Shalom from Zion,

As Israel enters her 63^rd year, she continues to be attacked both physically and via "lawfare" - the attempt to declare as illegal and a mistake the UN's 1948 recognition of the State of Israel. All this opposition originates in the spiritual realm, where the Adversary presses for Israel's destruction to stop or delay the return of Yeshua, but also because this people's restoration and salvation brings God glory by the fulfillment of His Word.

Israel - For God's Sake

We stand with Israel in prayer and action based on scriptural truth. Here is biblical proof that God created her, chose her and is restoring her for His holy name's sake.

• Water: God promises to provide all Israel's water needs - for His glory: I will open rivers in high places, fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water...That they may see, and know, consider, and understand, that the hand of LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isa.41:18, 20; also Psa. 68:9)

• Aliyah: God brings His people home for His praise: Bring My sons from far, My daughters from the ends of the earth; every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory ...This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise. (Isaiah 43:6b-7, 21; also Ezek. 36:22-24)

• The IDF: God promises that when He restores Israel, He will be her protection and He will make her a mighty army! Both sides of this promise are seen in Isaiah 41:14-16: Fear not, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you, declares LORD, Your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff ... And you shall rejoice in LORD, and glory in the Holy One of Israel. (See also Jer. 51:20-23 and Mic. 4:11-13)

• Salvation: Israel's protection is vital for her salvation, and her salvation brings glory to her God. I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory. (Isa. 46:13b); Your people shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever...that I may be glorified. (Isa. 60:21; see also Ezek. 20:41-44; 36:21-28)

• Gentiles: Often God's promises to Israel have gentile salvation as a fruit. LORD has made known His salvation: His righteousness has he openly showed in the sight of the gentiles. He has remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Psa. 98:2-3; see also 67:1-7); ...LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. Gentiles shall come to your light. (Isa. 60: 2b-3a; also 45:22-25)

• Yeshua: His first coming and His return are closely linked with Israel's destiny. And now, says LORD that formed Me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob again to Him...It is a light thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give You for a light to the Gentiles, that You may be My salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:5-6; see also Luke 2:32)

Many other verses tell the same story. They encourage us to intercede for Israel with God's glory as our goal. For the sake of God's Kingdom, persist in prayer and support for His nation and His people here and in exile. ... whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31b)

As the global economy shakes - Aliyah increases

Writing in the JP business section, Pinchas Landau focuses on aliyah - the immigration of Jews to Israel. 2009 is the first year this century...that saw an increase in the number of olim [immigrants] compared to the preceding year, as close to 15,000 Jews returned. And with almost 2,500 persons, 2009 was an outstanding year for American aliyah which...has been consistently miserable, as only 92,600 American Jews have made aliyah since May 15^th, 1948.

The reason why this [business] column is focused on aliyah is because it is linked to Greece's economic crisis, which is the tip of the European iceberg. As the European crisis worsens...the next major wave of aliyah is taking shape.

Landau says the historic pattern of major moves of aliyah is very simple. First, no large group of Jews has ever moved to the Promised Land voluntarily. Beginning with the exodus from Egypt, they have had to be forcibly expelled or, at least, made to feel intensely uncomfortable, before they up and go. Even then, Israel was rarely the place they went.

For example, since 1880 we see an economic slump creates social tension which, in Europe, brings to the surface latent anti-Semitism...The resulting riots/pogroms/mayhem/legal restrictions succeed in getting the message across to the indigenous Jews that they are unwanted. Only then do they begin to move - if they can get out, and if there is anywhere willing to take them. Sometimes (1930s), no one will take them. In the worst case (1940-45), they can't get out.

Europe today is already in a severe economic crisis. This may well get much worse. (This was written before that volcano in Iceland played havoc with Europe's economy.) ...a prolonged period of sociopolitical unrest is a near-certainty - and this when anti-Semitism is already rampant and quickly turning nastier. Many European Jews, especially in France, are well aware of this; English Jews, on the other hand, prefer to play ostrich. But they are all headed for the same boat, along with their co-religionists across the continent...

The critical difference between this time and the last is that now [Jews] have somewhere to go. Although a new mood of xenophobia means that everywhere, including the US, gates are closing to immigration, [Jews] can and will be allowed into Israel. Landau thinks that by the end of the decade, most European Jews will have moved here. This is great news for it will save Israel from the main impact of the global depression ... ("The European Exodus," P. Landau, JP Business, 26 Feb. 2009) What he sees happening is something worth praying into (Jer. 16:14-16).

