inspiration upon the commanders and soldiers. (See Zechariah 12:3-7)
• Pray for God’s protection and for wisdom to carry out this operation with the minimal hurt to both, the Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian population.

Pray for the Body of Messiah in the Land

• Pray for the Body of Messiah to stand in the gap and to take up its place as a priestly nation.
• Pray for clarity and understanding in the Body, to be based on the Word of God and His will for the days we live in.

God bless you as you stand before the Lord for His purposes to be fulfilled in the Earth. May His Kingdom come and His will be done, on earth as it is done in heaven.

Blessings from Israel

Ofer Amitai

Israel Prayer Center