Shalom friends,

At Intercessors for Israel, we prayed that God would glorify Himself through Israel's next government. Since that is His will, we had confidence He would answer in His way and timing (1 John 5:14-15). Now it appears that He has, including with some surprises. More later.

We received even less rain last winter than expected. Israel's water crisis remains, which we see as God's judgment for Israel's disengaging from Gaza (Joel 3:1-2). On Feb. 10^th Israeli elections were held and on that day Israel experienced extreme weather - including rain, snow, unusual lighting strikes and very strong winds (Psa. 148:8). We felt God was saying that through this election, He would blow out of office Israel's evil shepherds and false "peace, peace" prophets (Ezek. 13:10-16; 34:1-10) and raise up the good shepherds He has promised, and for which we persistently prayed (Jer. 3:15; 23:4-5; Isa. 1:26, etc.).

On Feb. 19^th Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party were commissioned to form a new government. That weekend, a severe winter storm hit Israel - with snow on Mt. Hermon, rain and hail in the rest of the country. We saw this as another sign of His favor (Lev. 26:4; Deut. 11:11-17; 28:12, etc.).

This spring we had more rain and unusually cool weather. Although this nation is full of sin, we continue to pray because God sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45b).

God's judgment, Israel & the nations

God's initial call to Abram/Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) includes the promise that global good news would go forth through his seed (Gen. 12:3b). Paul says this is the gospel to the gentiles. The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed (Gal. 3:8).

This promise included Abraham's offspring, as shown by Isaac passing it on to Jacob (Gen. 27:29). Even though Isaac thought he was speaking to Esau, God confirmed it twice to Jacob (see Gen. 25:23): when Isaac later knowingly blessed Jacob (Gen. 27:33) and when God blessed Jacob as he fled Esau (Gen. 28:12-15).

As a prelude to His promise, God placed divine protection on Abraham. I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you... (Gen.12:3a). Hundreds of years later Balaam pro-phesied this protection over all Israel (Num. 24:9). Although the nation struggled to walk with God - like father Jacob - God forbid Balaam to curse them. (Num. 22:12b; cp. 23:7-10, 19-23) God placed this protection on the nation of Israel for His glory and for the sake of the gentiles. As Yeshua declared to a gentile woman, salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22b).

God's curse falls on all whom Satan inspires to despise the Jews/Israel (see WFJ #1, 2009), and it has a global dimension. History shows nations rise and fall according to how they relate to Israel because, thus says YHWH of hosts, After the glory has He sent Me unto the nations which spoiled you [Zion]: for he that touches you touches the apple of His eye. (Zech. 2:8; cp. Deut. 32:10)

Biblical examples of God judging nations...

according to Genesis 12:3a is seen in the following scriptures.

God, knowing the Egyptians would turn against Abraham's seed, said, ...they shall afflict them 400 years. And that nation, whom they shall serve, I will judge... (Gen 15:13-14a).

He says Idumea is the people of My curse, ripe for judgment, because it is the day of LORD's vengeance, the year of recom-penses for the controversy of Zion. (Isa. 34:5-8, cp. 41:11-12)

Isaiah 49:22-26 is being fulfilled today. Gentile believers help Jews come home, and God's judgment falls on Israel's enemies. ...I will contend with him that contends with you... I will feed them that oppress you with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood... We have seen the Palestinians drunken with their own blood, rejoicing over their sons and daughters blowing themselves up to kill Jews and please Allah.

Also in the context of Israel's end time regathering, her King declares that the nation and kingdom that will not serve you [Israel] shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted. (Isa. 60:12; cp. Zech. 12:9) What is your nation doing?

In Jeremiah 30:12-15, God says Israel deserves punishment for her sin. Yet right after that, He warns those who dare touch her, declaring, all that devour you shall be devoured; ...They that spoil you shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon you will I give for a prey. (30:16; cp. 2:3)

Jeremiah 50-51 reveals that God judged Babylon based on how she dealt with Israel. Because you were glad, because you rejoiced, you destroyers of My heritage... (50:10-11); I will render unto Babylon...all their evil they have done in Zion in your sight, says LORD (51:24); As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. (51:49) Since so much of what the Book of Revelation says about end-time Babylon's destruction comes from Jeremiah 50-51, might the same also happen to the Babylon in Revelation because of her rage against Jerusalem?

Ezekiel names many nations who are judged because of how they have dealt with Israel: the Ammonites celebrated Israel's misfortune (25:1-7). This sounds like many Palestinians and other zealous "good" Muslims whenever a terror attack succeeds here.