Netanyahu at Auschwitz

Before the last Israeli elections, God clearly directed Intercessors For Israel to pray for an Israeli government through whom He could be glorified. Prime Minister [PM] Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's government - while not perfect, is a definite answer. We especially enjoy words of truth coming from our prime minister.

At a ceremony marking the 65^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and referring to the Jews killed in the Holocaust, he said,

In the final moment of their lives, many [declared]...Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Perhaps a few...chant[ed] another age-old prayer: Remember what Amalek did to you. Never forget!... [Ex. 17:14-16]

We will always remember what Amalek's Nazi heirs did...We will be prepared to defend ourselves when a new Amalek... threatens again to annihilate the Jews. We will not delude ourselves into believing that threats, vilifications and Holocaust denials are merely empty words...

We have returned to our homeland...The Jewish people rose from ashes and destruction...As Ezekiel prophesied: Then He said unto me: These bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed. Prophesy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and lift you out of your graves, O My people, and bring you to the land of Israel.    [Ezek. 37:11-12]

("...Netanyahu at ceremony marking 65 years since the liberation of [Auschwitz] ...," Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2009)

Netanyahu and Christian Zionists

In March, Bibi spoke to a Christians United For Israel Jerusalem Summit. Welcome to Jerusalem, the undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish state and Jewish people. Your presence here represents a profound transformation in the relationship between Christians and Jews...[which] has its roots in the 19^th century when early Christian Zionists came...exploring the land of the Bible, and praying for the restoration of Jewish sovereignty. ...Christian Zionism preceded modern Jewish Zionism, and I think enabled it... For Israel's PM to see and confess this truth is amazing.

He thanked these Christians for their unwavering friendship, adding that today that friendship is more important than ever because Israel faces unprecedented challenges to its security and legitimacy. The top security challenge and greatest threat facing mankind is the specter of a militant Islamic regime acquiring nuclear weapons, or...of nuclear weapons acquiring a militant Islamic regime. The first is dangerously close to happening in Iran, and the second may or may not happen in Pakistan...

If Iran develops atomic weapons, the world would never be the same, with an increase of global terrorism and terrorists hiding under an Iranian nuclear covering. The Middle East's [ME] oil supplies could be severely threatened...Worst of all, if nuclear weapons would be given to terrorists, or terrorist states, a 65 year-old era of nuclear peace would come to an end.

He listed the unprecedented challenges to Israel's legitimacy, from so-called human rights bodies in the UN which would deny Israel its legitimate right of self-defense, to campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel...

Yet Bibi sees the most severe assault to Israel's legitimacy as the attempt to deny the connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel; to cast the Jewish people as foreigners in the land of our forefathers ...[because] the attempt to deny our history in this land is an attempt to deny our future in this land...

I ask you to join us in this battle to defend the truth. Remind them of Abraham and Isaac...of Joshua and Samuel...of David and Solomon. Remind the world that the land of the Bible is not in the heavens but right here on earth. And that the people of the Bible, are back on the land of the Bible...

("PM Netanyahu's Address to CUFI Jerusalem Summit," www.pmo.gov.il, 8 Mar. 2009)

Netanyahu and AIPAC

Later in March, Bibi addressed an American Israel Political Action Committee policy summit in Washington DC, pointing out that in the 1930s, many world leaders put their heads in the sand. Untold millions died in the war that followed...Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill...helped save the world, but they were too late to save 6 million of my own people ...The future of the Jewish state can never depend on the goodwill of even the greatest of men. Israel must always reserve the right to defend itself.

Bibi then noted that, In recent decades, hatred of the Jews has reemerged with increasing force, but with an insidious twist...It's increasingly directed at the Jewish state. In its most pernicious form, it argues that if only Israel did not exist, many of the world's problems would go away...

He also declared, The connection between the Jewish people, the Land of Israel...and Jerusalem cannot be denied. [We] were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and [we] are building [her] today. Jerusalem is not a settlement. It's our capital... ("Address by Netanyahu at the AIPAC Policy Conference" www.pmo.gov.il, 22 Mar. 2010)

The American administration vs. Israel

America is still the world's foremost superpower, so its relationship with Israel is that much more important. However, the current US administration has become a danger to both nations.

The chemistry between US President Obama and Netanyahu and their respective governments is bad and getting worse. In most areas, Obama and Co. back policies that move the US further away from God's standard, while Bibi and Co. make decisions that are more in line with God's will and Word than those by many of Israel's previous governments.

