Jerusalem,
Israel
MAY
18, 2021 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and
the Nations
Israel is
in the midst of a “mini war”. Millions of Israelis are being targeted by
rockets launched from Gaza by Hamas, an arm of the Sunni Moslem Brotherhood,
and a military proxy of Shiite Iran. Hamas
is a terrorist organization, recognized by the U.S. and EU and other countries.
It’s responsible for killing Israelis and
Palestinians.
Hamas’
ideology calls for the killing of Jews all over the world, just for being Jews. This is not only a terror organization, but
considered an anti-Semitic organization.
Under the
international rules of military engagement, Hamas is committing a double war
crime: (1) Targeting civilians in Israel. (2) Launching terror attacks from the
center of their own civilian population located in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas
leaders are using their own people as human shields. And, they want Islamic casualties on
the Israeli side of the border and the Palestinian side of the border!
According
to the MFA, 20-40% of the terrorist rockets launched from Gaza are misfired and
end up in Gaza. It’s a high number when
you compare it to similar operations in recent years. Another issue the IDF has
been seeing is that it has caused a lot of damage in the Gaza Strip and a lot
of casualties.
PRAYER
POINT:
It’s
a spirit of death operating through Hamas; also, it involves demonic trickery;
Hamas is looking for a way to get the international community to blame Israel
for deaths and damage in the Gaza Strip that is NOT caused by Israel!
DECLARE:
Psalm Chapter 35 and Psalm Chapter 37. See Acts 13:10.
One of the
reasons that Hamas started this military operation is because of an internal
conflict within Palestinian society. The Palestinians living in Jerusalem, and
the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and those living in Gaza (mainly terrorists
who represent the Gazans), are trying to show themselves as “guardians” of
Jerusalem and the holy places.
Israeli
leaders have called this IDF military operation: “Guardian of the
Walls”. In Hebrew, it’s “Shomer Al Hachamot.”
The
Palestinians, in wanting to REPLACE the calling and destiny of the Jewish
People, see this land as their land; see Jerusalem as their city; and, see the
Jewish People as taking over land that they perceive belongs to them. They are
currently trying to take what has been given by God to His Chosen People… the
Jews.
PRAYER
POINTS:
An
interpretation of Israel’s military operation would be, “watchmen on the
walls”.
Who
are the “watchmen on the walls”? God’s
intercessors! See Isaiah 62:6-7.
The
Palestinians are trying to usurp Israel’s place of serving God in His
covenantal relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It’s about the “land
covenant” which God made with Israel, which extends from “the Euphrates River
to the Great Sea.”
The
Jewish People (not the Palestinians) are the guardians of Jerusalem’s
holy places! See Romans 9:4: “The
People of Israel: Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs is the divine
glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the Temple worship, and the
promises.”
So,
stand, in prayer, on the land covenant promised to the Jewish People: Deuteronomy 11:24; Exodus 6:8; Exodus
23:31; Exodus 32:13; Psalm 147:19-20).
A
very important part of this we can learn from the book of Isaiah, but also from
the book of Nehemiah -- about being guardians on the walls. We are to
give the Lord no rest until He establishes, until He makes Jerusalem a praise
in the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7). Yet, we also must seek wisdom from God how to
protect the walls we are guarding! And, know who our opponents are -- those who
want to disrupt the peace and cause the kind of conflict happening today in
Israel!
See
Nehemiah 4:1-7. Even while
Israel is guarding the walls today, its enemies are looking for ways to disrupt
God’s work.
In
the day of Nehemiah, the Israelites had to overcome discouragement in order to
finish the work on the walls of Jerusalem.
They had a strategy. They posted a guard against their enemies day and
night. Their enemies were set on defeating them. The Jewish laborers on the
walls were afraid. So, Nehemiah was a great strategist. He stationed the wall-builders
at the most vulnerable places. He armed them and put them near families to
protect them.
How
do we apply this to what is happening in Israel today? The IDF is placing the Iron Dome system near
cities that are receiving a barrage of rockets. However, the Iron Dome is
reportedly, only 90% accurate. There are also not enough Iron Dome systems operating
throughout the country. Financially, every time the Iron Dome anti-missile
defense system tries to intercept Hamas rockets, the cost is very expensive.