Edom is a spiritual root of Islam. Because Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended...I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to My anger and...My fury; and they shall know My vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. (25:12-14)

The Palestinians claim descent from the ancient Philistines. Whether true or not, spiritually there is a definite likeness. Because the Philistines...have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy [Israel] for the old hatred... I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes... (Ezek 25:15-17a)

God threatened to judge Egypt because she was an unfaithful ally to Israel. (Ezek. 29:3-7) This should make all Israel's modern so-called "friends" shake with holy dread.

God says that speaking against His mountains, the mountains of Israel (Judea and Samaria with Jerusalem in the middle) is blasphemy! (Ezek. 35:10-13) Nations that call this area the occupied territories, are blaspheming, bringing themselves into the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-2), the place of God's righteous judgment.

God says that when He restores Israel to her land, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise [curse] them round about them; and they shall know I am LORD their God. (Ezek. 28:25-26) So God's judgments on Israel's enemies are linked with Israel's spiritual salvation. (Rom. 11:26; cp. Zech. 12:9 with 12:10)

Modern proof of this biblical truth

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister [FM] and the Arab League's Secretary-General warn that the Arab world is on the verge of collapse...anarchy and an inner split, which they attribute to... The inter-Palestinian struggle, and the Israeli aggression and occupation. ("...Arab World in Danger of Collapse," Arutz 7, 19 Jan. 2009)

The EU is another non-friend of Israel. Between 1990-2007 the EU witnessed a marked increase in the number and severity of both natural and man-made disasters... with cost estimated at €15 billion. ("EU focuses on disaster prevention," JP, 25 Feb. 2009) These types of disasters were seen in America at the same time - the very period when the West increased pressure on Israel to divide God's land and appease Islam.

The Palestinians are also experiencing the effects of this curse. A Palestinian Authority [PA] official recently said that even if Israeli Prime Minister [PM] Netanyahu offered them a state, I'm not sure we are prepared to meet such a huge challenge. He said the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas hinders efforts to establish a state, and is a threat to the entire Palestinian national project! ("Pals at war," Khaled Abu Toameh, JP Features, 23 Apr. 2009)

US Pres. Obama's administration & Israel

The new Israeli government and the Obama administration seem to be drifting apart. We see God's hand in this. At some point Israel will be pushed out, that is, separated from the global "community" (Num. 23:9), and the stage set for all nations to come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:2-3; 14:2).

JP Columnist Caroline Glick noted that all the Middle East [ME] policies Obama had announced after only a month in office were antithetical to Israel's national security interests. From his desire to appease Iran's mullahs in open discussions; to his stated commitment to establish a Palestinian state as quickly as possible despite the Palestinians' open rejection of Israel's right to exist and support for terrorism; to his expressed support for the so-called Saudi peace plan, which would require Israel to commit national suicide by contracting to within indefensible borders and accepting millions of hostile, foreign-born Arabs as citizens and residents of the rump Jewish state...to his plan to withdraw US forces from Iraq and so give Iran an arc of uninter-rupted control extending from Iran to Lebanon, every single con-crete policy Obama has enunciated harms Israel. ("Obama's Durban gambit," C. Glick, JP Op-ed, 19 Feb. 2009)

Glick said that although none of these policies can be seen as specifically hostile to Israel, things did not get any better. In April, when US VP Biden told CNN Israel would be ill-advised to attack Iran's nuclear installations, he made it clear that from the administration's perspective, an Israeli strike preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power is less acceptable than a nuclear-armed Iran. So the Obama administration prefers to see a nuclear Iran rather than to see Israel secure its very existence. ("Surviving in a post-American world," C. Glick, JP Op-ed, 9 Apr. 2009)

Efraim Inbar, professor of political studies and director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, wrote that,

Obama's intention to engage countries like Iran and Syria in order to start a new page in bilateral relations strikes most Israelis and ME Arabs as naïve, as if nice words can change established national interests. Arabs, as well as Israel, want to see Iran and its proxies rolled back, not appeased...

Inbar disagrees with US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's recent statement that Arab support for Israel's bid to prevent Iran going nuclear, requires Israeli flexibility on the Palestinian issue. He finds it hard to believe the US State Dept. does not understand that moderate Arab states will cooperate to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb regardless of the Palestinian issue ...Above all, preventing a nuclear Iran is a paramount American interest. If Washington's current prism on world affairs obfus-cates its strategic judgment, the West is in trouble.

