Ominous Signs

Since the day in May of 1948 when Israel was founded, numerous Islamic enemies have publicly proclaimed their goal of destroying Israel and the Jewish people. Ominously, three current news headlines proclaim loudly and clearly these stated goals.

Ahmad Karimpour, a senior adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, said if the Supreme Leader Khamenie gave the order to destroy Israel, the Iranian Military can do it quickly. Providing further detail, he stated Iran could raze the Zionist Regime in less than 8 minutes. He went on to say they have test fired a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers with an error margin of 8 meters.   

Two additional stories about the Palestinians also prove the emphasis of our message this week. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Rami Hamdallah, recently stated that the former Mufti of Jerusalem who was leader of the local Arab population during World War II sided with Hitler and his Nazi Regime. He met numerous times with Hitler and helped Nazis recruit Muslim troops. He also agreed with the Nazis on the extermination of all Jews in the Holy Land. This is the example set for current Palestinian leaders.

Lastly, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a personal invitation to Palestinian Authority President Abbas to meet for direct peace talks. Netanyahu in his offer stated, "It is time to sit down together and work out our differences so that peace may reign at long last." For the second time in as many months, the Palestinian Authority response was a callous "NO." The intentions of Iran and the Palestinian Authority past and present is obvious for all to see and understand - destroy Israel! 

However, as we study our Lord God's Word we understand the truth about the future of Israel. Zechariah 8:2,3,7,15 state, "Thus says The Lord of Hosts: 'I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;with great fervor I am zealous for her. . . I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem . . . Behold, I will save My people from the land of the East and from the Land of the West; I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God . . . I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear.'"  

Hallelujah! Keep Praying! 

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank

Psalm 122:6

The above title of our Lord God's Word says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Please note this is not a suggestion but a directive or mandate from Our Heavenly Father. If Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, we are to be supporters of Israel! There are numerous ways to reach this goal but for our message this week we will concentrate on the avenue of prayer.

Last week Jewish people worldwide celebrated the 68th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. They gathered in their Synagogues and as part of the celebration prayed a special prayer called "Prayer For The State Of Israel." As a way of enhancing our prayers for Israel, we will share and elaborate on this very special prayer . . . 

Heavenly Father, shield Israel under the wings of Your loving kindness 

and spread over it the Tabernacle of Your peace.

{Notice this is the same request as Psalm 122:6 which is a request for God's protection of Israel. This is also the emphasis of Psalm 91 which I pray each day for family, friends and Israel.}

Send Your light and truth to its leaders, Ministers and Counselors

 and direct them with good counsel before You.

{This is the same exhortation as 1Timothy 2:1-2 in which we are to pray and give thanks for all those in authority in our lives.}

Strengthen the hands of the defenders of our Holy Land;

grant them deliverance, Our God and crown them

with the crown of victory.

{David had a similar request in Psalm 3:6-7 when he asked and received God's protection. Also our Lord God has assisted Israel in winning their wars.}

As for our brothers, the whole house of Israel remember them in

 all the lands of their dispersion, and swiftly lead them upright to Zion.

{This prayer is being answered everyday as Jews from all over the world are moving back to Israel.}

Then The Lord your God will open up your heart and the heart 

of your descendants, to love The Lord your God with all your

 heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

{Deuteronomy 30:6 - This is commonly referred to as the Schema.}

Appear in your glorious majesty over all the dwellers on earth

and let all who breathe declare "The Lord God of Israel

is King and His Kingship has dominion over all. Amen"

May this special prayer help all of us be more effective prayer warriors for the State of Israel.

Blessings,

Frank

Sixty Eight Years Strong

Approximately two thousand years ago Isaiah raised the following question, "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a Nation be born in one day?" Isaiah 66:8. Can a nation be born in a day? Yes, when it is ordained by our Lord God Almighty! The nation of Israel was born May 13, 1948. Praise The Lord!

Israel celebrates its 68th Independence Day this week. On the day Israel was born it housed 806,000 citizens while today there are 8,522,000 citizens. During the past 12 months, 36,000 Jews have made Aliyah or moved back to Israel. This is totally prophetic since The Word of God contains more than 700 verses predicting the return of Jews from around the world to Israel. Almost half of the Jews in existence live in Israel.

The State of Israel is also considered one of the strongest economies in the world. Shortly after its founding, the GNP for Israel was $6.6 Billion while today it stands at $293 Billion. The unemployment rate has dropped from 7.2% in 1955 to 5.3% in 2015.

Well, how does Israel treat its enemies living within or surrounding them? After all, The Word of our Lord God says we should, "Love Our Enemies." One current example shows a young Palestinian boy named Yusuf Salameh who is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. The publication Israel Today is raising money among Israelis for Yusuf and is also acquiring permits for Arab children in need of urgent medical care.

We should all be enlightened and encouraged by these positive reports of the founding of Israel and how they have become one of the strongest and leading countries in the world. The Word of God illustrates that our Lord mandates for  us to be supportive of Israel in Genesis 12:3 and Psalm 122:6. 

At the same time the people of Israel were celebrating the birth of their nation, two Palestinian terrorists attacked a group of elderly Israeli women in Southern Jerusalem. This is a prime example of how we need to thank The Lord for the miracle of Israel but also continually be praying for His hand of protection for those living in Israel and Jews worldwide.

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank       

False Teachers Versus The Truth

In this age in which we live, false teachers have emerged in church pulpits and Sunday School Classrooms. However, we should not be surprised because 2 Peter 2:1 says, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies." A common false teaching for us to be aware of is that God has abandoned Israel and the Jewish people. This is totally false and cannot be found in the Word of God. Let us investigate further.

