Psalm 98
Psa. 98:1  Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!  For He has done marvelous things;  His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
Psa. 98:2  The LORD has made known His salvation;  His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
Psa. 98:3  He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psa. 98:4  Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;  Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Psa. 98:5  Sing to the LORD with the harp,  With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
Psa. 98:6  With trumpets and the sound of a horn;  Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
Psa. 98:7  Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,  The world and those who dwell in it;
Psa. 98:8  Let the rivers clap their hands;  Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
Psa. 98:9  For He is coming to judge the earth.  With righteousness, He shall judge the world and the peoples with equity.

In this Psalm we can see God as Savior (vs.2), Covenant God (vs. 3), The (one and only) King- vs. 6) and as Judge (vs. 9). Each one of these titles or descriptions are so full of wonder that we will never fathom the depth of them neither will we ever exhaust thanksgiving and worship of Him as He appears in this Psalm. Salvation and redemption from sin or from the enemy include God’s wondrous acts in all these aspects of His being.

We will leave it for you to ponder and explore. (It will be well worth your time!)

This Psalm may have been written after some specific deliverance of God’s people at a particular time, but since that event is not specified, the Psalm has an eschatological application for us.

God right hand and holy arm, is ultimately Yeshua.  His salvation is not just for Israel but for the world as well; the gospel has gone to the ends of the earth. His wonders are the miraculous interventions of God on behalf of His children. In His faithfulness, He has intervened to save the nation from her enemies.

There is great anticipation in this Psalm, as well. The whole earth is waiting to be delivered from bondage (Romans 8:21-22), Nature will be glad for His coming. His coming as the judge will be a great relief as he will bring justice and righteousness to the earth and to the nations.

Do you long for Righteousness and Justice in the earth? If you do, then you are longing for Yeshua to return in this way, as judge.

O’ how Israel needs her Righteous and Holy God to come to her! O’ how Israel needs deliverance, and God’s intervention!  O’ that the Lord would bare His holy arm again in this Land and rescue us from sin, from our enemies, from ourselves…..

We prayed along these lines using this Psalm as an inspiration.

We prayed for Israel’s restoration to God
Psalm 98 celebrates the revelation of the Son of God as the savior of Israel

• We prayed for the New Covenant’s fulfillment by our covenant-keeping God
• We prayed into Jeremiah 31:34 - the experiencing of the conviction and grace of the crucified Messiah by the nation. They shall all know me…..for I will forgive their iniquity…
• We cried to the Lord for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as light to the heart of many
• We prayed for the removing of the veil from the eyes of the people — to see that God has rent the veil and the way to Him is open in the blood of Messiah
• We prayed that the Lord will display His Power, Glory, Love in the revelation of Yeshua in the midst of His people
• We asked the Lord to cleanse us from our filthiness as a nation according to Ezekiel 36:25
• We asked the Lord to supply to Israel what it cannot produce by itself - Repentance. How lowly is our God, who not only sent His Son to be crucified for us, but is willing to supply us with the Repentance needed to turn to Him! Zech 12:10

We prayed for the Body of Messiah in the Land and in the world
Psalm 98 celebrates God’s revelation of His Son as savior and judge; Judgement unto life!
And it must begin in the house of God. 1Pet 4:17

• We cried to the Lord for the same spirit of Repentance to fall upon the Body of Messiah
• We asked the Lord for the Holy Spirit of God to fall upon the Body again and reveal the crucified Son of God (much of the Church today is anything but Christ-centered and cross-oriented.
• We pleaded with God to give the Body of Messiah a sight of Himself in His Glory, in His beauty, in the Cross, in His lowliness and humility.
• We asked the Lord to give us a sense of our need for the Blood of Messiah
• We asked the Lord to give us a sight of His our need for Him moment by moment
• We asked the Lord to give His children in the Body a deep appreciation and hunger for the Word of God
• We prayed for the shepherds in the Body of Messiah and asked Him to give them boldness to preach the whole counsel of God without respect of persons or fear
• We prayed for the Word of God to become a fire in the pulpits of the Land
• We begged for the Word of God to come with power and conviction, to give sight and light of Yeshua, to produce faith and hope in the hearts of those who hear
• We asked the Lord to call His people from the distraction of the world, and its entertainments to Himself, to the things of God, to the heavenly riches in Messiah
• We asked the Lord to give His people a hearing heart for the things they hear of the Word of God

We prayed for the Security of Israel, as Iran endeavors to squeeze Israel in its three-toed claws
Psalm 98, no doubt, celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel from her enemies. Our Covenant God remembers in His promised mercies to deliver Israel in His covenant faithfulness.

Iran continues to plan Israel’s end. With her two proxies (Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza) Iran plans to attack Israel at the right time. Recently it was reported that Iran and Hamas have come to an understanding that if there is war in the north (with Hezbollah), Hamas will join in it, to divert Israel’s strength between two fronts, at least.

• We looked to the God of the armies of Israel to save Israel (and not merely to the armies of Israel)
• We put before the Lord His great promises and reminded Him of His covenant with Israel
• We looked to God according to Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple 1Ki 8:44
• We called upon the Lord for deliverance in the day of trouble Psalm 50:15
• We prayed with the words of Jehoshaphat, “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” 2Chro 20:16 and context
• We prayed for the leadership of the Land that they might not act out of fear nor provocation but from a well thought out plan and purpose
• We prayed that the coming elections and personal calculations, will not be a factor in weighing a preemptive strike if necessary

Its wonderful that we can stand together in the things of God. May you be blessed and encouraged as you look to the Lord in prayer. Psa. 34:5  They looked to Him and were radiant,  And their faces were not ashamed

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Last week we wrote: “Israel seems to be in a difficult place, both within and without.”  The situation continues to be perplexing and even confusing. Much is at stake, both because of pressure from the enemies of Israel, as well as the struggle within Israel for the path it should take.

