Shalom Friends,

This new decade will continue to witness nations judged by how they deal with Israel. This is clearly laid out in the only scriptures that Yeshua and the early believers possessed - the Old Testament.

God, the nations and His nation

God's initial promise to Abraham provided divine protection for Abraham's seed, partly because through them, salvation would go to the gentiles.

I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses [despises; belittles] you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed [cp. Gal. 3:8].

Gen. 12:3

Moses' final exhortation to the Israeli nation includes, LORD [YHWH] your God will put all these curses upon your enemies, on them that hate you, and persecuted you. (Deut. 30:5-7)

God speaks against Edom, one of Islam's spiritual roots. My sword shall...come down upon Edom... the people of My curse, for judgment. Why? For it is the day of LORD's vengeance, the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. (Isa. 34:5,8)

In Ezekiel, again His eye is on Edom.

Because Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance... [Therefore] I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel. They shall do in Edom according to My anger... and they shall know My vengeance, says the Lord GOD.

Ezek. 25:12-14

In Ezekiel 35, it is Edom again, here called Mt. Seir. Behold, O mount Seir, I am against you...and I will make you most desolate. (v. 3) Why? Because you have an eternal hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword... (v. 5) Can this be a picture of suicide bombers?

As Ezekiel 35 continues, God's fury is against nations who claim His mountains as theirs. This He calls blasphemy! Chapter 36 indicates that this happens when God brings His people home from the nations for His holy name's sake - today.

Isaiah 60 pictures Jews coming home, with gentiles helping in various ways. In the middle of this prophetic word comes a warning. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted. (60:12)

Those with biblical insight see Joel 3:1-2 coming to pass today.

For, behold...when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat [YHWH judges]. I will plead with them there for My people and My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

A familiar verse confirming this biblical truth is Zechariah 2:8:

For thus says LORD of hosts, after the glory has He sent Me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that touches you touches the apple of His eye.

Finally, we also see Zechariah 12:2-3 and 9 coming to pass now.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. In that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all people of the earth be gathered together against it...And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Stand in the gap for your nation

God said He will bless those who bless His people. Since He is always looking for a way to have mercy, even in the midst of His judgment (Ezek. 22:30; Hab. 3:2; Jam. 2:13b), there are things you can do which will help lessen His judgment on your nation.

Comfort - Isaiah 40:1-2 Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. God is speaking to the Church about His people Israel. Who else in all of history, other than those born of the Spirit, can say Israel's God is also their God? Speak comfortably to [lit. 'to the heart of'] Jerusalem. Cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned... The ultimate comfort is the good news that Yeshua is Israel's Messiah. And having a heart full of God's love in action for His still chosen people will provoke Jews to want to know why you love them (Rom. 11:11-14).

Carry - Isaiah 49:22 Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the gentiles, and set up My standard to the people, and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.  Other than the Church, what gentiles would even notice God's uplifted hand or His standard [ensign, flag]? God wants gentiles to help carry Jews back home. This is happening today with many Christians giving their time, effort and finances to do it.

Proclaim - Isaiah 52:7-10 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace...that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Your God reigns! Again, God speaks to those who know the good tidings of Messiah Yeshua. This is not the Church saying to Jews, Our God reigns, although that is true. He says it is beautiful when you proclaim to Zion/Israel/the Jews, that their God reigns. To provoke Israel to jealousy as well as to declare the truth, recognize that even if many Jews do not yet believe in Yeshua, their God still reigns. Israel's God - is God. Is there a god beside Me? There is no god; I know not any. (Isa. 44:8; Deut. 4:35,38,39; 32:39; Isa. 45:5-6; 46:9).

Pay - Isaiah 60:4-6,10-11 Lift up your eyes...your sons shall come from far, your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then... your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; for the...forces [or wealth] of the gentiles shall come unto you...They shall bring gold and incense; and shall show forth the praises of LORD...The sons of strangers shall build up your walls...for in My wrath I smote you, but in My favor have I had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually...that men may bring unto you the forces [or wealth] of the gentiles ... Again, the only gentiles this could refer to are Christians, because as they help bring the Jews home, they also show forth the praises of LORD.

Pray - Isaiah 62:6-7 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day nor night. You that make mention of LORD [who remind God of His Word], keep not silence, and give Him no rest, until He...make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. God appoints watchmen to plead with Him to do what He has declared is His will (vvs. 1-2). This is the essence of intercession: we remind God of what He has said and ask Him to do it - for His glory.

