SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 72

Jerusalem, Israel

OCTOBER 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East

John 4:10; John 7:37-38

Israel cannot count on the international community when it comes to Iran – especially not the U.S. or Western powers. Iran’s recent charm offensive is causing nations to be deceived and re-think the use of military action if Iran does not comply with diplomatic demands to stop its nuclear military program. Israeli leaders are trying to convince the global community that stiffer sanctions must be applied and that leaders should not placate the Iranians in their quest for nuclear power.

Israeli leaders must look to the Lord for wisdom, strength, and might in dealing with the Iranian crisis. Pray for Netanyahu to have the kind of wisdom that Solomon had when he needed great help in such earthly matters. (Read 1 Kings 4:29-30).  Intercede for wisdom to come to all Israel’s government leaders, declaring passages in Proverbs Chapter 8.

• There has been an increase in violence in the Old City as Israeli Jews demand more access to the Temple Mount to pray, especially during special feast days. There are new initiatives within the Israeli government, particularly vocalized by the Bayit Yehudi party (a right-wing conservative party in the Knesset) calling for the laws of Israel to be implemented that allow Jews and Christians to pray on the Temple Mount without restrictions. 

To-date, Muslims are allowed to pray at the Al-Aksa Mosque but Jews are forbidden to pray at any time on the Mount. The Mount is controlled by the WAQF (an Islamic Trust that is overseen by Jordan and the Palestinians). Israel has overall jurisdiction of the Mount, but the police placate the Muslims. Israeli leaders fear that the Muslims will cause an international incident if the government changes the status quo. So, Israel does not exercise its authority over the Temple Mount.

The police simply try to keep the area free of violence attempting to provide an atmosphere of calm. This does not work when Jewish worshippers want to seek God on the original Temple site during certain days of the year and they are locked out. The police have also restricted Muslims, according to age, from ascending the Mount, when there is a heightened alert. This stirs up Muslims who unleash their frustration and anger on the police, soldiers, and Jewish worshippers, especially after Friday prayers in the Old City.

Muslim leaders have used the recent clashes as an opportunity to spread lies that Israel is trying to take over the Al-Aksa Mosque, destroy it, and build a third Temple there. This is causing increased tensions between Palestinian and Jewish worshippers. Rocks have been thrown at Jews trying to tour the Mount, or at those trying to pray at the Western Wall below. 

Tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs recently attended a rally in an Israeli Muslim town that has become increasingly influenced by radical Islam.  At the rally Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah stirred up incitement towards violent action against Jews. Salah gave an inflammatory speech at Rosh Hashanah calling for rioting during the feast.

Jewish and Arab Knesset members have been vocal in their hostilities towards one another regarding the Temple Mount issue. The atmosphere in and around the Old City is like a power-keg ready to explode. Our sense is that if the Palestinians want to start a third Intifada, they are already preparing for it. They will look to create an incident on the Temple Mount.   

  

Pray about this volatile issue. Intercede before the Lord for His Presence to be manifested on the Temple Mount day and night. Pray that all those who love Him and worship Him will have access to the Mount and will be able to freely worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 

Pray that all wicked and evil plots that would try to destroy the works of the Lord on His Holy Mountain would cease immediately in Yeshua’s name!  Pray that all lies would be exposed and all plans to hurt the Jewish People will be rendered null and void.

Pray that the Lord will bring a spirit of confusion into the ranks of those who would try to limit Jewish and Christian prayers on the Mount.

Proclaim Psalm 91 and Ephesians 6, prayers of protection over those who pray at the Western Wall and tour the Temple Mount.

Pray according to Isaiah 54:17 for worshippers near or on the Temple site: “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me," declares the LORD.

  

Pray according to 2 Corinthians 10:4, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds!” Pray for the Lord of the Breakthroughs to come!

• One of Israel’s most powerful rabbis, Shas leader Ovadia Yosef, is in serious condition at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital. The rabbi, who is 93 years old, has multiple health problems. An estimated 40,000 people prayed for him at a mass rally at the Western Wall on Sunday, September 29.  The rabbi is known as a powerful political manipulator. The Shas Party uses superstition and amulets to recruit followers.  There is wickedness in high places among the loyal members of Shas.  Pray the Lord will use this illness to purify His people. Intercede that Ovadia Yosef will have a revelation of His Messiah, Yeshua, before the masses. Pray that his followers will come to salvation during these troubled times. Pray that their hope will be in Jesus and not in the rabbi, himself.  Ask the Lord to give Ovadia Yosef dreams and visions that bring him to the knowledge of the Son of God and that he spreads the truth among the Shas leadership before the Lord takes him home!

• Despite wars and rumors of war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took two hours during the Fall Feasts to discuss the Bible with a group of rabbis and scholars.  This was the 4^th meeting of the study circle that the prime minister has hosted.

The passage was from Deuteronomy Chapter 34: “And Moses went up from the plains of Moav to the Mountain of Nebo; And, the Lord showed him all the land of Gilad to Dan, and all Naftali, and the land of Ephraim and Menashe and all the land of Yehuda, as far as the utmost sea… I have caused thee to see it with thy eyes, but thou shall not go over there.” 