We read Psalm 77 together and looked at its various sections, this to gain a foothold for our faith as we set our faces to pray and intercede for Israel. We will not quote the psalm here, but will only give the several sections and what we emphasized.

Psalm 77:1-4 The occasion of this psalm is some great trouble, either for the writer or the entire nation. He is under enormous pressure and anguish.  It is a day of trouble, and thus, in his anguish, he seeks the Lord through the night. His hand is stretched out to God, His soul is inconsolable. He feels overwhelmed and is so troubled that he is speechless.

Psalm 77:5-9 To his circumstantial troubles, is added the anguish and torment of inward thoughts. Has God cast me out? Am I out of His will and pleasure? Have his mercies ceased, has his promises failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Is He angry at me? All these kinds of thoughts greatly add to the anguish of one going through pressure, trouble, difficult circumstances. This is a double whammy for the believer.

Psalm 77:10-18 The writer turns to God. He begins to meditate and think along two lines: One - God’s great acts of redemption, His wonders, His acts, His works. Did not God redeem His people from Egypt? Did He not open the waters? Did not the earth shake at His appearance in Glory to redeem them? The second line is God’s own being, character, and nature. “Your way O God is in the Holy Place" (sanctuary). There He reveals Himself in His holiness (which is the sum total of all His attributes and being.) That, by the way, is what makes holiness beautiful, for it is Himself.

O what a double knockout to doubt and anguish. We remember what God has done (his track record if you will,) and we remember what He is like and how He is!

Psalm 77:19-20 God’s ways are hidden from us, we cannot see all His footsteps, we do not understand all His ways and what path He takes. But one thing is sure: He leads us as a shepherd does his flock, Not aimlessly, but with a purpose — He leads us to our inheritance, not just the Land, but our inheritance in Messiah. We have One who is better than Moses an Aaron. We have Messiah!

The psalm ends without resolution. We don’t know what happened. But by the end of it, we are confident that it is God who is the ruler of our circumstances, and no, He is not angry, nor has he forgotten his mercies, nor His promises!

We prayed along familiar lines, but so necessary to persist in: The Great Need of the Salvation of Israel. The great need of Israel for true leaders, statesmen and not just politicians. Israel's need regarding the great danger that is brewing from Iran and the like. And lastly for the Body of Messiah to awaken to its calling and position.

Praying for Israel’s spiritual redemption

• Lord, we are troubled by Israel’s condition, we have come back to the Land, but are in great bondage, we are as slaves to sin and unrighteousness. We are at enmity with you. We are blind, and we call upon you to open our eyes.
• We cried to God for Mercy
• We cried to God to reveal His Son and Our King and Redeemer
• We cried for the Lord to breathe on the dry bones, standing as a great army but lifeless
• We cried for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on our Land and that He might convict Israel of sin, and of Righteousness and of Judgment (John 16:8)
• We cried for the Word to rise in the Land with great power (we are the people of the Book, but it remains sealed to us!)

Praying for our leaders and for the coming elections
Ezekiel 34:10 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” (And chapter)

• We prayed for leaders who will truly care for the nation
• We prayed for leaders who will be statesmen and not just politicians
• We prayed for leaders who will care for the weak and poor and powerless
• We prayed for leaders who will not sell out to the religious for power
• We prayed for integrity among the leadership
• We prayed for leaders with a vision for the country and not for their own greatness and success
• We reiterated Psalm 135:5 - God had a right to do whatever He pleases
• We declared that Yeshua is the true king of Israel, and thus, all of our leaders are ruling on borrowed authority!
• We pleaded with God for the outcome of the elections to be one that will set Israel right on the road God wants her to take through this time of turmoil and danger

Praying for our existential dangers
If Iran continues to go on the path it is on, war will inevitably break out. We are told that they can have a nuclear bomb within a year. Will Iran continue to do all in its power to desire to destroy Israel? Will it be allowed to develop an atomic bomb? Will Israel attack Iran? Will the US attack Iran? Where will Russia stand in all of this? What will the EU do, if anything?  

• We prayed for wisdom for our government
• We prayed for the right reading of the situation
• We asked the Lord to navigate Israel through these choppy uncertain waters (His way is in the sea!)
• We prayed that it will be the enemy that makes mistakes and not Israel
• We prayed that Israel will not hesitate to bring plans to action if and when the time comes
• We prayed into the US’s role in all of this
• We prayed for the people of Iran that they might be delivered from that monstrous regime
• We prayed for all the intelligence Israel needs
• We prayed for the Church in Iran
• We reminded the Lord of His redemptive plan for the nations (See Jeremiah 49)

Praying for the Body of Messiah

• We prayed that the Lord would awaken the Body here to its high calling as a priesthood
  
• We prayed that the Lord would awaken the Body to its calling to be part of the Kingdom of God and not of this world.
  
• We prayed that the Lord would, by His Word awaken the Body and call it to intercede and to serve Him as a priesthood.
  
• We asked the Lord to stir up the Body as in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah and Haggai and Zechariah. Turn your people from self purposes to serving You, O Lord.
  
• We asked for an undivided heart to walk with the Lord in this Land and to serve Him.
  

Thank you for standing with us. God bless you, abundantly.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

 

A time of perplexity
Ex. 14:1 Now, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Ex. 14:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.
Ex. 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, "They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.'

The word for 'bewildered' in Hebrew can mean confusion (Est 3:15), perplexity. The NIV has it as, "wandering around the land in confusion."  

Leaving Egypt, Israel had come to a place, where the sea was before them, and the enemy was behind them, they had gotten themselves into an impossible situation, and to the Egyptians, it seemed as if Israel was just wandering around the desert in confusion.

Of course, they could not see that the same God who redeemed Israel from Egypt was leading them in the desert. But that is another story.