Israel sees America as a best friend, but if your best friends press you to do the opposite of God's will, are they really friends, even if they think what they are doing is in your best interest? Several recent US administrations, fixated on dividing Israel's/ God's land to establish an Allah honoring entity, have turned America into Israel's most dangerous "friend".

Ultimately, the US is in more danger than Israel. The destiny of gentile nations depends on how they deal with Israel (Gen. 12:3; Zech. 2:8; etc.), while Israel's destiny is linked to their faithful God's promises!

Thus says LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night... If those ordinances depart from before Me... then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.

Jeremiah 31:35-37

America, frustrated by lack of progress towards "peace," gave a document to the Palestinian Authority [PA], that the US would become a mediator for indirect talks between Israel and the PA, adding that If one side, in our judgment, is not living up to our expectations, we will make our concerns clear and will act accordingly to overcome that obstacle ... Obama's expectations? This arrogance bodes evil for America.

The US goal is to create a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian State with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967. America then has already decided on pre-1967 borders even before the sides talk. ("Exclusive: US vows to assign blame if Israel-PA talks fail," Ha'aretz, 5 Mar. 2010)

In March, the US administration had a fit when an Israeli government clerk announced approval of hundreds of new homes in a north Jerusalem Jewish neighborhood while Vice President J. Biden was in town. And even after Netanyahu apologized for the timing, not for the approval, of the announcement, Secretary of State H. Clinton followed up with an unprecedented, scathing public attack on the prime minister.

Many US politicians became openly critical of this antagonistic attitude towards Israel. In an effort to ingratiate our country with the Arab world, this administration has shown a troubling eagerness to undercut our allies and friends, said E. Cantor, a Republican Congressman, who correctly warned that this stance jeopardizes America's national security.

Congresswoman I. Ros-Lehtinen, said that this condemnation of an indispensable ally and friend... undermines both our allies and the peace process, while encouraging the enemies of America and Israel alike, adding that Obama had taken softer approaches towards the PA, Syria and Iran. ("GOP Leads Backlash Against Obama..." Arutz 7, 16 Mar. 2010)

Many in Israel agreed that Obama went too far. Isi Leibler said this was, one of the harshest condemnations ever leveled against [Israel] by a US government, with Biden even accusing Israel of endangering US lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Clinton accusing Bibi of purposefully insulting the US.

Obama, despite his words, has betrayed the US-Israel alliance.

Instead of condemning the brutal Palestinian murder of an Israeli civilian...the US requested 'clarification' after Israel apprehended the killers who the PA extolled as heroes. [The US] failed to block a UN Security Council Resolution criticizing Israeli police for protecting worshippers at the Temple Mount from Arabs hurling stones at them.

Yet not once has Obama's administration publicly reprimanded the PA, whether for ongoing incitement or a spate of ceremonies sanctifying the memory of the most degenerate suicide killers and mass murderers...

Obama must know that his criticism of only Israel encourages the Palestinians to be even more extreme in their demands, and will thus ensure the failure of any "peace" talks. Some even think that this is his goal. Israel will then be blamed for the breakdown and the US, with the backing of the global community, will then seek to impose a solution upon us. ("Obama has crossed the line," I. Leibler, JP Op-ed, 16 Mar. 2010) Does this lead to Zechariah 12:2-3?

In another article, Leibler wrote ... There are elements in the Obama administration, primarily motivated by a desire to appease the Arabs, who are promoting an imposed solution which will not necessarily take account of our existential and security requirements. There are indeed chilling parallels today between Israel and pre-WW II Czechoslovakia. ("Netanyahu must get his act together," I. Leibler, JP Op-ed, 22 Mar. 2010)

Columnist Jim Kouri wrote about Obama. ...this is a president who bowed to a Saudi king, who has repeatedly held his hand out to Iran only to have his face slapped in response, and who has regularly suffered the slings and arrows of insults from Russia, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, to name a few. For whom does he reserve his anger, toughness and vehemence? For Israel, the only reliable ally we have in the ME. ("Papa's got a brand new bag," Stephanie Garden, JP Features, 26 Mar. 2010)

Americans vs. Obama's anti-Israel policies

Jackson Diehl, in a Washington Post editorial, wrote that the current blockage in the peace process is a US-engineered deadlock, because each Obama demand on Israel caused Abbas to say that the PA will not negotiate unless that demand is met. How could he do otherwise? The Palestinian leader cannot be less pro-Palestinian than the White House. ("No Change On Jerusalem Policy Despite US Pressure," Arutz 7, 26 Mar. 2010)

Lt.-Col. (ret.) Ralph Peters, military analyst and book author (Endless War: Middle Eastern Islam vs. Western Civilization), when asked on Fox News why the US-Israel alliance appears to have declined so dramatically, said ... Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbors, and its neighbors want Israel destroyed. The President refuses to understand that...This is our first anti-Israel President... ("US Mil. Analyst: Obama is the 1^st Anti-Israel President," Arutz 7, 1 Apr. 2010)

In a NY Times op-ed, former US Congressman R. Wexler, head of the Center for ME Peace, wrote, Obama has made a major shift in US policy in the region by stating this week that solving the ME dispute is a vital national security interest of the US. During a news conference...to mark the end of his nuclear security summit in Washington, Obama claimed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure. ("Obama taking reins on policy towards ME conflict," ICEJ News, 15 Apr. 2010. Why did Obama use Blood and treasure? See www.doubletongued.org/index.php/citations/blood_and_treasure_1/)

The sound of peace?

In February, Israel's government designated several places in Judea and Samaria as Israeli heritage sites, hoping to improve and maintain them for worshippers and visitors. These included the biblical sites of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb outside of Bethlehem. The Palestinians reacted with their typical fury.

In response to threats from PA leaders that this could spark a jihad/holy war, Netanyahu's office said, these two places are burial sites dating from more than 3,500 years ago of Israel's forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and...foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel - and are worthy of preservation and renovation. ("... Abbas remarks on heritage sites are lies, hypocrisy," Ha'aretz, 23 Feb. 2009)

Still PA President Abbas threatened a jihad, and the UN also expressed deep concerns over the decision. ("Abbas Warns of 'Holy War'...," Arutz 7, 24 Feb. 2009)

In better days America would have supported Israel's historic heritage, but not today. The Obama administration added its voice to those harshly condemning Israel over its official recognition of these sites, with a State Dept. spokesman labeling Israel's heritage site list a 'provocation' and an obstacle to peace. ("America joins criticism of Israeli heritage sites," Israel Today, 25 Feb. 2009)

Against Islam, the West needs a hero

Will the anti-Christ rise up to help save the West? Dr. Thomas O. Hecht, founder of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and Chairman of its International Advisory Board, writes, though it is 'politically correct' to say Islam is a religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims want to live in peace... it is fanatics who set the tone in Islamic countries. And historically, fanatics rule over and silence the peaceful majority, as in Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, North Korea and China. It is the extremists...who dictate policies, and set the agenda...

Is the Adversary using both Islam and Humanism to squeeze mankind into his trap? Hecht's excellent analysis gets frighteningly prophetic:

The Western world today needs a leader who will powerfully defend Western values against radical Islamic usurpers and their allies...

Today, the main leader of radical Islamist forces is Iranian President Ahmadinejad...Facing him are America, pacifist-oriented Europe, and America's alleged Sunni Arab allies. Israel, [Iran's] target for elimination, is the only democratic state in this part of the world allied to the values of the West...

In the short period of time since Carter capitulated to the Ayatollahs, Iran has progressively influenced events in the ME. Today, it strongly influences Iraq's Shi'ite PM Al-Maliki and manipulates Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Iran also has built Hizbullah into a military force...that controls Lebanon and threatens Israel, and has supported the creation of Hamastan in Gaza.

As Churchill said after Chamberlain returned from Munich in 1938 with his appeasement policy freshly signed, We are existentially threatened by the malice of the wicked, enhanced by the weakness and hesitation of the allegedly virtuous. The anti-Christ could easily arise and save the West, while maintaining an anti-God philosophy. ("Islamic Imperialism: Ongoing Tragedy of the ME," T. Hecht, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, 25 Nov. 2009, Perspectives Papers on Current Affairs #97)

Iran - the continuing saga

The story so far: Iran continually threatens Israel. The world does nothing. Iran's government forcefully stifles Iranian protests against last year's fixed elections, killing and executing people in the opposition. The world does nothing. Iranian secret nuclear facilities are revealed and she develops missiles that can hit Europe and all of the ME. The world does nothing. By now, not even harsh sanctions against Iran would stop them from developing nuclear weapons. There are really only two options: either God deals with Iran sovereignly, or Israel attacks. If the latter, there is little time left.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said to the head of a Palestinian terrorist group, I am very optimistic about the future of Palestine...Allah willing, [Israel's] annihilation is sure. ("Supreme Leader: Annihilation of Zionist Regime Imminent," [Iran] Fars News Agency, 8 Feb. 2009)

He also said, Islamic governments must defend the unity and rights of Muslims, particularly against the cancerous tumor of Israel and those who support it. ("Khamenei Urges Sunni-Shi'ite Unity against Israel 'Tumor'," Naharmet (Lebanon) 5 Mar. 2010)

In conversation with the head of Hizbullah, Iran's President Ahmadinejad said that if Israel attacks Lebanon, Iran will destroy them and the region will be delivered from its evil. Ahmadinejad in Damascus, said, A ME without Zionism is a divine promise. Yes, he is deceived, but what do we say of Christians who believe the same lie! (MEMRI: "...Ahmadinejad Repeatedly Calls for Eliminating Israel," IMRA, 26 Feb. 2009)

Menashe Amir, a leading Israeli expert on Iran and chief editor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Persian-language website, writes,

Iran's ultimate aim is to establish a global Islamic rule... under Shi'ite leadership...Ahmadinejad endorses the Shi'ite belief that once the Mahdi [their Messiah] makes his prophesied return, the whole world will convert to Shi'ism...

When Ahmadinejad declared that Israel ought to be wiped off the map, he added that this was merely the first stage of the confrontation with the West, which, for all intents and purposes, means Christianity. Indeed, part of the animosity that Iran expresses toward Judaism and Israel stems from the fact that they consider Judaism to be a pillar of the Christian faith.

("Is the Iranian Regime Collapsing?" M. Amir, JCPA, 25 Feb. 2010)

We have prayed against the Iranian threat for God to literally shake that nation. Recently Ahmadinejad warned about the threat of a devastating quake in Tehran, urging the people who reside [there] to move...Historical records show that Tehran has been jolted by a devastating quake every 100 years, but it is now over 120 years since the last one. ("Ahmadinejad Warns about Devastating Quake in Tehran," [Iran's] Fars News Agency, 6 Apr. 2010)

Anti-Semitism and burning synagogues

Prof. Dina Porat, editor of the Anti-Semitism Worldwide 2009 report, said that last year saw a significant rise in anti-Semitic, violence and the hostile atmosphere generated worldwide by the mass demonstrations and verbal and visual expressions against Israel and the Jews.

The most dramatic increases took place in the UK, France, and Canada. There was also a rise in America, although not nearly as sharp... Most attacks in Western Europe came from people of Arab or Muslim heritage...[Yet] attacks by the extreme Left and extreme Right activists has been rising since the early '90s.

Israeli attorney Arie Zuckerman, who is secretary-general of the European Jewish Fund and an adviser to the European Jewish Congress, sees as part of the problem that: Synagogues are burned, and in response people at the top levels of European government say to us that this is a 'natural response' to...what is happening in the ME...Every time conflict flares up in Israel, we have to accept someone setting a synagogue on fire? If mosques were being attacked, would anyone say this was to be expected because there are conflicts in the Muslim world? ("Anti-Semitic violence doubled in 2009," JP, 12 Apr. 2010)

The Bible's increasing influence in Israel

The IDF sees the Bible as a guide in the deep and practical sense of the word, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. G. Ashkenazi said while meeting with participants in the International Youth Bible Quiz. It is no accident that the IDF swears in its soldiers with a weapon in one hand and the Bible in the other... ("Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi: The Bible is the IDF's Guide," Arutz 7, 15 Apr. 2010)

Netanyahu, meeting with the participants, said, Jerusalem is the city of the Bible, and the Bible is the book of life.

Bibi's son, Avner, took 3^rd place in this year's international Bible contest. Recently Bibi said he was reading the Bible more and more, often under Avner's guidance." ("Netanyahu inspired by son, reading more Bible," Ynetnews, 15 Apr. 2010)

Final Thought

Rev. J. C. Ryle (1816-1900), the 1^st Bishop of Liverpool, said,

It is high time for Christians to interpret unfulfilled prophecy by the light of prophecy already fulfilled. The curses on the Jews were brought to pass literally; so also will be the blessings. The scattering was literal; so also will be the gathering. The pulling down of Zion was literal; so also will be the building up. The rejection of Israel was literal; so also will be the restoration.

(Sword magazine, Jan/Feb 2010, Vol. 5, #1, pg. 11)

The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Isaiah 40:8

Chuck & Karen Cohen