Shalom from Zion,

As many of you know, our dear friend and Chuck's co-laborer in Intercessors for Israel, Eliyahu Ben Haim, went home to be with his Lord in June. It was unexpected. Chuck has been asked by the leadership team to carry on as IFI's head, so we would ask you for your prayers for us and the IFI ministry.

Watchman, what of the night?…

The watchman said, 'The morning comes and also the night…' (Isa. 21:11b-12a) In Isaiah 60:1-2, the prophet also said, Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of YHWH has risen on you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but YHWH shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you. We are in that time when morning, light and glory are shining in and through Israel and the believing remnant, while the prophesied gross darkness envelops many outside of God's kingdom.

Other places in Scripture describe this dichotomy. As plagues came on the Egyptians, the children of Israel were protected (Ex. 8:22; 9:26). On Passover eve, the blood of the lamb protected all who applied it from God's judgment (Ex. 12:12-13), while the first-born of both man and animal, those not under the blood, died (Ex. 12:29). At the Red Sea, God's presence between the Egyptians and the Israelites was a cloud of darkness to Egypt, yet gave light to His people (Ex. 14:19-20).

Paul tells us to expect such a separation in these last days and that we, the children of light, should not be taken by surprise as we see the gross darkness overtaking the world (1 Thess. 5:1-9). Take heed to what the Spirit says: You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober-minded. (1 Thess. 5:5-6) This is an echo of our Lord's command when we know He is at the door: Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. (Mark 13:33)

The Bible – Israel's land deed

It's an answer to prayer when we read of Israeli officials using God's Word to support Israel's right to this land! What better place to hear it than in the world's "lion den" – the UN. In April, when asked at a special UN Security Council session, to source the Jewish link to its land, Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon said, "the Bible, history, international law, and the pursuit of international peace and security."

Then he donned a kippah [skull-cap], opened the Bible and read aloud God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17: I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants throughout the generations for an everlasting covenant, and I will give to you and your descendants all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God. He raised the Bible and told the council, "This is the deed to our land…From the book of Genesis to the Jews' Exodus from Egypt to receiving Torah on Mt. Sinai, and to the realization of God's covenant in the holy land of Israel, the Bible paints a consistent picture," of the Jewish people's connection to the land of Israel.

Danon said Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all "affirm" this connection, adding, "Real peace will be possible when these four pillars are realized. 1) Palestinians must accept and recognize the Jewish State of Israel; 2) Palestinians must end their campaign of incitement; 3) Regional cooperation; 4) Israel will never compromise our security." ("'…Israel's Ambassador takes out Bible at UN to prove Jewish People's claim to Israel," CBN News, 1 May 2019)

His "biblical speech" went viral on social media and YouTube, translated to "Spanish, Polish, French, Portuguese and Turkish." On Israel's Independence Day, CNN asked Danon about this. He said, "The speech has resonated" because of the truth of Israel's "eternal connection" to its land.

Asked about "peace", he clarified that the 1948 armistice lines at the end of the Independence War are not international borders, and the Arabs even demanded that these lines "not be permanent borders." Thus Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, aka, 'the West Bank', do not cross international borders. "They are built on strategic land for Israel's security," and as per the Oslo Accords, will be dealt with as final status issues.

He said the Arab chose violence before any settlements were built. The PLO was established in 1964, before the Six Day War of 1967. 'What did they need to liberate before 1967? In 1964, not a single settlement existed in Judea and Samaria, and our right to exist was still rejected'." ("Israeli Ambassador's 'Bible speech' at UN goes viral," JP, 18 May 2019)

In July, Israeli Prime Minister [PM] Bibi Netanyahu tweeted links to a DNA study proving that the biblical Philistines were from southern Europe, thus not linked to today's Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority [PA] said he was lying and trying to erase the "national existence of the Palestinian people in its homeland," and was turning a "political conflict into a conflict of a religious and ethnic nature." ("PA outraged by Netanyahu's statement," Arutz 7, 9 July 2019) Yet the PA has been doing this for decades.