What we were struck with is that, at this present time, Israel seems to be in a difficult place, both within and without. There is political and moral confusion within Israel; [Bibi has just appointed two homosexuals to ministry posts, probably to win over the LGBT community]. What direction is Israel going to go? Super right, super religious, super left? There is confusion in the Land. Too, there are Israel's enemies who seem to be slowly gaining a better position to close in on Israel. No doubt this uncertainty, and confusion is weakening Israel, perhaps not militarily but certainly in its resolve to deal with its enemies.

Of course, you know, that although Israel was quite helpless and truly stuck, the Lord wasn't and isn't! He was the one who led Israel to the sea, to open it!  The Egyptians had it wrong, they were the ones who were walking (galloping actually) into a trap. In the end, it proved that they were the ones who were confused!

We prayed for Israel from this scripture along three lines: Political, Military, and Spiritual.

Political:

• We cried out to God regarding the moral confusion (as explained above) in the leadership of Israel.
• We pleaded with the Lord for His intervention in the affairs of state, to raise a coherent leadership that will have a clear view of Israel's needs and the many challenges she faces
• We prayed for the Lord to providentially cause the circumstances in the Land that will necessitate a balanced government.
• We prayed for the upcoming elections in September - and into the possibility of a unity government that will represent the whole nation without allowing extreme agendas such as the Far Right, or Orthodox or Extreme Left.
• We cried for a government that will not ignore the needs of the weaker population, that will be just and fair, that will have society's best in mind and practice
• We cried for God to deliver us from the deep corruption that seems to hold the government in its tentacles.
• We cried to the Lord for leaders who will have true vision and idealism to lead the country with responsibility and dignity and honor (we have too many officials who have served prison time, including a former president and a former prime minister.)

Military
Iran-Hezbollah-Hamas-Syria is a formidable enemy, sophisticated and cunning, possessed and fueled by a seemingly unending deep-seated hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people. They seem to be consumed one hatred - Israel.

• We thanked the Lord for our history - He has opened the "sea" for us many times.
• We thanked the Lord that He has led us to the Land (some of our enemies think we are "stuck" here, with nowhere to go or flee from them.)
• We blessed His name for the gathering of the Jewish people into the Land from the nations
• We expressed our faith in His sovereignty
• We expressed our faith in His power
• We expressed our faith in His Will - Mercy, and intention — Restoration
• We cried out for that 'sea' of impossibility to open
• We asked the Lord to deal with the enemy and fulfill His Word (Ezekiel 36:12-15)
• We thanked the Lord for the exaltation of His name in His dealing with those nations around us - Ezek. 36:36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.

Spiritual
As a nation and a people, we do seem to be confused and bewildered. We are stuck in every way. Our long-standing rejection of Yeshua as Messiah still stands as a formidable barrier to entering our full inheritance. But as impassible and impossible as all this seems, God has promised to open the way, for He is The Way! He only can reveal His Son to our nation, He alone can pour out from heaven clean water, He only can evaporate 2000 years of estrangement from Him, to a reunion with Him in Messiah that is as miraculous and unthinkable as the opening of the Red Sea!

Zechariah 12 and Ezekiel 36 stand as great monuments to the Will, Power, and Faithfulness of God. We prayed much into these things.

• We cried to the Lord to open the eyes of blind Israel
• We cried to God to unstop the ears of deaf Israel
• We cried to God to return with great Mercies (Zech. 1:16)
• We prayed for the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon this People to give them repentance unto life
• We prayed for the Son of God to be revealed in all His majesty and beauty to our nation
• We prayed for the Word to arise and be made alive in the midst of our nation
• Salvation is all of God, all by Grace, all by your Sovereignty, all by your Power to save O’ Lord. Set the captives free dear Lord, reveal thyself that we might fall at your feet, shine your light in our darkness and set us free to be yours and forever yours alone. Come, dear Lord, and save your people!

 We prayed for the Body of Messiah in the Land
There seems to be much confusion and bewilderment in the Body, along three lines:
Confusion regarding the Word of God - much false teaching and error….
Confusion regarding what is truly of the Holy Spirit and what is not, in these days
Confusion about the life we are to live here on earth, as believers. We seem to be happy  with a blend of world and kingdom, all the while we are called to a sanctified life!

• We prayed for the Word to rise again in the Body as central in authority and power
• We prayed for the Word to be preached clearly in the pulpits
• We prayed for the cleansing of the Bride by the Word of God and by the blood of the Lamb
• We prayed for the work of the True Holy Spirit in our midst to sanctify and separate each believer from the flesh, dead works, and the love of the world
• We prayed for a genuine revival in the Body of Messiah, the return of confession of sin and for the humbling of ourselves when we gather together as a congregation or congregations.
• We prayed for a renewed passion for seeking the Face of our beloved Lord
• We prayed for a renewed desire for prayer in the Body
• We prayed for the leaders of the congregation — to lead in these things

Blessings from Jerusalem,

 Why trouble the Teacher any further?
(The story of Jairus’ daughter Mark 5:21-42)

So long as Jairus’ daughter was alive, people believed she could be healed by Yeshua. But having been detained by the woman with the issue of blood, it seemed that it was all too late. Jairus’ servants came to tell him the bad news of her death, and added their opinion in the form of this question, “why trouble the teacher any further?” 

Most of us, if not all, are of the same faith. We can believe for things so long as they are possible. But it is challenging for us to believe and trust in a situation that seems to us beyond help. Our familiarity with the stories of the Bible, and our knowledge of how they end, can serve to dull our minds to the wonder of such a faith as, say, Abraham’s, who “not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead……, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, … did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.”  (Romans 4:19-20)

Such faith is needed when we come to pray for Israel.
Our condition as a nation is so far from the reality of the promises, that one is stretched and challenged to have that kind of faith that Abraham had….  It is one thing to say, ‘nothing is too hard for the Lord’, it is another to believe it, live it, and pray it with real faith (the only kind that actually touches God.)   