Jerusalem, the city of the Great King

The theme of January 2010's IFI Prayer Conference is being fulfilled with frightening speed. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle... (Zech 14:2a)

The Palestinian Authority [PA] continues to revise the history of this city. For example, Dr. Al-Tamimi, Chief Justice of the PA's religious court, said, Jerusalem is the religious, political and spiritual capital of Palestine - Jews have no right to it. Statements like this back up their propaganda which attempts to erase 3,000 years of Jewish history, enabling them to present Jerusalem as an exclusively Muslim and Christian city.

Dr. Abu-Khalaf, Archaeological Institute director at Al-Quds University, brazenly lied on PA TV: Archaeological treasures in Jerusalem emphasize...its Arabness and refute Israeli claims that it is a Jewish city... (PMW: "Jerusalem under Palestinian Assault," I. Marcus & N. Cohen, IMRA, 7 June 2009)

Egypt's President Mubarak, one of America's best "friends" in the Middle East [ME], said, the sole hindrance to peace between Israel and the Arab world is Israel's insistence that Jews can live anywhere, especially in Jerusalem. ("Egypt: Jews in Jerusalem hindrance to peace," Israel Today, 22 Nov. 2009)

If US President Obama insists on saying areas of Jerusalem are occupied territory, it will be disasterous for both him and America (Zech. 1:14-15). Commentator P. David Hornik, writes that when Fox News asked Obama what he thought of Israel's plans to build 900 housing units in the Gilo neighborhood in SE Jerusalem, he said, Israel's security is a vital national interest to the US...[Yet] additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security...it embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous. The UN, Britain, France and others also condemned these plans.

Hornik: The avowal of commitment to Israel's security doesn't jibe with describing building in Gilo as 'dangerously embittering' the Palestinians. Gilo was annexed by Israel after the 1967 war that ended Jordanian occupation. Over 40,000 Israelis, both Arabs and Jews, live there.

In the face of almost unanimous global rejection of Jews continuing to live in all of Jerusalem, Israeli reaction was unanimous in supporting it, with Israel's Parliament Speaker saying, The right to build in all of unified Jerusalem is not questioned in Israel.

Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat, declared,

Israeli law does not discriminate between Jews and Arabs and between east and west [Jerusalem]. The demand to specifically halt construction for Jews is not legal in the US or in any other enlightened country...The attempt to demand this of Jerusalem constitutes a double standard and is unacceptable.

Hornik reminds us that From 1948 to 1967, when the city was divided, Israelis in West Jerusalem lived with sniper fire from Jordanian East Jerusalem. Jordan refused any Israeli access to that area and both desecrated and destroyed synagogues there... [Jordan occupied East Jerusalem for only twenty years.]

Hornik fears that no Israeli concessions can ever suffice. Netanyahu agreed to a Palestinian state under specific conditions protecting Israel's security. He instituted a 10 month construction freeze in Judea and Samaria...Obama's reference to Gilo as an 'additional settlement' where building 'embitters Palestinians' sounds to Israelis...like contempt for their willingness to compromise and a message that not even their most basic rights are safe. ("Obama to Israelis: Jerusalem is a 'Settlement'," P. D. Hornik, FrontPageMagazine.com, 24 Nov. 2009)

The JP's Barry Rubin wrote: Obama complained that Gilo construction complicates administration efforts to relaunch peace talks, makes it harder to achieve peace and embitters Palestinians. Funny, he never said this about: PA incitement to terrorism; failure to punish terrorists; negotiations with Hamas despite its hardline positions, genocidal goals, and anti-Semitic views...and other such actions. ("Lessons not learned," B. Rubin, JP Op-ed, 22 Nov. 2009)

Peace with Israel - Islam's nightmare

The result of an extensive three year project of The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life says that the world's Muslim population is 1.57 billion, or nearly one in four people alive today. ("Global Muslim population hits 1.57 b.," JP, 8 Oct. 2009)

H.R. Azghadi of Iran's Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution is one of them. On Iranian TV (Sept. 25, 09), he said, The Zionist Israeli state must be annihilated. (MEMRI: "...By 2022...Israel Will Be Annihilated," IMRA, 21 Oct. 2009)

Islamic expert, Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a 25-year veteran of IDF Military Intelligence, is a lecturer in both Arabic and ME Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He sees no hope for peace between Israel and Islam, and we have to agree.

Netanyahu set certain conditions before Israel would agree to the creation of a Palestinian state, of which the hardest for the Arab world to accept, is...recognition of Israel as a Jewish nation-state, or as the rightful homeland of the Jewish People. In fact, it is close to impossible, because Islam is intrinsically incapable of according legitimacy to the State of Israel...