Peace, peace – yet no peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11)

The world still demands "peace" between a disillusioned Israeli nation which has tried peace and received blood literally running in its streets, and an intransigent Palestinian leadership whose idea of "peace" is Islamic: if everyone submits to Allah then there is 'peace'. Yet the pro-Israeli US administration still aims for President Trump's peace "deal of the century." But this is God's land and woe to those foolishly thinking they can do what they want with it (Lev. 25:23).

Ben-Dror Yemini recalls that J. Kerry, ex-President Obama's Secretary of State, claimed "poverty leads to terror." Just give them money and terrorism fades away. Unfortunately the Trump peace team's recent moves prove nothing has changed. In June's "Peace to Prosperity" economic summit in Bahrain, Jared Kushner, head of the US team, pushed that same failed policy, although intelligent people should know "this is an illusion." Most poor people do not choose terror, while many Muslim terrorists are not poor.

Yemini says "brainwashing and incitement" have more of an impact than "money and prosperity…Kerry's mistake was in his theory regarding poverty and terror." Is Kushner repeating that same mistake? ("Kushner is repeating the same mistake," B. Yemini, Arutz 7 Op-ed, 22 June 2019)

Israeli Arab Khaled Abu Toameh said, "The Palestinians are now incensed with Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states for agreeing to attend" that US-led conference whose goal is to help them build a prosperous and viable society by encouraging $50 billion worth of investments. Yet the PA boycotted that meeting, and rejected the plan, calling it a "'bribe' to entice Palestinians to relinquish their 'national rights'." While their rejection was no surprise, "their strong condemnations" of Arab nations who did attend is "an indication of the disdain in which the Palestinians hold Arab leaders and governments."

PA President Abbas' Fatah faction, said any who attend will be seen as "a traitor," and called the Arab street to protest in front of their nations' Bahrain embassies. By inciting Arabs against their leaders, the PA redirected their attacks on "Trump and his 'Zionist' advisers, Kushner, Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel, Friedman," towards Arab heads of state whom they see as "in collusion" with Israel and with Trump.

Yet at the same time, the PA begged "Arab states for financial aid." So they condemn Arab nations "for attending a conference aimed at boosting the Palestinian economy and improving living conditions," yet with blatant audacity they beg the same Arab nations for urgently needed finances, asking for $100 million monthly "to help them 'face the political and financial pressure' from Israel and the US administration…"

Abu Toameh says the Palestinians realize "key Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE, are no longer prepared to wait for them" and have chosen to move on with a plan of "prosperity and economic opportunities for both Palestinians and Arabs." The Bahrain conference could see a "divorce" between Palestinians and the Arabs who have priorities other than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "such as the Iran threat and their own new economic uncertainty…" ("Palestinians & the Bahrain Conference: Condemning Arabs while asking for Arab money," K. Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, 24 June 2019)

University of Cincinnati political science professor, Abraham H. Miller, writes that history proves the Arab/Israeli conflict "is not about territory, boundaries, or finances…The Arab/Israeli conflict is about one thing: Jews."

In 1948 when Jordan seized Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), there was no Arab outrage. Although this "land grab was illegal," Jordan was not demonized for preventing a Palestinian state. "There were no demonstrations" to free 'Palestine'. "Jordan is a Muslim country that took over another Muslim entity."

The root of the problem is that Israel is a Jewish state. "Under hardline interpretations of Islamic law, land, once Islamic, is Islamic forever." Muslim fundamentalists see "Israel's very existence [as] unacceptable, non-negotiable, and forever a mark of shame in a culture of honor." As Bin Laden once said, "We request of Allah …that the umma [Islamic nation] regain its honor and prestige, and raise again the unique flag of Allah on all stolen Islamic land, from Palestine to Andalusia [Spain]."