Israel’s enemies know how costly this war is!
When
the rockets hit the outskirts of Jerusalem on the first night of the current
conflict, only 1 out of 7 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome. Along the
coastal front today, about 1 out of 4 rockets are intercepted by the Iron Dome.
Therefore,
the Iron Dome needs to be more accurate; able to intercept more rockets fired;
and more Iron Dome systems are needed in Israel.
As
believers, we also have to do better at being the Guardians of the Walls,
and of the people!
Nehemiah says in Chapter 4:14: “After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the
officials, and the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the
Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your
daughters, your wives and your homes.’ ”
These are your brothers and sisters that you are
fighting for in the Spirit realm!
Nehemiah 4:15-23: When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and
that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. And
from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held
spears, shields, bows, and armor. (Are you getting strategy here?)
The officers stationed themselves behind all the
people of Judah, who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried
materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. And,
each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter
stayed beside me.
(Note,
the position of the Trumpeter, and the calling of the trumpeter to rally the
troops when necessary).
Then I (Nehemiah) said to the nobles, the officials,
and the rest of the people: ‘The work is great and extensive, and we are spread
out far from one another along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the
horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!’
So we continued the work, while half of the men held
spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. At that time I also
said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside
Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”
This is a call to intercessors. What will be your
strategy?
(Nehemiah continued): “So neither I nor my brothers
nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried
his weapon, even to go for water.”
We
read in the scriptures that follow, that after this, the Jews started fighting
among themselves, and in a way it became a “house divided that cannot
stand.” Israel became vulnerable because
of the infighting! This is what is
happening today in the land!
Nehemiah
addresses the issue, and the people repent.
Today,
the nation of Israel is not able to stand, very well, as a nation, through this
unleash of violence.
Part
of this division is among the politicians who can’t form a new government. Part
of this division is an ancient conflict between the sons of Isaac and the sons
of Ishmael… forced to live in the same house…. the house of Israel.
The
Palestinians, which represent Ishmael inside the land, also feel rejected by
the Arab Gulf nations that passed over them to make peace with Israel through
the Abrahamic Accords. At the same time, those peace agreements were a needed
alliance with Israel, as described in Ezekiel
38:13.
Hamas is causing
the destabilization of Israel right now, including Jerusalem and the West Bank
(Judea and Samaria). But, who is behind Hamas?
Iran. Iran supplies Gaza terrorists (including Islamic Jihad)
with rocket parts and supplies. And, Iranian money and training fuels conflicts
with Israel.
The
Israeli government has said that if Hamas would succeed in taking over the
leadership of the Palestinians in the West Bank, and of the Palestinian
Authority, this would be a huge damage to the possibility
of ever reaching regional stability. And, ever reaching an agreement to end the
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
To
confirm: In the past few days, Palestinian terrorist groups backed by Hezbollah
have launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon. Iran is trying to not only
destabilize Israel from within, but also from the north.
PRAYER
POINTS:
In
prayer, release into the atmosphere a breakthrough in diplomacy for the cause
of Israel. The message to the nations must be clear and strong; military
partnerships with Israel must be strong and secure.
Most
importantly, this is not against flesh and blood, but against the
principalities and powers of the air; against spiritual forces in heavenly
places. Call upon the Lord of Hosts, the Commander of the Armies of Heaven to
intervene with “breakthrough” spiritual forces at this time. May He station
more and mightier angels on Israel’s borders to stop the missiles from
infiltrating the country; to stop the rioters (who are cursing Israel) from
infiltrating across the borders, especially Israel’s northern border!
When
over 2,000 rockets were launched against Israel from Gaza, the IDF reported
that Hamas has two months’ worth of rockets stored…. 14,000 in its arsenal at
that time. This continues to need prayer!