According to Islam, the Jewish religion was invalidated by the birth of Christianity, which in turn was invalidated by the arrival of Islam. Islam sees itself as bringing the message of truth... after Jews and Christians changed and distorted the word of Allah given to them. Because Islam came to replace all other religions, by force if necessary, Israel's demand that Islam recognize it as a Jewish state contradicts Islam's basic tenets, which view Judaism as null and void...

Islam also says, there are no ethnic Jews in the world, just as there are no ethnic Christians or Muslims...[So] how can one recognize this as the State of the Jewish People, an ethnic group that does not really exist? They ignore that unlike Saudi Arabia and other nations dedicated to protecting and enhancing Islam exclusively, Israel is the only nation dedicated to protecting the Jews, their religion, sacred sites and history.

Islam sees Palestine, from the sea to the Jordan, as Waqf (holy endowment) land, consecrated to all Muslim generations forever. So the Jews, if having an illegitimate religion and if not an ethnic people, can never demand that Muslims recognize a Jewish claim to Israel because Islam says it is holy for Muslims alone now. Thus Netanyahu's demand that Israel be recognized as a Jewish State, contradicts the Islamic faith, and questions the very essence of Islam... Therefore, no matter its size, Israel will never gain recognition by the Arab and Muslim world as a legitimate state.

Kedar rebukes people who say that by giving away more land Israel would encourage her foes to accept her legitimacy, saying this assumes the Arab and Muslim world is as secular as our own, shares our concepts, values and priorities. This is a result of Israeli and Western ignorance of...Islam and the Arab world... His conclusion: Recognition of Israel as a legitimate Jewish nation-state has no hope or chance as long as Islam perceives itself - and itself alone - as the true religion with Allah. ("A Jewish and Non-Legitimate State," Mordechai Kedar, BESA Perspectives, 28 July 2009)

David Makovsky, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, eleven years in Israel with both Ha'aretz and as JP's executive editor and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has co-authored the recent book Myths, Illusions & Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the ME. In a JP interview he said, ...Palestinians always speak of international requirements and UN resolutions. But the 1947 UN partition resolution [#181] mentioned no less than 30 times the new state is a Jewish state. ("Seizing the moment," JP, 17 Oct. 2009)

The Palestinians are not yet ready to make peace

Palestinian Media Watch exposes their anti-Semitism. From academics teaching Judaism permits murder and rape of non-Jews, to religious leaders teaching that Islam demands the extermination of Jews, Palestinian anti-Semitism is a compelling force driving hatred and terror.

The PA says Jews are responsible for all the world's problems: wars, financial crises, even spreading of AIDS. Jews are a danger to humanity. PMW notes that although this paradigm has been used before, Palestinians take it a step further, turning demonization of Jews into... a central component of [their] national identity ... Thus this form of anti-Semitism is hard to defeat, as its aim is not merely to promote hatred, but to deny Israel a right to exist. ("PMW: Beyond mere hatred," Marcus & Crook, JP Op-ed, 15 Dec. 2009)

An idea often heard today is that only an internationally imposed "peace" will settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Again, we recall Zechariah 12:2-3. The JP's Herb Keinon warns Israel to pay close attention to this. This theme was evident in the Swedish effort [in December] to pass an EU resolution declaring that a solution to the Jerusalem question would necessitate dividing the city, with East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state.

The theme was repeated when the new EU foreign policy chief, C. Ashton, in her maiden address to the European parliament last week, called for a much stronger role for the Quartet, made up of the US, EU, Russia and the UN.

The theme can also be seen as the main reason why Palestinians continue to refuse to negotiate, believing the world will eventually dictate a solution. A political advisors of PA President Abbas' even said, they do not believe negotiations can work, so if both sides are not able to solve the conflict, the international community has to do so, because this really affects the stability around the world. ("The Russians are coming," H. Keinon, JP Features, 24 Dec. 2009)

Israel's Foreign Ministry is finally going on the offensive, as it recently increased efforts to highlight the fact that concessions and gestures to the Palestinians have consistently been met with increased intransigence, especially since Netanyahu took office. Targeting foreign peace brokers, the Foreign Ministry statement included this: The consistent rejection by Palestinians of Israeli peace initiatives and its current refusal to negotiate leaves Israel questioning whether its neighbors are in fact committed to peace. ("Israel asks: Do Palestinians really want peace?" Israel Today, 7 Jan. 2009)

The Legality of Israeli Settlements

Eric Rozenman, of CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in ME Reporting in America, writes that both Obama and US Secretary of State Clinton, have said,  America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements in the West Bank...Too bad international diplomacy doesn't have a replay button...the parties could look back at history, which would show Israeli settlements are not only legitimate under international law but positively encouraged.