From the late 1930s the Arabs have consistently said no to the existence of a Jewish State on "Islamic" land. After the Six Day War, Israel was willing to negotiate some of the territories it conquered. The Arabs met in Khartoum, and declared, "No negotiations, no recognition, and no peace."

Arafat and Abbas both rejected offers to create a Palestinian state. Their real goal was, and still is, "the elimination of the Jewish state, either by a war of attrition," or by insisting on the "right to return" of four generations of "refugees". ("The 'Deal of the Century,' D.O.A.," A. H. Miller, Daily Wire, 26 June 2019)

We thought Israel had a new government

It seemed like God answered our prayers; yet, in His wisdom, a government was not formed. It is God who sets up kings and brings them down (Dan. 2:21; 4:25b). So why did He not allow a Netanyahu/Likud led government to be formed? We just do not know. Israel's next national election is on September 17th. Continue to ask God to give Israel a government by which He can be glorified (Psa. 115:1-3). IFI's weekly prayer alerts inform you of what we are hearing the Lord say to us as we pray in Zion (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Join us! [Sign up at www.ifi.org.il]

While Bibi failed to form a coalition, yet what Mati Tuchfeld wrote is still true. "The fundamental reason" Israelis see him as the best choice to lead this nation "is purely ideological." He is the first leader in decades to make Israel "a force to be reckoned with on the diplomatic stage." He has done this without holding any land-for-peace talks, proving "the Left's paradigm that peace talks are key to diplomatic stature," is just wrong. ("A victory for the Netanyahu paradigm," M. Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom Op-ed, 13 Apr. 2019)

By his faithfulness to guard Israel's security, and in answer to many prayers for him, God has honored Netanyahu to be a major voice on today's world's stage – able to stand between Trump and Putin and talk honestly with both.

Iran's dark shadow over the ME

As we write, tension in the Persian Gulf region simmers. Iran makes aggressive moves, expecting the West to fear another ME war and refrain from responding. So far this is correct – and all this is before Iran has nuclear weapons!

Israel is the only nation resisting Iran's aggression militarily. It has no choice but to continue to fight Iran's declared threats to its existence. But when Iran is no longer the world's terrorist bully, will the world turn on Israel, blaming it for a 'disproportionate' military response in places like Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, where Iranian proxies wait for the order to attack the Jews?

Harvard scholar, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, a political scientist and expert on Islam and US Foreign Policy, wrote that critics of Trump's policy towards Iran condemned him for re-imposing sanctions, believing the most "effective policy" to deal with Iran's Shi'ite leaders is to entice them: "in other words, appeasement."

Yet "appeasement policies" were used during Obama's eight-year presidency, and what was the result? As Obama removed sanctions, Iran received "global legitimacy" with most nations, which created "billions of dollars in revenue for Iran's military institution, the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as for Iran's militia and terror groups." Tehran used this money to expand its ME influence, in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

Trump's critics against his harsh Iranian policy are just "dead wrong." US sanctions have "imposed significant pressure on the Iranian government to such an extent that" it cut funding "to their allies, militia and terror groups." Iran's President Rouhani admitted the Islamic Republic is suffering its "worst economic crisis" since its 1979 creation, thanks to US sanctions. This negatively impacts Iran's "efforts to fund and sponsor terrorist and militia groups across the region." ("The US sanctions on Mullahs are working," M. Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute, 27 Apr. 2019)

Marking Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem memorial museum, Netanyahu said Iran is always threatening Israel, so Israel uses military means to block "Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily near our border…Contrary to what occurred during the Holocaust, we are capable and intent on protecting ourselves…To those who wish us ill, I say in this of all places, we have returned to the historical stage…We have defeated our enemies before and God willing we'll beat you too," ("In Holocaust memorial address, PM denounces 'systematic vilification' of Israel," TOI, 1 May 2019)

Biblical prophecy and today's current news

Seth Frantzman says the "emerging Russia-Turkey alliance in defense and energy," will have a major impact "on the ME and Israel." Turkey's has bought "Russia's S-400 air defense system", and these nations are developing the "TurkStream pipeline" to bring gas across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey.