Yeshua’s response to this kind of ‘possible-only’ faith, is very sweet. He immediately turns to Jairus and says, ““Do not be afraid; only believe.” (Mark 5:36) and to the Possible-Faith crowd, he answers with a question of His own: “why do you make such a commotion ….?”  (Mark 5:39)

It all ended very well, of course. What a victory of Life, Grace, and of the power of God; the God with whom “all things are possible."? (See Matt 19:26 and story)

But this is not all.

What about today? What about Israel and God’s astounding promises such as found in Jeremiah 24:7, "I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." Or, Jeremiah 32:38, “ then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.” 

These promises are so staggering! He will give us a heart to know Him? He will give us One Heart as a nation!? To those who are praying far away somewhere, this may all seem so easy, so lovely, so possible, but to those of us living here and who feel and know our own condition, these are staggering promises. 

Well, to an astounded Jeremiah, who could hardly digest the amazing Goodness promised by God, (he could see the Babylonians surrounding the city, out of his window,) God revealed something so awesome, so astounding as to stagger one’s heart. He revealed the work of the crucified Messiah to Jeremiah. See Jeremiah 33:15-16, and of course, also Jeremiah 31:31-34.

This is the root of our faith, this is the faith in our praying, this is where our hope rests. Because of the cross we can believe that it shall be done, no matter how impossible naturally it is. We, therefore,  take Yeshua’s word to Jairus for ourselves, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 

Praying for Israel’s restoration to God
We will not enumerate prayers here, but recommend that you open your bibles to Jeremiah 31, 32, 33 and pray out of these texts. 

These chapters open up an amazing vista into the work of God in the land and its people. They include physical restoration, spiritual restoration, safety and security (such as Jeremiah 33:9, 16), 

They include the revelation of the cross and the work of the cross in the heart of the Jewish people, (Jeremiah 31:31-34).  

They of necessity include good government, justice in the land, and the general flourishing of God’s people.

As you pray these scriptures, may you also be awakened to appropriate these precious promises, at least the spiritual ones that are all yes and amen in Messiah. 

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Praying for Aliya in light of a recent visit in Bulgaria
On a recent visit to Bulgaria, I was astounded to find that during the Second World War the entire Jewish population was protected by the Bulgarians from being shipped to Germany for extermination, as Hitler demanded. 

Although the story is not that simple, and it is a fact that the Jews of Bulgaria suffered privations and mistreatment, the reality is that the Bulgarian government refused to ship the Jews to Germany. 

Prominent in that resistance was the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church, Stephan I, whose outcry against the deportation, tipped the scales. 

Another amazing fact is, that most of the Bulgarian Jews immigrated to Israel en-mass, after WWII. The communist regime allowed them to leave, for a price, and from 1948 to 1952 and even beyond that time, almost 45,000 Jews made Aliya. Many settled in Jaffa and till this day there is a large Bulgarian Jewish population there. It is of personal interest to us because our son-in-law is Bulgarian from his father’s side. 

You can read more about this here: The Jews of Bulgaria. 

But, I was just as astounded, to hear the young Jewish guide, who guided us on the ‘Jewish Tour,’ plead with us to fight for equality, goodness, and decency in the world. He believed in the goodness of Man and passionately challenged us to change the world so Jews can live everywhere in peace! 

I approached him after he finished his speech and urged him to make Aliyah!  

With anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi ideology on the rise, the Jews of the world can ill afford to entrain such thinking as the ‘goodness of Man’, and hope for some bright future for the families of the earth where mankind lives in peace and security and happiness. All indications are to the contrary. 

Only God is Good, and only God can save this earth and the human race, from destroying itself. 

We thank God, therefore, For His Word. It is the only Hope for Man and the only Hope for Israel. We thank God for His promises, for His Word is unchangeable and cannot return to Him void. It must be fulfilled to the letter! 

Psalm 126 (Please read it) speaks in the first part of the Act of God to bring His people back, and the second part is a great encouragement not to let up in prayer…those who sow in tears shall reap with joy! 

• We prayed for the Lord to break the strongholds that are keeping the Jewish people from making Aliya
• We prayed for the Lord to make the Jewish people in the diaspora uncomfortable in their spirit regarding the rise of anti-Semitism
• We prayed for the rest of the Jews in Bulgaria to make Aliya (including that young Man who guided us).
• We prayed for the Good Shepherd to seek out the lost sheep of Israel
• We prayed for the fulfillment of the promises from a covenantal perspective

We prayed for the salvation of the Jewish people
Jer. 31:9  They shall come with weeping,  And with supplications, I will lead them.  I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters,  In a straight way in which they shall not stumble;  For I am a Father to Israel,  And Ephraim is My firstborn.

The return of the Jewish people home to the Land has a spiritual aspect to it, that of salvation. The weeping and supplications in this verse, indicate repentance and a broken heart. This will only come with the revelation of Yeshua to His people. 

Zechariah 12:10 is intimately tied with this repentance as you can read. 

Eventually, it will be apparent that the Return to Him and the Return to the Land, are but two aspects of His work with His people. Both will be completed by the grace and power and intervention of the Lord.

• We prayed for brokenness and repentance to flood the Jewish people
• We prayed and pleaded for the Lord to reveal Himself to our nation
• We prayed for this outpouring of the Holy Spirit and asked for help to persist in it, even though we have not seen even a small could in the heavens yet. (1Kings 18:43-45)
• We prayed that the Lord would cut through the Lie, so many believe in, i.e., that good works will get them to heaven. (One political party put out a video of a Rabbi, already dead, that promised that anyone who would vote for them, would go to heaven!)
• We prayed that just as Adam knew he was naked, so would we as a people come to the shocking reality that we have no covering for our nakedness as a people (sin=nakedness) 

We prayed for the Body of Messiah in the Land
Gal. 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

Two more quotes:
“The reason Paul insisted on the centrality of the cross in polemical terms was that the Corinthian Christians wanted to pass over it altogether. This tendency persists in the American church today. H. Richard Niebuhr put it unforgettably in The Kingdom of God in America: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” When this happens, we may have religiosity, we may have uplift, we may have spirituality, but we do not have Christianity.