The basic relevant provision, the League of Nations 1922 British Mandate for Palestine, Article 6, encourages close settlement by Jews on the land, including state and waste lands not required for public use. Most Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been built on land that was state land under the Ottomans, the British, the Jordanians and, after the 1967 Six-Day War, under the Israelis, or on property...privately purchased.

The US endorsed Article 6, signing the 1924 Anglo-American Convention treaty stipulating acceptance of the mandate. The League of Nations is long gone, but Article 6 remains in force, as Article 80 of the UN's 1945 Charter, states that nothing in this charter shall...alter in any manner rights whatsoever of any states or peoples or the terms of existing international instruments.

Eugene Rostow, US undersecretary of State for President L. Johnson...an authority on international law and coauthor of UN... Resolution 242, which outlines the requirements for an Arab-Israeli peace, reaffirmed this principle. In 1990, he said: The Jewish right of settlement in the West Bank is conferred by the same provisions of the mandate under which Jews settled in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem before the state of Israel was created.

Rozenman concludes, One can argue...that Israel's establishing towns in the disputed territories after 1967 obstructs diplomacy... But one cannot accurately declare the settlements illegal. ("Israeli settlements - more than legitimate," E. Rozenman, LA Times Op-ed, 11 Dec. 2009)

Anti-Zionism = anti-Semitism

At the Israeli Foreign Ministry's 3^rd annual Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, FM Lieberman stated clearly, Modern anti-Semitism has taken on a form of being anti-Israel... Instead of saying throw the Jews into the sea, they talk of a world without Zionism, without Israel,

He thinks this new form of anti-Semitism is actually far more dangerous, because instead of society's lowest elements lashing out at Jews in vile hatred, anti-Israelism is championed by the elite academics, power brokers and human rights groups that are viewed as inherently good and is couched in eloquent language. Yet, he warned, the goal is still to destroy Israel piece by piece. ("Lieberman: Anti-Israel views are anti-Semitism," Israel Today, 17 Dec. 2009)

At the same conference, Israeli Deputy PM Moshe Ya'alon said, the Arabs first tried to defeat Israel on the battlefield and failed; they then turned to terrorism and failed; now they are engaging in a no-holds-barred propaganda campaign that sadly is showing signs of success, by questioning Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. ("...Arabs can't win war, so resort to propaganda," Israel Today, 17 Dec. 2009)

Ariel Rodal, in the JP Blogs section, wrote, "Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own sovereign state on some part of their historic homeland. Zionism comprises a belief that Jews are a nation, and as such are entitled to the same self-determination that all other nations are. To oppose Zionism is to refuse to accept its political manifestation, Israel, as a legitimate entity. Anti-Zionism denies the Jewish people what it readily bestows on other nations...the right to nationhood, self-determination and the legitimate coexistence with other members of the family of nations. This is inherently anti-Semitic...

It's high time to establish clear definitions - Zionism does not equal racism. Anti-Zionism does. ("Zionism does not equal racism - anti-Zionism does," A. Rodal, JP Blogs, 24 Dec. 2009)

US President Barak Hussein Obama - the Nobel?

Yoel Marcus, in the left-wing daily Ha'aretz, writes, Over the past year, Israel has found itself having to fight for its honor and reputation, and has become the world's doormat...Is the whole world really against us once again? In my opinion, only one thing has changed. It is the emergence of the Obama effect...In the eyes of Israel's enemies, the election of Obama has turned what was considered unwavering American support of Israel into something that is not taken for granted any more. ("Is the Obama effect turning the world against Israel?" Y. Marcus, Ha'aretz 16 Oct. 2009)

Last fall, Caroline Glick said a NY Times report, stated that the US' key Arab allies, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have been perilously weakened since Obama took office. Their diminished influence has been accompanied by the rapid rise of Iran and Syria. Both these rogue states have been on the receiving end of continuous wooing by Obama administration officials who seem ready to do just about anything to appease them. All these efforts have only emboldened Iran to take an even more radical position against the US.

So Obama's foreign policy has strengthened America's worst enemies and made the world a much more dangerous place. ("Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity," C. Glick, JP Op-ed, 12 Nov. 2009) And in doing this he won the Noble Peace Prize?

The threat from the Spirit of Persia

There is a disturbing, but possibly prophetic, turning away of Turkey from the West towards radical Islamic states. Turkish PM Erdogan confirmed his country's increasingly close ties with Iran in an interview, in The Guardian in late October, saying of Iran's President Ahmadinejad, There is no doubt he is our friend. Economic ties between these nations has grown dramatically in recent years to an estimated $9 billion. ("Turkish PM: Iran is Our Friend," Arutz 7, 27 Oct. 2009)

In Iran, Erdogan said, There exists no one to provide security in the region, but us...In order to make the whole region stable like our countries [Turkey and Iran], we should initiate joint plans for Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. ("Turkish PM Calls for Collective Security Measures in ME," Iran's Fars News Agency, 28 Oct. 2009) Israel, until recently, was a close ally of Turkey.

Ahmadinejad in Turkey, challenged Obama to choose between supporting Israel or supporting Iran and its allies. Speaking at a summit of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, he reminded Obama of his campaign promise to bring the US closer to the Muslim world, saying this is impossible if he also maintained a friendship with the Zionist regime. ("Iran to Obama: It's either us or Israel," Israel Today, 11 Nov. 2009)

In a recent Arabic TV interview, Ahmadinejad accused the US of attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, the long awaited 13^th Imam... ("Ahmadinejad accuses US of blocking return of Mahdi," ICEJ News, 9 Dec. 2009)

Good News from Zion

Aliyah: Expectations for a rise in aliyah [Jewish immigration to Israel] due to global financial crisis have come true...Aliyah rose by some 17% in 2009, as some 16,200 Jews came home. This is the first rise in aliyah in a decade...In all, some 221,000 olim [immigrants] came to Israel in the past decade, a period marked by years of terror attacks and relative prosperity abroad. ("Aliyah spikes in 2009 for first time in decade," JP, 27 Dec. 2009)

Abortions: Declaring that abortions delay redemption, Israel's chief rabbis pledged to strengthen' the work of an anti-abortion council in the rabbinate and urged state-employed rabbis to take other steps to reduce abortions. The chief rabbis said, the vast majority of abortions are unnecessary, and Halacha [Jewish law] severely prohibits them. ("Abortion will delay the redemption," JP, 29 Dec. 2009)

The Economy: Defying the forecasts, Israel's economy emerged from the global economic crisis as one of very few that grew over the past year. The local economy expanded at a rate of 0.5%...By comparison, economies of Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development countries contracted at an average rate of 3.5% in 2009. ("Economy grows 0.5% in 2009," JP, 31 Dec. 2009)

Israel's Peculiar Position

In 1968 the LA Times posted an article written by Eric Hoffer, a former longshoreman and gentile American social philosopher. What he said is still valid.

The Jews are a peculiar people; things permitted to other nations are forbidden the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people, and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it. Poland and Czechoslovakia did it. Turkey threw out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchmen. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese and no one says a word about refugees. But in the case of Israel displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees. Everyone insists Israel must take back every single Arab.

Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.

("Israel's Peculiar Position," The Jerusalem Connection Int'l, Washington DC)

The actual and the ideal

Here is a quote from Derek Prince which applies to our walk with the Lord as well as to our outlook in intercession.

There are two things, the actual and the ideal. To be mature is to see the ideal and live with the actual. To fail is to accept the actual and reject the ideal, and to accept only that which is ideal and refuse the actual is to be immature...Maturity is to live with the actual but hold on to the ideal.

In intercession, we aim for God's ultimate goal - the ideal. That is why we pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth. Meanwhile, the actual is anything but that. So with eyes on God's perfect will, we pray into the real situation, asking God to work in the current actual and bring to pass His heavenly ideal.

The ultimate goal is God's glory, when the knowledge of His glory covers the earth (Hab. 2:14). For that to happen, Yeshua must return and set up His Kingdom. For Yeshua to return, the gospel must go into all the world and all Israel must be saved. After all, Yeshua says He will be invited back by "Jerusalem" and then we will see Him (Matt. 23:39).

For Israel to experience national salvation, the Jews have to be alive. Therefore, we pray for their protection. The Jews must also be back in the land, including in what the world calls "the occupied territories," Jerusalem and Judea (Zech. 12:2-10). So we pray for aliyah and we pray against "peace plans" that involve dividing up this land (Joel 3:1-2). All of this praying into the, at times, confusing and dangerous actual is done with eyes on God's blessed ideal.

[Yeshua] taught them a parable with this goal, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 18:1

Chuck & Karen Cohen