Turkey and Russia will also work closer together "to end the Syrian conflict," and other regional and global issues. Turkey is separating itself "from its traditional alliance with the US," and focusing on an alliance with Russia and others, which in the long term could include a "Russia-Syria-Iran-Turkey-Qatar" block.

"This has long-term implications for Israel" as it is a close US ally and actively "opposes the rising power of Iran…" Until the mid-2000s Israel and Turkey were allies," but that was dissolved by Turkey's Erdogan. Russia and Israel also enjoy good relations today, but what happens if their interests begin to clash in places like Syria, where tensions already exist?" ("Russia & Turkey are becoming allies, overshadowing Israel," S. J. Frantzman, JP Analysis, 29 July 2019)

With Turkey receiving Russia's S-400 system, the US removed Turkey from its F-35 program (an answer to prayer). If Iran sides with Russia and courts Turkey, we have Ezekiel 38 named nations united in a way thought impossible a short time ago: Magog = Russia and/or Turkey; Persia = Iran.

Italian journalist Giulio Meotti sums up the demise of Western civilization. At Normandy on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Trump called the 9,388 US soldiers who died there, the "pride of our nation." Meotti honored those Americans "who gave Europe freedom from the tyranny of the Nazi swastika," but added that Europe's current mindset is anti-Western, and anti-American, with a "pathological hatred for Trump…"

This thinking "reveals itself in a suicidal pacifism, especially in Germany, a very rich country but never rich enough to put a euro in NATO's budget and in its own defense. It reveals itself in the new European religion: climate change," and in the EU's rejection of national borders. In America this anti-Western mindset is seen in a younger generation so indoctrinated by socialist teachers that they hate their own governmental system, which has long been the envy of the world.

While the "European identity" has vanished, there is a "consensus on two fronts: anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism." American and Israeli flags are burned both in Teheran, and in European capitals." ("D-Day? Europe is imbued with anti-Americanism," Giulio Meotti, Arutz 7 Op-ed, 7 June 2019)

The reason for America's anti-biblical direction today is in the Church. A large survey exposed a discrediting and ignorance of God's Word. Looking at America today, Christian historian David Barton asked not "Where has God gone?" but "Where are His people?" Barton, working with George Barna, a Christian pollster, said a survey of 384,000 churches and senior pastors "on Christian values and beliefs" showed that "72% of [US] churches and senior pastors do not agree with the Bible and its teachings."

Only 28% believe both the Bible and its doctrines. Among this group, while "97% say the Bible speaks directly to hot-button political topics today," yet they refuse to preach on these issues – because they are political! Only 3% of pastors are willing to speak on what the Bible says "if it's also in the news."

The poll also showed that "only 14% of Christians read the Bible every day," and less than 10% have a biblical worldview!

The fruit of disdain for the Word is a culture becoming more anti-God daily. Barton: "We're now in a place described…in the Bible where everyone did what was right in their own eyes," and he asks again, "Where is God's people? Why have they stopped studying His Word and why do they no longer believe what He said?" ("D. Barton: Only 2.8% of American Pastors are willing to preach these biblical truths," The Strang Report, www.charismamag.com, 9 July 2019)

A goal of the ideology of humanism is to erase all differences between peoples, races, even sexes. US Rabbi Eli Kavon addresses one area – the erroneous idea that if all humans spoke one language, there would be world peace and harmony. This goal of "peace and international understanding" via a universal tongue, ignores reality and history, which is full of "examples of peoples speaking the same language" slaughtering each other.

Also, if everyone spoke and wrote with one language it would destroy "the creativity and diversity that is the core of genius of individual civilizations." While some may argue that with one tongue, history might "have been a placid affair without war and strife," yet alternatively, "a monolithic language opens the way for enforced uniformity and totalitarianism."