“Taking up the cross, as Jesus himself called us to do, means a total reorientation of the self toward the way of Christ. Long before he knew his own destiny, Dietrich Bonhoeffer memorably wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”’” (1)

While some of you, reading this may feel these quotes are too strong. Personally, I think that these things need a constant emphasis lest we stray away from true Christianity. It is a very foolish thing ( unintelligent, foolish, dull-witted) to abandon, or leave behind the cross as the center of our communion with the crucified one, as the light on our path, as the source of our understanding and walk with Him. 

• We prayed for the Body to experience a visitation from God in this way: The Revelation of Yeshua the Crucified and Resurrected Messiah.
• We prayed for a genuine revival where conviction brings God’s people back to Himself as the sole object of their love and affections.
• We prayed for a great victory for God in the lives of His people here in the Land. 
• We prayed for good, in-depth, and balanced teaching in the Body  - 1Cor. 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness

May you experience a real revival in your soul and spirit as you pray these things for us. Thank you for standing with us for the full counsel of God to be fulfilled.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Ofer  

___________________________________________________
1. Rutledge, Fleming. The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ (p. 65, 44). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Kindle Edition. 

Whose vision for Jerusalem
Sitting in a Christian Missionary Alliance church in Jerusalem, (I was there for a meeting), I was struck by the many, and often conflicting visions people have and have had for the city. 
CMA, for instance, built the property in 1906 when the Land was under Turkish rule. Their vision was to create an outreach center that will evangelize Muslims. Did they understand they were living in momentous days? World War I was around the corner, and so was the Balfour declaration (1917). Maybe, or maybe not. Certainly, the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church who own vast stretches of Land in Jerusalem had their own vision for the Land and the city. Muslims have their own vision, and even among the various Jewish streams, there are multiple and often conflicting visions for the city and the Land.

But God has His own vision, and that is the only one that counts. 

We prayed from the scriptures into God’s vision as it is clearly declared in the Word. 

Ezekiel 37:21-28 
Ezek. 37:21  “Then say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;
Ezek. 37:22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.
Ezek. 37:23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Ezek. 37:24 “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.
Ezek. 37:25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
Ezek. 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
Ezek. 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Ezek. 37:28 The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

Simply put, God’s vision for Israel is to send His Son back to rule over a gathered, cleansed, sanctified people who will walk with God in the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit unto obedience and the knowledge of God. The fulfillment of this vision will, also, be a clear revelation of God to the nations: He alone is God, that He is Holy (He sanctifies) and that He is the God of Israel. His presence amid His people will prove it! Worthy is the Lamb! 

We prayed God’s vision for the Land from these verses

• Lord let it not be our own vision, nor the nations’ vision, but only your vision that is established. 
• Lord everyone is trying to define your city, shape it to their own vision. They fight each other to gain control of the city. The Orthodox Jews, the Liberal Jews, all nations, settlers, tycoons, the Palestinians. Oh God deliver us from man’s vision altogether and establish your own plan
• Lord no might or power of man or the enemy can long resist your Spirit. Let it be not by their power nor by man’s or satan’s might, but by your Spirit
• Lord, we pray you will break the strongholds that are keeping Messianic Jews from coming to the Land to live here. 
• Eze 37:23 Lord show the power of your blood and the cross in cleansing your people. Display this nation as a trophy of Grace to the world, that they too may turn to you in repentance
• Eze 37:24 Lord, we long for the rule of your Son over us. We long for the day that righteousness will be the air we breathe in this nation. We long for the day in which your people will obey you and follow you and love you
• Eze 37:26 Lord we long for your presence, your nearness, your great Glory. We long to be ruled by our King, and we long to see our King! 
• We cry to you: Come, Lord Yeshua! 
• Lord establish your own plan and vision for this Land and overrule even our own government in any place where they are not doing what is in your will for the people. 
• Lord you promised blessing, prosperity, joy and happiness and relief to your people (see Jeremiah 31), overrule this government in anywhere they are establishing a plan that is not of your vision for the Land.
• Lord, we plead with you to direct the forming of this government according to your own Word 
• Lord have mercy on Israel and keep it on track according to your plan and Word. We give you our own worries and fears as to who will have what ministry in the government. You see your people are like sheep without a shepherd. Have mercy on Israel.

We prayed for the Body from these verses

• Lord you are the head of your Body, we cry to you to shape it according to your own will
• Lord, we pray for the same gathering, cleansing, sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to be at work in the Body of Messiah in the Land. 
• Let your bride come to her full
• Let your bride shine in your beauty
• Let your bride have a heart just for you
• Lord, clearly from these verses we see how you long to reunite with your people, we believe you desire deeply to be glorified in your Body, you want to come near to us, to reveal yourself to us, to appear in your Glory. Have your way, dear Lord
• Lord give your Body a deep longing for Truth.
• Lord give your Body a deep longing for her Messiah
• Lord give your Body a broken heart, a contrite spirit
• Lord give your Body a desire to obey you

The vision of the nations
If you read the next chapter, Ezekiel 38, you realize right away what the nations’ vision is: to conquer the Land! It is Gog and Magog, and without getting into interpretations of Who, What, Where and When, we can just simply say that this chapter describes the ultimate goal of the nations and it is in direct opposition to God’s own plan.

• Lord disappoint the nations and establish your own purpose
• Lord, keep Israel as the apple of your eye 
• Lord, humble the nations so that they may know they are but men (Psalm 9:20) and let them see your Glory (Psalm 102:15), that they may seek your face (Psalm 83:16)

Gaining God’s Vision from the Word
The meeting in CMA was a meeting of Jewish and Arab pastors in the city. Those who come are clear on the restoration of Israel, as they see it clearly from the scriptures. One brother recounted his recent visit to Finland where he also spoke in some refugee centers, preaching the gospel. He recounted his astonishment, that while visiting some of the already converted refugees, he found an Israeli flag on the wall. These refugees, from Iraq, Iran and from the Kurdish parts of Turkey, told him, “we love Israel!” 

This was my own experience as well, when I visited a church in Hamburg several years ago. After the service several Iranian brothers approached me with the biggest smiles and biggest hugs possible. They expressed the same thing; "we love your people". ​ What a joy we experienced together! 

We are all astounded by this, yet, isn’t it natural for a new believer, untainted by replacement theology, to read the Word and believe what it says? God’s vision is in plain sight! Would to God the Church will also just read and see and understand. 

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Today is Memorial Day in Israel. We are remembering the fallen soldiers and fallen victims of terror attacks.

Blood, much blood, rivers of blood have been spilled on the soil of this nation. From biblical times to this present moment so much blood has been spilled; sometimes, it may seem as if reality defies the Word of God, such as the first verses of Isaiah 40.

Is. 40:1  Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Is. 40:2  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

Yet, at a second look into these verses, we may find that the primary comforting of Israel here meant, is her restoration to God; the forgiveness of her iniquity. 

Indeed, is there a loss or sorrow greater than the loss of God? Is there anything more horrific than the loss of fellowship with Him; the estrangement from God Himself? 

That is the root of all our other sorrows and grief. Having rebelled against God, our estrangement from Him has led to much loss and pain: 

Lam. 1:18  “The LORD is righteous, For I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now, all peoples,  And behold my sorrow; My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

And in this context her comforting is also seen as directly connected with her restoration to God:  

Is. 12:1 And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me,  Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 
Is. 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; “For YAH, the LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ”

Isa 51:11  So the ransomed of the LORD shall return,  And come to Zion with singing,  With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

And this reconciliation with God will have a profound effect on the physical world around us as well: 

Is. 51:3  For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Not only the land but also the people: 
Jer. 31:13  “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together;  For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.  Jer. 31:14  I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.”

The root of all comfort
As we look at this, we must remember that Israel’s redemption, her return to union with her God, is because of the blood of the Son of God, shed on the cross. Of all bloodshed on the earth, His was the only one that brought cleansing, redemption, salvation, and comfort. 

“Oh, Lamb of God thou wonderful sin bearer!”

The Comforter
We find the designation of the Holy Spirit as Comforter in the KJV as amazingly appropriate. Some Bibles translate the Greek word parakletos as ‘helper (NKJV, ESV, NASB), but it is exceptionally appropriate to call Him Comforter, as He is the one who “appears in another’s behalf, mediator, intercessor, helper “ (BDAG) and He “pleads another’s cause before a judge” (Thayer). 

The comforting here is the work of God to reconcile us to Himself. And this is what I believe, is meant primarily in Isaiah 40. The root of all comfort is in this: the removal of the one great barrier of Sin between God and Man (all those who believe) and the removal of Death through this reconciliation. Col. 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Is. 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
Is. 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Is. 25:9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

And to all who love Jerusalem (mentioned above as 'this mountain'), and all of what she means to the Kingdom of God and His eternal plan is promised a partaking in her consolations. Satisfied in Him! 

Is. 66:10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
Is. 66:11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

Stand with us dear fellow intercessors, stand with us and pray for the mighty outpouring and work of God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Pray with us from these wonderful verses and indeed the whole of Isaiah 40 as it unfolds the supremacy of God overcoming all obstacles to the revelation of His person in great glory.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Every Wednesday evening we gather for intercession for the restoration of Israel.
The following is shared with you to help you in your own praying and interceding.

These are prayer directions rather than prayer points.
We want to leave room for the Holy Spirit to lead you and your group to pray as you are led.
​
If you would like to receive these Prayer Directions regularly, or 
If at any time you want to be removed from the list, please write us at:
ofer@israelprayercenter.org
​
****​

Dear Friends,
You will see that in these bulletins we go into detail to explain situations or bring various articles to your attention. We do all this because we believe it is in God’s heart to develop each one of you and us in God, both as believers and intercessors.  To pray for Israel deeply, one has to understand Israel deeply, even if it means facing the unsavory sometimes. God bless each of you in your own walk with God.
 
Pressure - without and within
This was the overall theme which we were led to pray into. The pressure of anti-Semitism, the pressure of extremism within Israel, and the pressure of the nations and superpowers on the land of Israel.

The Pressure of anti-Semitism
“Israeli researchers reported Wednesday that violent attacks against Jews spiked significantly last year, with the largest reported number of Jews killed in anti-Semitic acts in decades, leading to an “increasing sense of emergency” among Jewish communities worldwide.” For article click here

The last few years have seen phenomenal growth in anti-Semitism worldwide. What was a trickle before has now become a stream, and we do not doubt will become a flood. 

Attacks on Jews increased by 13% in the US and 16.5% in Canada (2000 incidences). In Europe, the rise is an astounding 70%.  On October 27, 2018, 11 Jews were killed in Pittsburgh. On April 29 just a few days ago, 1 Jewish woman was killed in a shooting in a synagogue in California.

In some countries, such as Turkey, Poland, Ukraine and Venezuela, anti-Semitism is promoted by the government. The most dangerous trend is that anti-Semitism has now gone mainstream. 

Anti-Semitism has been there all along before this eruption; it has lain dormant under the surface in all nations. We believe that anti-Semitism is one of the most destructive and dangerous demonic forces to come out of hell; mainly because it is a direct war against God’s own kingdom purpose and plan for and through Israel. Anti-Semitism is a hatred of God and the people of God, which means that it will lead to the persecution of the true church as well.

Among Jewish people in the US, there is an “increasing sense of emergency.” 

Rather than pray directly against this great evil, we prayed for Aliya - the gathering of all the Jewish people to the land of Israel. 