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Romans 1:16. Salvation is for the Jew first! There certainly is no abandonment by God for the Jews in this bold declaration of His Word.

Next, we should look at Romans 11:26 that can be easily overlooked since it is a very short verse but an extremely important message from our God, "All Israel will be saved." At the end of the Tribulation Period, as Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives upon His return to earth, Zechariah 14:4, the people of Israel will "look on whom they have pierced and will mourn," Zechariah 12:10. In this mourning process they will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and all of them will be saved. Hallelujah! Certainly, God will not abandon Israel or the Jewish people.

Well, what is the future for Israel beyond the Tribulation Period? "Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets." Zechariah 8:4-5. Additionally, "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man saying, 'let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."' Zechariah 8:23. 

Jesus Will Rule From His Capital Jerusalem, The City Of The King.  

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank    

Peace Talks?

Late last week French Foreign Minister Ayravlt announced representatives from 30 countries will arrive in Paris during the month of May to re-launch the Israeli Palestinian peace process. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians are invited.

On the surface this might appear to be a step in the right direction. However, we need to look deeper into this whole scenario. "Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." 2nd Timothy 3:13. Most theological scholars believe we live in this time of deception! 

There are many signs of deception in this proposal by the leaders of France. What is their real motivation? France has become predominately anti-semitic. As part of the announcement, France declares an ultimatum for Jerusalem - if peace talks fail, Paris will recognize a Palestinian State. Additionally, the May Summit will demand that Israel withdraw to the Pre - 1967 Borders and set up a divided Jerusalem plus welcome an influx of Palestinian refugees. The over-all purpose of France convening this summit is obvious to all.

Even if this summit takes place and if Israel and the Palestinians are invited at a later date, calling the summit a Peace Summit is totally inaccurate. There is no intention of a peaceful relationship with Israel on the part of the Palestinians. Palestinian Authority leader Abbus said recently, "We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood and clean blood." The only intent of the Palestinians is to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people and steal their land.   

What about the land of Israel? Who does it belong to? When our Lord God was establishing a covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants he said, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates." Genesis 15:18. God gave to Abraham and his descendants almost all of the current Middle East. There is no question who this land belongs to! The world media would have us believe differently - another deception.

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of The Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, 'come, and let us go up to the mountain of The Lord, to the house of The God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the words of The Lord from Jerusalem." Isaiah 2:2-3.  

Come Lord Jesus, Come Soon

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank

A Lesson From Passover

This Friday at sundown Jewish people around the world start participating in the Feast of Passover. The first eighteen chapters of the book of Exodus illustrates how Our Lord God delivered His people from four centuries of slavery in Egypt. 

Moses is instructed by Our Lord God to go to Pharaoh and petition him "To Let My People Go." Moses had to repeat this petition ten times because with each of the first nine visits to Pharaoh he refused the requests. As a result, Our Lord God poured out severe plaques on the Egyptians. Finally, when the tenth plaque resulted in the death of the first born in each Egyptian household to include Pharaoh's son, he decided to release the Israelites from slavery. Our Lord God protected all the Israeli households from each plaque.

This past Sunday on the Israel Today Web Site, there was a very thought provoking article entitled The Miracle of Passover. Shortly after leaving Egypt, the Israelites realized they were trapped on all sides by the desert, the sea and the Egyptian Armies approaching from the rear. Even though the Israelites panicked, Moses said, "Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of The Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever." Exodus 14:13. The Israelites then witnessed one of the greatest miracles of history . . . The Parting Of The Red Sea.

There is an abundance of lessons to learn in the Passover story. Moses said to the Israelites "Stand Still" even though they were hemmed in on all sides. The Israelites had to learn to trust in their God every step of the way in the wilderness as He provided for all their needs and led them to the Promised Land and developed a covenant relationship with them at Mt. Sinai.

Today, both Jews and Christians still need to learn to "Be Still And Trust In Their God." Jews all over the world experience anti-semitism and those living in Israel are surrounded by enemies - still hemmed in on all sides. Christians are being persecuted, executed and their churches destroyed throughout the world. We all need to learn each day to "Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.  

May The Lord Bless You  And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank                              

  

Repentance Still Necessary!

Spiritually, last weekend was very special and important. A large group of God's people gathered in our nation's capital in extremely cold and wet  weather earnestly calling out for their Lord and Master to "Heal Our Land." These acts of sincere repentance and heartfelt prayers for our country were duplicated among 100,000 in Los Angeles, California. There were also smaller groups and individuals praying all over the country at the same time. All were crying out For Revival In Our Time.

Praise The Lord for God's people praying in unison for a mighty move of God. At the same time, we should be aware of God's Word describing the events preceding the Day Of The Lord in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for That Day will not come unless the falling away comes first." Many prophetic people feel we are living in That Day. Reports indicate that most mainline denominational churches are losing people. Will a Revival precede this full scale falling away?

However, the worldwide church also needs to be in unison by addressing another very important issue. In his book, The Crucifixion Of The Jews, Franklin H. Littell says, "The Holocaust is the unfinished business of the Christian church, the running sore unattended by its leaders and weakening its constituents." This is not meant to condemn the Christian Church as a whole. There are numerous worldwide ministries, churches and individuals who wholeheartedly support Israel and have repented for the Holocaust. Unfortunately, the majority of the church has not! 

During the Holocaust the majority of the Christian church in America and Europe looked the other way and did little or nothing to help the Jewish people.  What can we do individually? We need to pray earnestly for a movement of God's people to enter into a time of repentance asking for our Lord God  to forgive them of the sins against the Jewish people especially during the Holocaust. This might also include meeting with the leadership of our individual churches.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank