SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 69

Jerusalem, Israel

AUGUST 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East

Psalm 121

Going into these negotiations with the Palestinians, does the Israeli government have “red lines” in place that they will not cross, regardless of U.S. pressure?  Those “red lines” would be:  

(1) No division of the land (no withdrawing to the pre-1967 lines; no uprooting of major settlements).

(2) No division of Jerusalem (no Arab control over east Jerusalem, including neighborhoods in the Old City and its surroundings. No official Palestinian or foreign control over the holy sites; no custodial arrangements of shared power over the Temple Mount).

(3) No international peacekeeping force along the Jordan Valley. Only a strong Israeli military presence will be allowed on the eastern border with Jordan.

(4) No return of Palestinian “refugees” to the state of Israel.

(5) There must be a Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish State.

(6) The Palestinians and Arab countries must be willing to end the conflict with verbal and written assurances.

(7) Any Palestinian entity on any of the land of Judea and Samaria must be de-militarized.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 states:

“So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.”

Pray that the Lord will give Israeli leaders great discernment, courage, and conviction to not cross “red lines” as they proceed with peace talks. Pray that they will search out the Lord Almighty for His wisdom and counsel, seeking to know what is behind the negotiations that are the result of evil plans created for evil purposes (ploys that are working directly against the will of God!)

*Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said, “This land belongs to us.”  He has stated there will be no peace without Jerusalem; no Palestinian state without Jerusalem; no security and stability without Jerusalem.

Ask the Lord to close the mouth of Abbas so that he cannot declare that Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians. When Abbas opens his mouth, pray that he declares, Zechariah 12:3:  "It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured…”

We know that all the nations of the earth will eventually be gathered against Jerusalem. Pray that during this present time of grace, God will preserve nations for Himself; those nations that will come into alignment with His Kingdom purposes. Though such nations may fall, pray that they will rise up again, in repentance, and declare the salvation of the Lord and His Glorious Presence to all mankind!

Zechariah 8:20-22: “Thus said the LORD of hosts; it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.’ Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.”

*Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett has stated that Jews were in Judea and Samaria thousands of years ago, and they will continue to live there for thousands of years into the future. He has also stated that the Palestinians think the only way to defeat Israel is “to brainwash us and make us forget that the Land of Israel is ours. Judea and Samaria are ours, not because they protect Gush Dan, but because Abraham walked there.” (6/20/2013 Jerusalem Post).

Intercede for Naftali Bennett who is a torch bearer for Israel and the Jewish people. Declare over his life Isaiah 62:1, and come into agreement with this enduring promise from God:  “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent; and, for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a burning torch.”

Pray that the Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiating teams will speak of God’s everlasting covenant with the Jewish People, through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – from generation to generation. Declare the Lord’s promises concerning the Jewish People, especially the scriptures that speak of the dimensions of the land covenant He has entered into with Israel – stretching from the Euphrates River to the Great Sea. (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Joshua 1:4).

*On the 9^th of Av, many Jewish and Christian worshippers in Jerusalem were making their way to the Temple Mount to pray and repent for the destruction of the 1^st and 2^nd Temples that happened on that day. When they approached the Mount, they were turned back by the Israeli police. The police were concerned there would be riots and violence because it was Ramadan and there were many Moslems up on the Mount praying. The police had granted thousands of Arabs entry to pray at the Dome of the Rock. This infuriated the hundreds of Jews and Christians who wanted to pray peacefully on the Mount. 

Pray that, in the future, Israel will exercise its sovereignty over the Temple Mount and strengthen its authority over the Holy City, Jerusalem. Pray that Israeli security forces will stop fearing repercussions from the Moslem community when Jews and Christians request to pray on the Mount. Intercede, asking God to change the hearts of men, so that the site will be open to Jews and Christians who want to enter it, according to the basic right of “freedom of religion”. This right should be exercised in Jerusalem, according to the biblical fact that the Temple Mount is the holiest area to the Jewish People. Pray that the police will stop making excuses about security and begin to protect Jewish citizens who want to pray there, especially during important holidays that have biblical significance. 

*There has been an increase in racially motivated attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (stabbings; murder), along with criminal killings. There has also been an increase in rapes this summer of women tourists, especially in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Meanwhile, Jerusalem security guards have been acting out their hostile aggressions with a spate of shootings over the past month. Some officials are concerned that these guards can easily obtain gun licenses for their jobs, which gives them the ability to use their weapons against innocent civilians. Ask the Lord to expand security operations in Israel, especially in major cities. Pray that all citizens, and those who are visiting Israel, will be shielded from perpetuators of evil. Pray that God will cleanse the land of all violence and hatred. 

*A Jewish law of return has gone into effect in Lisbon, Portugal.  The Portuguese government has recognized the Jewish descendants of those who perished in the Spanish Inquisition; or, were persecuted and fled to other nations. Now, those “anusim”, who through ancestry, language and name can identify with the Jewish People, will be allowed to return to Portugal and claim their Jewishness!  

This is the beginning of the release of Jews from Spanish-speaking countries who will eventually be allowed to make Aliyah to Israel! Once the “anusim” return to Portugal to live, they will then be able to apply to immigrate to this land as Jews!

Thank the Lord for this breakthrough for the Portuguese Jews! Pray that Spain will follow in passing a bill through parliament that will allow the naturalization of the Jewish descendants of expelled Jews from the Spanish Inquisition. Pray that all nations in Latin America will also follow suit.

Declare, as in Obadiah 1:20, that the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (Spain) shall possess the cities of the South in Israel (the Negev), and live there forever! Hallelujah!

* There was an increase of 40% in Aliyah from France in 2012.  Pray that the Jewish people keep making their way to Israel, and that they will begin to return to their homeland in mass numbers in the days to come. Pray for a great wave of immigration to Israel from western countries in 2013!  (Isaiah 43:5-6).

 

*Chaos and upheaval continue in Syria and Egypt, while the world looks on, not knowing what to do.  Declare the healing of both these nations and the promise of hope that the Syrian and Egyptian people have in future times.

Isaiah 27:13: “And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.”