Is. 11:12  He will set up a banner for the nations,  And will assemble the outcasts of Israel,  And gather together the dispersed of Judah  From the four corners of the earth. (See how the chapter is about the Messiah.) See Mat. 23:37 for the desire and passion of God Himself to bring His people back to the land and to Himself.

• Lord thank you for the awakened sense of emergency among the Jews in Europe and the USA
• We prayed much for a greater awakening among the Jewish people worldwide
• We prayed that entire communities of Jews would come to Israel en-mass
• We prayed that the Jews who live in the Diaspora will come home rather than barricade themselves in the nations where they live.
• We prayed for all the Israelis who have immigrated to other nations in hopes of finding a better life. (In light of what is happening that seems like a wrong choice.)
• We prayed for organizations such as Ebenezer, Nefesh b’Nefesh, etc. who are aiding Aliya
• We prayed for the Spirit of the Living God to move upon the Jewish people and impart to them a burning desire to come to the Land

Pressures of extremism within the land
Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 A.D. did not happen in Roman hands alone. Read history, and you will find that the zealots of those times were so violent against their own people, it staggers the mind. 

"The second Jewish rebellion took place 60 years after the first and established an independent state lasting three years. For many Jews of the time, this turn of events was heralded as the long hoped for Messianic Age. The excitement was short-lived, however, and after a brief span of glory, the revolt was crushed by the Roman legions." (Read the whole article here) 

That type of zealotry ended in an even greater bloodshed than that of 70 A.D.; to this day it is one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the Jewish people.  

Today we have some extremism of a similar kind in the land. It is quite disturbing, to say the least. 

“US envoy slams rabbis for ‘vile’ diatribes supporting racism, Hitler’s worldview”  Read about it here

[If you read the article, you will see that one rabbi refers to humanism and secularism as the real holocaust. What he is referring to is that secularism is the great holocaust of the Jewish people, and should be fought with zealous religious fervor. 

What is the answer to this? Salvation in Messiah Yeshua! 
Great darkness has fallen upon us ever since we rejected our King and Savior Yeshua. (Isaiah 9:2 - We have been left with great darkness and dwell in ‘the land of the shadow of death.” 

We prayed much into the wonderful promises of God 

• Ezekiel 36:25-29 
• Jeremiah 3:14-19 
• Jeremiah 31:31-34  
• We prayed for balance in the government and for the Lord to overrule the will of man to bring about a government that will lead and care for the whole nation as one people. 

The Pressures from without
Ever since Israel was a nation, it has found itself existing between superpowers. In antiquity it was Egypt and the Syrians, then the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, Greeks, Romans and so on.

Today Israel finds itself once again, living in a region that is of interest to all the superpowers: The US, Russia, and increasingly China. Each of these nations is pursuing its own interests in the Middle East, and more often than not, those interests are contradictory to what is right for Israel. 

We cannot take it for granted that the US will always be in the lead of nations, nor can we take it for granted that the US will be led by favorable administrations.

​The outcome of WWII was not guaranteed to end in the West's victory. 

What made the difference? Prayer! Such people as Rees Howells who knew His Bible and stood before God firmly on it made the difference. We too are called to stand firmly on the Word of God and knock on heaven’s doors till the Supreme and only God, will answer and fulfill His promises. 

To read an interesting point of view on the rise of China in our area read here

We prayed from Psalm 2 for the current situation 
This psalm speaks of what the nations are doing — plotting against the Lord and His anointed. It speaks of what God has done — He has set His king on Mt. Zion, and it speaks of God’s wisdom and advice given to the nations — humble yourselves and obey God before He rises in His wrath.

• We prayed much from each of the portions of this psalm
• Lord all nations have a plan, but thankfully you have one too! As the nations plot, you carry out your plan. 
• Lord the nations will be your inheritance in the world - arise O’ Lord and rule though in the affairs of man on the earth
• We pray for providence to work out in Israel’s favor every time, all the time in every international move that concerns her.
• We acknowledged the Lord’s right to rule the nations
• We acknowledged that this nation and this city belong to Him
• We Thanked God for His unchangeable word and prayed it will be fulfilled to the uttermost 

Thank you for standing before the Lord for this nation and for His work in the earth.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Psa. 73:11  And they say, “How does God know?  And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Psa. 73:12  Behold, these are the ungodly,  Who are always at ease;  They increase in riches.
Psa. 73:13  Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,  And washed my hands in innocence.
Psa. 73:14  For all day long I have been plagued,  And chastened every morning.
Psa. 73:15  If I had said, “I will speak thus,”  Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
Psa. 73:16  When I thought how to understand this,  It was too painful for me--
Psa. 73:17  Until I went into the sanctuary of God;  Then I understood their end.

Anyone who truly endeavors to walk with the Lord in this generation, comes up against the feelings expressed in the verses quoted above.

One is tempted to entertain thoughts such as the writer of this psalm. To the believer, it seems that nothing ever changes, that the ungodly are just so happy in their sins, they are at ease while the believer and God-seeker are under a big burden. “Is it in vain,”  the writer asks, “that I have cleansed my heart? Made an effort to walk in integrity? Kept from the spirit of this world, while the wicked and godless just keep prospering? Does God know about this?” He goes on to say, “All day I suffer and am plagued, and when I try to understand this, all I come up with is pain”.  

And what about those who pray so diligently for salvation, for a change, for God to invade Israel with His loving kindness and grace? When will God break the power of darkness over this land? When will the Lord break in on the awful oppression of religion that is so dead set against the Messiah? 

The break comes in verse 17.  The writer sees God; he goes into the sanctuary, and in the sanctuary and witness of eternal truths, he gains perspective and comes to understand! Oh, how we need a for a sight of Yeshua! Oh for a sight of the Lamb of God, and of the cross! There, we gain a true “seeing,” a true understanding. There, in His Presence,and in His Word,  we begin to understand the world we live in, in the light of heaven. And then our hearts come to a resting place from whence it can rise again in faith and renewed life to stand before Him in intercession and prayer.