Pray
for the IDF to conquer Israel’s enemies:
1 Samuel 17:45-47: “Then David said
to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I
come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and
I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead
bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the
wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel; and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by
sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our
hands.’ ”
Israel has
taken measures to de-escalate the tensions. There
was a decision by Israel’s High Court not to hold the court hearing about the
Sheikh Jarrah issue. There was a decision from the Chief of Police not to allow
Jews to enter the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day -- the day to commemorate the
reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. Jerusalem Day activities occurred on the
same day as the Jerusalem Flag March, which is a traditional celebration in the
Old City. The Israeli Police had to change the route to avoid tension. The March
ended up being cancelled.
Each and
every moment Israel took to deescalate the situation, the answer from Hamas was
more terrorism and more violence.
PRAYER
POINTS:
What
is wrong with this picture? The Jerusalem Flag March was cancelled because of
the police restrictions due to the tensions. Meanwhile, the Palestinians were
waving Hamas flags on the heights of the Old City and the Temple Mount on
Jerusalem Day!
When
Israel compromises its earthly authority to appease its enemies and the international
community, that compromise is costly in the spiritual realm. Israeli leaders continue
to fear a regional war will happen over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. So,
they give up what has been rightfully theirs, given to them by God…. that
is, the earthly jurisdiction and authority over the high and holy places. Here are some scriptures to proclaim about God's spiritual authority:
TEMPLE MOUNT/WORSHIP:
Psalm 48:1-2: “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be
praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in
elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the
great King.”
Psalm 87:1-3: “His foundation
is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion. More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.”
Ezekiel 20:40: “For on my holy
mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in
the land all the people of Israel will serve Me, and there I will accept them.
There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your
holy sacrifices.”
Also, Israel compromising its given earthly authority over Jerusalem is a sign of weakness to the Arab nations, as those nations answer best to a sign of strength.
God promises that if the nations dare to move the rock of Jerusalem, those nations will suffer! See Zechariah 12:3.
Pray
for courage and boldness on the part of Israel’s leaders to stand strong on
what has rightfully been given to them by God, Himself! Pray for born-again
believers to lift their voices together and claim the worship of the Lord, our
God Almighty -- to be proclaimed from that high mountain, the Temple Mount --
and not worship by Muslims to the god of Islam! Declare: 1 Peter 2:9).
Regarding
the military operations that the IDF has conducted: A lot of misinformation is
going on in public forums, and mass media outlets are disseminating
questionable information. Journalist are not sourcing it properly. Also, former
IDF generals have admitted that, while the IDF is hitting thousands of military
targets in Gaza, it doesn’t seem like Israel is winning the battle. Journalists
are also looking at “collateral damage” Israel has done in Gaza.
PRAYER
POINT:
Proclaim
Habakkuk 2:2-3 over the
traditional and social media; declaring they will write the truth with
accuracy!
The
terrorists are scattered all over the Gaza Strip. On purpose, they imbed themselves
deeply behind or within the civilian population. They use civilians as human
shields. As a result, there are injuries to Gazans.
Israel is
very careful and mindful and trying not to hit the civilians. Israel does
everything to limit collateral damage.
Also, military
components of Hamas are directly imbedded into the civilian Gaza population.
Israel is
committed to the international rules of engagement, to the values of moral
fighting, and to the moral conduct of the IDF. When the IDF is about to attack
a military target, which has been proven by Israel’s intelligence, they go to
real lengths to make sure there are no civilians within the targets.
Israel is
currently focused on getting rid of the deep tunnel network Hamas has set up in
Gaza where they still have command and control centers, and where they can
still operate from.
The IDF
says there is a large red question mark above figures of the health ministry in
Gaza. It’s run by Hamas who is lying, manipulative, and falsifying numbers of
casualties.
Some more
background information here:
Civilians
in Sderot have 15 seconds to get to bomb shelters. In Ashkelon they have 30
seconds. In Beersheva they have 45 seconds. When Hamas fires towards Tel Aviv, civilians
have 1.5-2 minutes. In this recent period, there were direct strikes to areas within
the heart of Israel – Rishon L’tzion and Holon – large areas where rockets hit.
There is a
full scale of incidents taking place throughout Israel. The Israeli national
police who were in Jerusalem saw that the Ramadan period was different this
year than last year. During Covid 19 it was quiet. This year, there was a surge
of unrest and a lot of tension within Israeli Arab communities. Instead of
respectable people breaking fasts during Ramadan, there were full scale riots.