He concludes, warning that, misguided American policies, particularly regarding Iran, may have disastrous consequences - such as the fall of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey into Islamist hands. Under such a scenario, Israel would remain the only country where an American plane could land safely in the ME... Israel would much prefer that President Obama get up to speed on ME realities as quickly as possible. ("Growing divergence between Jerusalem & Washington?" E. Inbar, JP Op-ed, 10 May 2009)

Israeli Elections

After a major move rightward by Israel's Jewish electorate, Barry Rubin asked, What have people learned over the past decade that shapes their thinking? Here are his answers:

We have discovered that the Palestinians and Syrians are un-willing and unable to make peace.

We viewed the rise of Hamas...and its seizure of Gaza using land from which we withdrew as a base for attacks.

We experienced continuing hatred of the Arab and Muslim world, largely undiminished by Israeli concessions.

We observed Iran's rise as a power, potentially nuclear armed, explicitly seeking our extinction.

We noted the world didn't reward us for making concessions and taking risks. Indeed, the more we gave, the higher the degree of slander and hostility rose in many sectors.

("A consensus has arisen," B. Rubin, JP Op-ed, 9 Feb. 2009)

And immediately, a global barrage arose against Israel's new government.

To read some of...the Western press, and to hear some statements of the world's leaders, were it not for Netanyahu's government, peace would be flowing like a roaring river - as if Iran wasn't destabilizing, Hizbullah wasn't threatening, Hamas wasn't smuggling arms and planning to kidnap IDF soldiers and kill Israelis...

("The PM's first diplomatic challenge," Herb Keinon, JP Analysis, 1 Apr. 2009)

Israel's new FM, Avigdor Lieberman, has challenged the politically correct [PC] talk that surrounds the peace process. In his opening remarks to the Foreign Ministry staff, he told the truth as he sees it, and we agree with him.

The claim that what is threatening the world today is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a way of evading reality. The reality is problems coming from the direction of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq..."

I think we have been disparaging many concepts, and we have shown the greatest disdain of all for the word 'peace.' The fact that we say the word 'peace' twenty times a day will not bring peace any closer."

He noted that neither the disengagement nor the Annapolis accords brought peace. Rather, during this time Israel has gone through wars - the Second War in Lebanon and in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead.

No country has made concessions the way Israel has. Since 1977, we have given up areas of land three times the size of the State of Israel...The Oslo process began in 1993...I do not see that we are any closer to a permanent settlement...

When was Israel at its strongest in terms of public opinion around the world? After the victory of the Six Day War, not after all the concessions in the Oslo Accords."

("Statement of Incoming FM Lieberman," IMRA, 2 Apr. 2009)

However, forty years ago world media and public education did not yet have a strangle hold on public opinion.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, another non-PC politician, is Israel's new minister of strategic affairs. In a JP interview, he sees that the Islamic jihadists in Iran...al-Qaida, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood...have all decided to con-front the West and the Jews...

Although initially in favor of land-for-peace, reality jolted his thinking. The attempt over the last 16 years to solve the con-flict with territorial concessions has been proven wrong, since the conflict is...about [Israel's] right to exist. Noting that Israel's withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza strengthened Hizbullah and Hamas respectively, he said, When you withdraw and surrender to the Islamic jihadists, you are...providing them with a victory.

When I became head of Military Intelligence, I discovered... that already at the Oslo Accords, Arafat refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as an independent Jewish state... [So] what were we even talking about? Beyond being our historical right, it is in the Balfour Declaration, recognized by the council of the League of Nations, in the UN partition plan and was the purpose of the British Mandate" to re-establish the Jewish homeland.

Current PA head Abbas also...

does not recognize the Jewish people's right to a state and rejects [our] connection to the Land of Israel. Young Palestinians are being raised on this idea...

They want an Arab-Palestinian state in what they call the 1967 land - Judenrein, free of Jews. They also want a State of Israel that is not a Jewish state and that has Arab citizens so, according to the Fatah vision, one day it will also become an Arab state. Where is the Jewish homeland?"

("Ya'alon - Taking stock," Ya'akov Katz, JP Interview, 30 Apr. 2009)

Bibi and Obama - Round 1

King Abdullah II of Jordan told the Times of London that Obama's meeting with Netanyahu, is the acid test for the US commitment to ME peace. Obama's commitment to the two-state solution has to be implemented now, as Arabs were 'sick and tired' of promises of a new peace process. Israelis need to sit down not only with the Palestinians but also with the Syrians and Lebanese to settle all issues. He added, The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a global problem.

He ended with what many in Israel took to be a threat.

If we delay peace negotiations, then there's going to be another conflict between Arabs or Muslims and Israel in the next 12-18 months.