Is. 40:31  But those who wait on the LORD  Shall renew their strength;  They shall mount up with wings like eagles,  They shall run and not be weary,  They shall walk and not faint.

Praying for redemption in Israel during Passover
While we as Messianic believers rejoice greatly in our present redemption in Yeshua,  while we celebrate the Exodus, and look forward to another redemption for our people, our people sit in darkness. The house of Israel will celebrate a past redemption without any understanding of the Great Redemption in the blood of the Lamb.

• We thanked God for the blood of the Lamb of God
• We acknowledged that there is salvation in no other. That it is through faith in His accomplished and finished work on the cross
• We pleaded with God to open the eyes of our people to that Lamb of God
• We asked God to look with compassion upon His nation and send the Spirit of Grace and Supplication upon them 
• We asked for the Lord to visit each family in Israel with a real sense of the need for the covering of the blood. 
• We asked the Lord to flood the people of Israel with light from heaven
• We queried God respectfully: How long will you keep silent? When will your voice be heard again in this land, proclaiming: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?"
• We asked God to break the darkness spread over this land, the darkness of superstition, idols, false religions, and evil spirits
• We prayed for the Lord to fulfill His plans and purposes for this city
• We expressed our longing for the Lord to come and sit again as King on His throne as Gabriel told Mary (Luke 1:32)

Praying for the Body of Messiah during Passover
You might know that before Passover, many in the land get rid of the leaven in the house. The religious are quite meticulous about it, going through a ritual of looking in the corners of the house, with a candle and a feather ( to get into the tiniest places.) 

• We prayed for a real and authentic reviving and refreshing in the Body of the wonder of the Blood of the Lamb
• We prayed for an individual and a corporate return to the Lord
• We prayed for an individual and a corporate cleansing and throwing out the “leaven” from each heart and fellowship through repentance, a return to the Lamb and a humbling of ourselves
• We prayed for a renewed appreciation and rejoicing in the great salvation we have in Messiah
• We prayed for a renewed consecration to follow the Lamb
• We prayed for the Lord to “kick out” of the midst any compromise with the world’s ways, any perversions of the Gospel, any mixture, false teaching, soulishness
• We asked the Lord to bring a great and true spiritual reality of God’s Love, Holiness in the lives and relationships of the believers in the Land

Praying or the new government during coalition making time
As many of you know, the way a government is formed in Israel is by a coalition. Usually, the biggest party gets to try to put together a coalition of parties who would give the government a majority in the Knesset. Netanyahu, who heads the Likud party has been asked by the president to form the next government and he is working on crafting together a coalition. 

This is the time where each party, will try to squeeze the most concessions and agreement from the prime minister, for the benefit of their own party….  Here is not the place to explain all the potential dangers and the mischief of such a time. We just mention this to ask you to pray earnestly for this during this time.

• We prayed for the Lord to guide this coalition-making process so that the next government will further God’s plans and purposes for this land at this time
• We pleaded with God not to let the wrong people take office in places where they will harm Israel’s interests, both globally, and the people’s welfare internally 
• We asked for the Lord to show Himself merciful and gracious
• We acknowledged God’s sovereignty and providence even in a democracy, and asked Him to exercise both His sovereignty and providence to overrule in the nation’s affairs
• We asked God to show Himself merciful and gracious
• We acknowledged that the future of Israel is in His hands, and asked that He would accomplish His will in His love and mercy

​
We ended proclaiming together Jeremiah 33:9 
Jer. 33:9 Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.
Amen, let it be so.

Yeshua is Victor! He Reigns! 


Blessings from Jerusalem,

The Priesthood of the believer
Eph. 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Eph. 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph. 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph. 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

1Pet. 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The verses above clearly point to the way God sees His people (the believers in Messiah). They are His Holy Temple, they are His priests! This is the believer’s calling and purpose. To come near to God and serve Him, among other things, as intercessors. 

The great need of Israel right now is for prayer and intercession
If ever there was a time Israel needed prayer it is now! Israel’s very nature and character as a state will be shaped by the next government. It is a critical time here in the land; what will the nature of the State be formed into in the next few years? 

While some are celebrating Bibi’s win, most do not realize that the Orthodox parties also won in a big way; they significantly increased in power and influence and will be a deciding element in the next government. 

While this is not the place to try to expound on the meaning of such a reality, we can at least mention that the agenda of the Orthodox parties is to force the religious law on the land. They want Israel not only to be Jewish but Orthodox! They will do their utmost to change the law to Halacha laws, (religious laws governing the state and life in general.) This is a bit like Sharia laws in Muslim countries, which is increasingly influencing western countries.) 

Read this good article from Geopolitical Futures (https://geopoliticalfutures.com)
by Jacob Shapiro: The Age of Bibi 

This is the time to pray! As coalition negotiations begin, heads of parties are going to exact a heavy price for their support of Bibi. Each leader will want a ministry in which he could best influence the nation and shape it according to his party’s vision, and to use the nation’s resources to reach those goals.

Praying for the Body of Messiah in the Land
There has never been more of a need in this nation for the Body to come into its true call to be a Spiritual House for the Lord and to be a priesthood.

Personally, I have been deeply moved by the Lord to stand on, and pray from the verses given above for the Body of Messiah.

I am sure that if you look at your own congregation wherever you live, you will see the need of the Body! Most of the Church doesn’t have a clue as to its calling and purpose. So much of church life revolves around ‘what God can do for me’ and not ‘What does God want me to be and do for Him’! 

May God awaken you to the need of the hour and may you respond by giving yourself to Him to pray, seek His face and intercede for His own agenda, so clearly spelled out in His Word.

May the Lord help you and us and may we be found faithful!



​Blessings from Jerusalem,