Kavon: "Nationalism should not be the enemy of globalization but it should temper a universalism that robs individuals, civilizations and nations of their unique identity. A One World Order impoverishes creativity and genius and assumes that national, religious, and cultural identities are malignant and nefarious," and it would rob people "of their history, their legacy, their culture and faith by imposing a generic system of the myth that everyone can be a citizen of the world." Yet there is no such citizen; we all inherit "a unique legacy through unique nations and peoples…" To reject or deny this reality leads to denying who we are and to engaging "in self-destructive self-hatred." ("No return to Babel," E. Kavon, JP Op-ed, 19 May 2019)

Anti-Semitism & Aliyah

As anti-Semitism openly stalks the earth, we pray for Jews in exile to see the demon-inspired hate-filled words and swastikas on synagogue walls and on Jewish tombstones. We view this as God releasing the hunters to chase His people home (Jer. 16:16), yet it is also a warning to the world, especially the haughty West, as history's oft-repeated lesson is that what starts against the Jews, soon targets the rest of society (Rom. 2:9-10)

JP's Herb Keinon quotes a line from American satirist Tom Lehrer's 1965 National Brotherhood Week: "Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics, and the Catholics hate the Protestants, and the Hindus hate the Muslims, and everybody hates the Jews." He adds that while not "everybody hates the Jews," Lehrer, a satirist, used exaggeration to make his point, exposing the sad truth, that antisemitism has always united various divisions of humanity.

Argentinian-born Israeli author, G. Perednik, sums it up in his book Judeophobia. "The Jews were accused by the nationalists of being creators of Communism; by the Communists of ruling Capitalism. If they live in non-Jewish countries, they are accused of double-loyalties; if they live in the Jewish country, of being racists. When they spend their money, they are reproached for being ostentatious; when they don't spend their money, of being avaricious. They are called rootless cosmopolitans or hardened chauvinists. If they assimilate, they are accused of being fifth-columnists, if they don't, of shutting themselves away."

There's a tendency today to politicize all anti-Semitic acts and use them against your political opponent. "But antisemitism is bigger than all that." It plagues both Left and Right. "It is an ever-present motif in the Muslim world," is found among Jews themselves, and it's here to stay. "We can despair its resilience. But it is a fixture of humanity." As the Passover Haggada says, "In every single generation people rise up to destroy us," which is then followed by, "But the Holy One saves us from their hands."

Believers say amen, non-believers shrug or reject the mention of God, yet "Jewish history is a testament to the survival of the Jews, despite the ever-present hatred…that spans centuries and morphs from one form to the next."

While "antisemitism will not disappear," Israel makes a huge difference today. Jews now "have the ability to…protect and defend themselves to a degree unthinkable a century ago." ("Antisemitism & the altered state of the Jews," H. Keinon, JP Op-ed, 29 Apr. 2019)

Seth Frantzman tackled the "I-was-not-aware-it-was-anti-Semitic" outbreak in tweets, political cartoons and various other social media platforms in the West. "In each instance the excuse is someone made a mistake, was just being 'dumb' or quickly tweeting, they didn't 'notice' the anti-Semitism." Yet, is it more likely "that large numbers of people put up racist posts and say racist things and it's all a mistake," or that they are habitually "anti-Jewish because it is considered a norm in their milieu?"

These are not coincidences; "no other group in America or the West is subjected to such systematic, daily abuse from well-known sources on social media, as the Jews." Only one lifetime after the Holocaust – Western anti-Jewish racism has come out of the closet. Whether they're racists subconsciously or overtly, no one "draws a cartoon with a Star of David 'by mistake'."