("Netanyahu-Obama meeting crucial to ME," JP, 11 May 2009)

Here is how some media reported that Bibi-Obama meeting.

France24:

The Israeli PM stood firm...He said he is ready to negotiate with the Palestinians but only if they recognized Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.

AFP: [The] intense first talks...laid bare differing approaches on Iran and the US goal of a Palestinian state. AFP called Bibi's remarks after the meeting blunt and said, an impassioned Netanyahu voiced his fears before reporters that a nuclear-armed Tehran would pose a mortal threat to Israel. ("World Press: Obama Used 'Tough Love,' Bibi Stood Firm," Arutz 7, 19 May 2009)

Israel Today said:

In the post-meeting press conference, Netanyahu maintained his refusal to publicly endorse the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, but repeated that Israel has no desire to rule over millions of hostile Arabs.

Obama made the difference between his and Netanyahu's views clear by telling reporters his government will push hard for the birth of Palestine, urging Netanyahu to grasp hold of this historic opportunity. He also appeared to patronize Netanyahu by saying he knew [Bibi] would eventually rise to the occasion.

In another perceived slight, Obama coolly noted that [Bibi] had been very vocal in his concerns regarding Iran, but insisted the US will not put a timetable on what have so far been pointless efforts to halt Tehran's pursuit of nuclear arms.

Obama was most adamant in his refusal to see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iran nuclear crisis as separate issues. He flatly rejected Netanyahu's argument that if there is any link at all between the issues, it is that Israel cannot possibly conclude a final status peace deal with the Palestinians while Iran is building nuclear bombs and emboldening Palestinian terror groups. If there is a linkage...it actually runs the other way, Obama said. To the extent we can make peace...between Palestinians and Israelis - then...it strengthens our hand in the international community in dealing with the potential Iranian threat...

Israel Today concluded, Political spin doctors in both Israel and America, presented the meeting as relaxed and friendly, yet the substance of what the two leaders told the press bespoke a far different reality beneath the surface. ("Netanyahu holds fast against patronizing Obama," Israel Today, 19 May 2009)

Thank God for answering prayers and enabling Bibi to speak truth before one of the world's most popular politicians. Continue to pray that he and Israel's government make decisions that will glorify God.

Peace, Peace, yet...

Netanyahu explained why he opposes a sovereign "Palestine":

Israel simply cannot accept that the Palestinians have the four rights of any sovereign state: control of its airspace; control of its electromagnetic spectrum; the right to maintain an army and sign military alliances; and, most importantly, control of the border crossings where arms and terrorists could pass.

("Why there can be no Palestinian State," IMRA, 1 Mar. 2009)

On PA TV, senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan said, We do not demand that Hamas recognize Israel. We demand that they refuse because Fatah does not recognize Israel even today. Yet Western nations boycott Hamas because of this same refusal to acknowledge the existence of the Jewish state.

He said that while Fatah does not recognize Israel, the PA does - but only to receive aid from the international community. Western countries have poured billions of dollars into the [PA]. ("Fatah Violates Roadmap Demand...," Arutz 7, 18 Mar. 2009)

Speaking on Lebanon's ANB TV in May, the PA's Lebanese representative, Abbas Zaki, said he does not want peace with Israel, but that a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem will be another step toward Israel's destruction. Because if they get out of Jerusalem, what will be left of all their talk about the Promised Land and the Chosen Nation? ("PA still seeks Israel's demise...," Israel Today, 15 May 2009)

Does hearing this change the West's mantra of two states for two peoples? No. US ME envoy George Mitchell warned FM Lieberman that America will not budge from its commitment to carving out a new PA state within Israel's current borders...

Israel's daily Yediot Acharanot reported, that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told an American Jewish leader a PA state would be forced down Israel's throat by the end of Obama's term... In the next four years, there will be a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, and we couldn't care less who the prime minister is, Emanuel was quoted as saying. ("Mitchell's Message: 'We Want a PA State'," Arutz 7, 16 Apr. 2009)

Pressure on Israel to "make peace" is a global phenomenon. The UN Security Council [SC] unanimously endorsed a statement today calling for establishment of a Palestinian state and pushing for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in Moscow this year under the auspices of the UN's ME Quartet.

Russian FM Lavrov told reporters, We have made use of the prestige of the SC to lay out what the international community wants... ("UNSC committed to 2-state solution," JP, 11 May 2009)

The world just does not care what Israelis want. Although we voted for a change in direction from the last government, the world in effect says Israel's democracy does not count. Zechariah 12:2-3 seems more of a reality now than before the election.