The Israeli police wanted to provide security for those Muslims who were fasting
during the day, and celebrating at night. The interest of the police was to
allow people to celebrate, but at the same time, to make sure there were not
violent incidents in Israel.
The
activities in Sheikh Jarrah were being used by the Palestinians and other
factions as a trigger to incite violence in Jerusalem, and to bring it into the
current situation.
There have been wide scale riots in the north of Israel, especially in Lod (lynching’s; car bombings), and Akko, (a hotel on fire; a restaurant on fire) There are clashes in Jewish-Arab communities; in East Jerusalem; and, in Bedouin communities in the south.
The
Minister of International Security and the Police Commissioner decided that the
city of Lod had pogroms going on in the streets, and imposed a full curfew and
lockdown. This has not happened in decades.
The Israeli
police realized the situation and Israeli border police moved in. Local Israeli
Arabs were throwing petrol bombs, trying to pull Jews from their houses, and
wanting to kill them! The Israeli police could not accept that behavior.
PRAYER
POINTS:
It’s
very important that the “dual communities” continue to function and work
together.
In
the natural, there will be great assessments that take place once quiet returns
to these mixed cities. The assessments will be to figure out why these extreme
violent clashes took place in these cities (Jews and Arabs. Please PRAY for reconciliation
on a deep level!
As far as
the Temple Mount, the Israeli police saw Israeli Arab youngsters gathering
rocks and stones for a full scale riot on the Temple Mount. There are thousands
of people working in that area. Muslim celebrations were going on. Jews were
visiting the area on Jerusalem Day. The Israeli police had to respond using
weapons. People were scared and went to the hospital even without physical
injuries. Many had psychological dysfunction.
PRAYER
POINTS:
This
was a perfect storm! Ramadan, and then,
Jerusalem Day. The police had to allow the Muslims up on the Temple Mount. At
the same time, they had to allow the Jews to celebrate Jerusalem Day in the
city. That meant the possibility of clashes, which happened on a larger scale
than anticipated. The uptick in violence could have been caused by pent-up
anger on the part of Muslim youth who had been on lockdown for so long during
Covid. But, the deeper, spiritual issue here is: Ephesians
6:12.
Something
was unleashed spiritually, and there is fighting in the heavenlies over who has
authority on earth over the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. We know Who!
Rishon L’Tzion,
south of Tel Aviv, was struck with a 120 kilometer range rocket. It’s called
the A-120. These are much larger rockets than in previous times. Hamas used
FAJA-3 rockets before. Now, Hamas is taking out their larger scale weapons; not
the smaller rockets Israel has been used to dealing with. The warheads now are
much stronger. These are much more deadly rockets, therefore more devastation
and people getting killed.
Israel allows
freedom of religion and freedom of worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
However, stones were thrown towards the Western Wall, preventing Jews from
exercising their freedom to worship at the Wall. The Israeli police and the
government of Israel will not allow freedom of religion for one side, without
allowing it for the other side.
During
Ramadan, tens of thousands of Muslims (60,000 on weekends; 30,000 on weekdays),
and more during the last days of Ramadan (85,000) were praying on the Temple
Mount.
The mob of
rioters that were very violent on the Temple Mount does not represent all
Muslims. They created a situation which the police had to respond to. The
violence put civilians in danger, also policeman, and also Jewish people that
were in the area of the Western Wall. The distance of the Temple Mount to the
Western Wall is the Wall itself! It is part of the Temple Mount!
PRAYER
POINT:
Pray
for and extra measure of protection for all those who come up to worship the
Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, in
Jerusalem – that they can worship in strength, in freedom, and in peace.
MORE
SCRIPTURES:
Isaiah
20:39: “And you
will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will
rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the
Rock of Israel.”
Psalm
99:9: Exalt the
LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
PEACE: Luke 19:38: "Blessed is the king who comes in the
name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
COMING
GLORY OF GOD’S HOUSE: HAGGAI 2:9: The
glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former
house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,'
declares the LORD Almighty."