The Bible study discussion was about the punishment given to Moses which Netanyahu thought was cruel. Netanyahu said he has always wanted to travel to Mount Nebo, and still hopes to get there someday.

As reported in the Jerusalem Post on 9/18/2013, Netanyahu said:  “Moses could not enter the Promised Land, and we merit that privilege to be here in the land of our forefathers thanks to him and thanks to the struggle of our people. And, we bless every second. It is a great privilege to read this great book and to know that we are fulfilling what God commanded our people. The fact that this is our inheritance and that we are here to stay – in that way we are fulfilling the legacy.”

Thank the Lord for Isaiah 55:11 which states:  “So is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Declare Isaiah 2:3 over Netanyahu and his government:  “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’ The law will go forth out of Zion, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 71

Jerusalem, Israel

DIFFERENCES CONTRIBUTING TO REGIONAL UNCERTAINTY: 

The U.S. and Israel

The High Holy season is officially over in Israel but life is not back to normal. Regional events are casting a shadow over the Middle East causing the Israeli government to feel the tension and stress of trying to defend the nation, militarily, from terrorism and war; while also defending it, diplomatically, from regimes that want to destroy the safety and security of Israeli citizens. 

During the past few weeks it has become obvious that the thawing in the personal relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, which was highlighted in Obama’s visit to Israel in March 2013, has recently frozen over. This is because of differences in opinion regarding key Middle East issues and the way they are being handled.  While, publicly, it appears that the two men are on the same page – privately, they are not.

Netanyahu is currently in the U.S. speaking in Washington, at the U.N., and on major media networks, trying to get Israel’s point-of-view across to Americans as well as the international community.

As disagreements are being discussed behind closed doors, it is clear where the U.S. stands and where Israel stands, based on each country’s geo-political interests. Rifts between Obama and Netanyahu are widening the gap between these two allies. This is unfortunate in a volatile Middle East where U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation needs to be robust and strong.

Contributing to uncertainty in the region is Iran’s quest for nuclear capability, masked by a recent Iranian charm offensive meant to fool Western powers. U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic phone call with new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has seemed to shift American interests away from increased sanctions on Iran. Now it is all about direct diplomacy between Obama and Rouhani supposedly meant to sway Tehran away from its quest for nuclear capability. Yet, the centrifuges are spinning faster and more efficiently than before, and Iran is headed towards enough uranium enrichment for a “breakout” within six months. This is the greatest threat to Israel’s survival and alarms Israel’s government.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s agreement to allow international inspectors into Syria to destroy his massive piles of WMD’s, considered an impossible feat in a country that is embroiled in a 2.5 year old bloody war, is also contributing to uncertainty in the Middle East.  Yet, when America and Western powers could have intervened, in the beginning of the Syrian civil war, nothing was done. The isolationist attitude of Americans, who are war-weary and have ignored the crisis in Syria, is even more surprising in their decision not to punish Assad for using chemical weapons against his own citizens. More than 1,400 died from sarin gas this summer. Now the death toll in Syria is 110,000; and, millions of Syrians have been displaced who are hungry and living in poverty.

Obama’s appeasement policies, coupled with America’s reluctance to get involved in another conflict that does not directly affect its shores, has contributed to a major shift in the region’s power and influence.  As American diplomacy trumps war in the region, Israel and Arab Gulf States are showing greater concern about the strengthening of the Shiite Crescent -- from Iran, to Iraq, to Syria, and to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The weakening of American resolve to get involved in the region has Russia poised to take over as the leading political power in the Middle East. Russia has effectively blocked UN Security Council resolutions concerning Syria and Iran, while beefing up its own military presence in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin is delighted to take on the new role of “chief security guard”, assuring the world of Assad’s willingness to destroy his chemical stockpiles. Putin has also been very willing to help Iran store its enriched uranium and fuel rods in his country. Russia has hidden its role in assisting Iran’s mullahs in their quest for nuclear military power. In addition, because Russia has continued to supply advanced weapons systems to Iran and Syria, it has aligned itself with the Shiite axis of rogue states, propping up these regional powers.

While war and rumors of war continue to embroil the Middle East, Obama has focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, linking it to regional stability. Leaks from the Palestinians indicate that peace negotiations are at a stalemate and that a third Intifada may be on the horizon. This, linkage is also a major concern for Israel as Obama puts pressure on Netanyahu to offer more concessions to the Palestinians.

These are just some of the indicators of how sensitive a time it is for Israel – especially in its relationship with America. What Bible-believers do not often understand is that Israel’s foreign policy decisions are almost always based on what is good for the security and survival of the Jewish State.   As a small island in the midst of a violent aggressive sea of enemies, Israel has to look after its own. The citizens of this nation trust that their prime minister, his security cabinet, and his military advisors are focused on trying to keep Israelis safe and secure.  If Israel has to fight wars on its own, without American or Western assistance, it will do so. Netanyahu’s foreign policy is simple: Stay out of the way until attacked or threatened with annihilation. Then, go to war.   Israel can no longer rely on others to defend the only Jewish State in the Middle East.

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Matthew 24:6