Interviewed by JP, FM Lieberman said, World leaders must stop speaking in slogans like occupation, settlements...the two-state solution if they want to help [Israel] reach an agreement with the Palestinians and bring stability to the ME... He sees the Palestinian track as stuck because, It started like other national conflicts. [But] today it's a more religious conflict. Thank God that finally someone is willing to say that the issue between Israel and the Palestinian Muslims is a "religious" conflict. ("Lieberman slams simplistic 'slogans'..." ICEJ News, 24 Apr. 2009)

What does Israel get when she looks to the world to defend her? There are currently no fewer than 50,000 terrorist rockets and medium-range missiles aimed at Israel, with most deployed across southern Lebanon, aimed at the major population centers of northern Israel. But 1000s of rockets also remain stockpiled and ready for use in Gaza, threatening one million Israelis.

The number of weapons pointed at the Jewish state marks a considerable increase over just a few years ago, when Israel halted its war on Hizbullah in Lebanon based on a UN ceasefire that promised terror group weapons would be removed or eliminated. Israel also turned the Gaza Strip wholly over to Palestinians in 2005 based on a US-guaranteed understanding that arms smuggling into the territory would be prevented.

("50,000 terrorist rockets aimed at Israel," Israel Today, 15 Mar. 2009)

A Palestinian state but no to a Jewish state

At a recent weekly Cabinet meeting, PM Netanyahu said: We insist that the Palestinians, in any diplomatic settlement with us, recognize the State of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people. The entire international community demands that we recognize the principle of two states for two peoples, yet it is clear that the Palestinians have no intention of recognizing the national state of the Jewish People. Of course, this is completely unacceptable. ("[Israeli] Cabinet Communiqué," IMRA, 20 Apr. 2009)

The PA has openly rejected this, willing to recognize Israel, but not as a Jewish State. PA spokesman Abu Rudaineh called Netanyahu's words a 'provocation' and claimed the new Israeli government was placing obstacles in the path of peace. ("PA: Recognition of Israel as Jewish State a 'Provocation'," Arutz 7, 17 Apr. 2009)

PA head Abbas added in a speech in Ramallah, A Jewish state, what is that supposed to mean? You can call yourselves what you want, but I don't accept it... ("Abbas: 'I Don't Accept' Israel as Jewish State," Arutz 7, 27 Apr. 2009)

Iran

Netanyahu has consistently warned about the danger of Iran's intentions. At this year's World Economic Forum, he said to world leaders, Keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons ranks above the economy in challenges facing leaders in the 21^st century... because the global economic meltdown is reversible but acquisition of WMD by a fanatic radical regime is not. ("Bibi: Iran threat trumps economic crisis," JP, 29 Jan. 2009)

Israel's dovish President Shimon Peres is also concerned:

We should not be naïve when a poor state like Iran is investing billions in long-range rockets that can deliver nuclear warheads. If they are not building a nuclear bomb, why are they building rockets? The conclusion must be clear, Iran poses a threat to world peace. The writing is on the wall.

("President of Israel [with the PM of the Czech Republic]," IMRA, 24 Apr. 2009)

Iran's President Ahmadinejad and Syria's President Assad, agreed that Iran and Syria should play an effective role in the creation of a new and correct world order...that cooperation between Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey would be beneficial and strategic for nations of the region. Except for Israel of course. ("[Ahmadinejad] We should look for new world order," Iran news agency, IMRA, 6 May 2009)

What will it take...

to get Church leaders to see that God's Kingdom purposes are tied in with what is happening in Israel today? They need to see:

• The connection between the return of Messiah Yeshua and the return of the Jews to their land and their God (Psa. 102:16; Matt. 23:37-39).
• That the restoration of Israel is not for Israel's sake - but ulti-mately for God's holy name's sake (Ezek. 36).
• The relationship between Israel and the Church in the light of biblical truth. The Church is not a separate entity from Israel, but the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that in their seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
• Christian Zionists being Yeshua centered, not Israel centered. Messiah is the reason for all we say and do - including in our emphasis on Israel. Being Yeshua centered is the norm for the redeemed (Heb. 12:2; 1 John 1:1-4; Rev. 4:5-14).

"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Yeshua the Messiah: (He is Lord of all)"

(Acts 10:36)

Chuck & Karen Cohen

Sovereign World Ltd. in the UK has reformatted and republished our book, Roots of Our Faith, under the title Homecoming: Our Return to Biblical Roots.

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Chuck's Future Ministry - Lord Willing!

Fall 2009 - Florida & the Kansas City area. More info next issue.