America has had an anti-Semitic scandal almost monthly, yet many "ignore the importance of being anti-racist when it comes to Jews…No other minority group receives such constant hatred with such a low level of expectation that the offender will learn and stop doing it." Using words like "mistakes" or phrases like "it was stupid" are not valid excuses. "Racism isn't a mistake. Racism is a worldview…a poison in the mind…"

"That western societies seem to need to educate the more educated people," the political cartoonists, politicians, and actors, the privileged few with the largest influence, on how to not be "racist anti-Semites," shows us "the real problem is far deeper. For years antisemitism was considered normal." Why do many say they did not recognize it, yet see anti-black racism clearly? And how does "a civilization that put people into gas chambers for being Jewish and forced them to wear Stars of David before mass murdering them, suddenly not notice the Star of David? One million Jewish children…murdered by the German Nazis in a crime that has become the most common cultural reference in most western countries, and somehow the Star of David they were sent to their deaths in doesn't automatically leap out when you see it and make you think twice about putting it on cartoon dogs [the NY Times] or on memes?" ("The shameful rise in antisemitism behind Cusack's anti-Semitic tweet," S. J. Frantzman, JP Op-ed, 20 June 2019)

Yigal Carmon, president of the ME Media Research Institute said in a recent interview the threat to America's freedom comes from jihadi terrorists as a fruit of "the ideological incitement of preachers in mosques," but also there are "white supremacists, neo-Nazis, fascists, others" who "pose a mortal threat to Jews, people of color," and the LGBTQ community. "This deadly two-pronged attack" is birthing a situation "where dignified and safe Jewish communal life in America is almost impossible…"

When he tried to warn US Jewish organizations of MEMRI's findings, he was shocked to see the Jewish community leaders afraid to deal with this "in a proactive, comprehensive way." Not only did they "fear for their own personal safety," but they feared openly challenging "radical Islamists" and then being accused of being Islamophobic. Carmon: "So while Islamist preachers are free to call for killing Jews…it is Islamophobic to counter them." ("Supremacists, jihadis form '2-pronged attack' threatening Jews in US," Israel Hayom, 27 June 2019)

All of the above makes aliyah an essential matter for prayer, financial support and work for Messiah's Body today.

Jews defending Jesus

When Palestinians claim Jesus as one of their own, the Church is often silent. Yet Israelis are not, as more Jews openly defend the Jewishness of Jesus. So the Church allows, because of political correctness, another Jesus to be declared, while Jews defend the true historical One!

We hope you agree, because if the Jesus whom you trust in was not – and is still not – a Jew, then you believe in another Jesus (a cosmic Christ?), and trust in another gospel which is not linked to God's promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3b, cp. Gal. 3:8), which leaves you open to be deceived by another spirit, as God's Holy Spirit only bears witness to the King of the Jews, the King of Kings and Savior of the World, the Lord Yeshua (John 16:14).

In July, Women's March organizer and far-left activist Linda Sarsour tweeted, "Jesus was a Palestinian of Nazareth and is described in the Quran as being brown copper skinned with wooly hair." Her tweet drew "criticism and mockery," as many social media users noted that "Jesus was unquestionably Jewish, and that no Palestinian identity or land of Palestine existed at the time." That place name dates from 132 AD, when the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the Land of Israel 'Syria Palestina'.

Then Sarsour tweeted, "Jesus was born in Bethlehem… Bethlehem is in Palestine. It's currently militarily occupied by Israel and home to a predominately beautiful Palestinian Christian community. Yes, the birthplace of Jesus is under military occupation."

Bibi's son Yair tweeted, "On the cross above Jesus' head was the sign 'INRI'…which means in Latin 'Jesus of Nazareth king of the Jews'…The Bible say Jesus was born and raised in Judea!" ("PM's son hits Sarsour for 'Jesus was Palestinian' claim," Arutz 7, 8 July 2019)

We love the fact that Netanyahu's son declared the truth about Yeshua – regardless of his personal relation with his Messiah at this time. Lord, save him and all his family. Amen.

And so all Israel shall be saved…
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes:
but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.Rom. 11:26a, 28

Chuck & Karen Cohen