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Praying For Israel In the Battle Against Islamic Terror
“For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you.” (1 Sa 12:22-23)
Monday evening, July 14, began the difficult 21-day period of mourning for the Jewish people, between the fasts in the fourth and the fifth months on the Biblical calendar. The period ends on Tisha B’Av, August 5.
These fasts are mentioned in the Book of Zechariah, where it says that they will one day be turned into seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth …shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.” (Zec 8:19)
The two fast days are connected to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians and the Romans because of the sins of the people of Israel. But they also connect to other tragic events in Jewish history.
On the seventeenth of Tammuz the following events took place according to Jewish tradition:
- The Tablets of the Law were shattered forty days after Shavuot because of the sin of the golden calf.
- The daily offering was discontinued before the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.
- A breach was made into the city when the Romans destroyed it.
- The Roman military leader Apostomos burned a Torah scroll before the second revolt against Rome.
- The Babylonians placed an idol in the First Temple.
On the ninth of Av the following five calamities happened:
- The ten spies came back with an evil report of unbelief causing the entire generation to die in the wilderness.
- The First Temple was destroyed in 423 BCE.
- The Romans were ready to torch the Second Temple in 69 CE.
- The second rebellion against Rome was crushed in 133 CE.
- Exactly one year later the Romans plowed over the Temple Mount.
Later on subsequent calamities have continued to befall the Jewish people on the ninth of Av, like the expulsions from England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492. World War I, which also brought about World War II and the Holocaust, began on the ninth of Av 1914. The expulsion of all Jews from Gaza was set for the ninth of Av 2005, later on moved to the following day to avoid the comparison. Last year (2013) John Kerry arrived in the Middle East on the ninth of Av to launch the latest peace negotiations with the Palestinians by forcing Israel to release terrorists and giving up their land.
The very same day last year, on the ninth of Av, EU also published a binding directive to all of its member states forbidding any funding cooperation, awarding of scholarships, research funds or prizes to anyone residing in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. It also requires any agreement signed by an EU country with Israel to include a clause stating that the West Bank; the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem are not part of Israel and therefore falls outside the scope of the agreement.
The purpose of the fasts in the fourth and fifth months, including the time of mourning between them, is soul searching and repentance in order to bring redemption closer. The brother of Messiah, Ya’acov (James) wrote,
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (Jas 4:4-10)
The War Against Hamas in Gaza
This year, Israel declared all out war against Hamas on the fast of the fourth month after Hamas rejected a cease-fire offer. We thank God for this decision! May it become the beginning of the downfall of Islamic terror! Israel is at the forefront of this battle for the whole world. The battle line in the war on terror is drawn in Gaza right now!
We will be on location on our prayer base on the border to Gaza to pray for this battle and we ask all of you in the Elijah Prayer Army to join us in prayer! We believe this is a major reason why He led us to settle in this place “for such a times as this” and we thank all of you for your support making this possible! The siren is sounding at times and we have to run to the bomb shelter. There has been no direct hit in our town, but several in the neighboring ones. Here is a video clip that we made on location last week with our son-in-law talking:
There must be no more cease-fire offer made with Islamic terror, it is a war that must be fought until the enemy is defeated. We thank God for the statement made by the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper on July 7, in response to the situation in Israel:
“The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts, for which there is no justification. It is evident that Hamas is deliberately using human shields to further terror in the region.
“Failure by the international community to condemn these reprehensible actions would encourage these terrorists to continue their appalling actions. Canada calls on its allies and partners to recognize that these terrorist acts are unacceptable and that solidarity with Israel is the best way of stopping the conflict.
“Canada is unequivocally behind Israel. We support its right to defend itself, by itself, against these terror attacks, and urge Hamas to immediately cease their indiscriminate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.
“Canada reiterates its call for the Palestinian government to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups operating in Gaza, including the Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”[1]
May the God of Heaven mightily bless Canada and Prime Minister Harper for this bold and righteous stand! The sad fact is that the media and left wing politicians are encouraging the bloodshed in Gaza and Hamas’ cruel use of defenseless civilians as human shields by their reporting.
Why a Ground Invasion Is Imperative
At the time of this writing Israel is calling up more reservists preparing for a possible invasion of Gaza. The following article gives the reasons why a ground invasion is necessary.
"Everybody now knows that Hamas operates in underground cities complete with living quarters, corridors connecting all parts of Gaza, and stockpiles of rockets. Israel’s firepower is not scraping the surface of this network.
"Former Chief Rabbi of the IDF Avi Ronsky, himself a combat officer, analyzes why a ground invasion is imperative.
"Here are a few of his points:
"“Hamas has no tanks and jets. Its strength is its fighting spirit. Hamas continues to launch dozens of rockets across the State of Israel, despite all the airpower Israel is using against it.
"In its own eyes, Hamas is the clear winner of the current confrontation.
"In sum, Israel with all its advanced jet bombers is powerless against the Hamas rocket-firing machine. Powerless. Hamas will publicize to its constituency its victory and legacy. It will attract new, young members to join its ranks.
"Thus, Hamas is not only not being weakened by this operation, but rather being strengthened. The premise that the destruction of Hamas’ above-ground command posts and activists’ homes will lead to surrender, doesn’t take into account their willingness to sacrifice and live very simple lifestyles for the ideal of victory.
"Even if the rockets are not causing much damage in Israel, one cannot ignore the erosion of Israel’s national honor. Hundreds of missiles are sending Israel’s citizens multiple times a day to flee for cover. Israel’s status as a sovereign nation is being weakened.
"Hi-Tech, aerial warfare alone, as efficient as it may be, cannot restore deterrence. On the contrary, it is liable to create the impression that Israel is afraid of an infantry confrontation. Only a comprehensive ground invasion that will physically destroy the terrorists themselves and their leaders will restore deterrence and quiet.
"I am keenly aware that a ground invasion will expose IDF soldiers to increased danger. My son recently became an IDF tank commander and may be among those to enter Gaza. But the lack of a ground invasion empowers our enemies, diminishes our sovereignty, and will, in the long run, cost Israel more money, terrorist attacks and blood.[2]”
This article outlines what we must now pray for: Hamas must be defeated this time! It is a crucial battle for the whole world and Israel must do it!
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed in Israel writes:
“The illusion of peace, which entails retreating from parts of our country, is today’s sin of the Golden Calf. The great vision of Israel’s’ return to their Land as God said in the Torah and through His Prophets seems too difficult, so instead, people search out a closer vision, as it were, more convenient for the Jews, and acceptable to the Gentiles.
“…The event upon which the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz was ultimately set was the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, which expresses Israel’s grand vision. The sin of the breaching of the walls in our times is expressed in the harsh libels against the Jewish nation, and in particular, against the settlers who are protecting Jerusalem and Israel with their very bodies. Unfortunately, radical left-wing Jews are also partners in these libels, however, the root of this stems from a lack of faith and recognition of our role – which ultimately is our responsibility. If we were to clarify for ourselves the grand vision of the connection between the heavens and earth, the unification of the various ideas and their implementation in the world, the walls would stand fortified.”[3]
Here is a web site where you can follow all the rockets that are now falling in Israel from Gaza: http://redalert.co.il Just click on “Start”. If you move the button to the left you can look at where the rockets have landed earlier in the week.
About 50,000 soldiers are ready to enter Gaza any moment. We need to follow them in our prayers.
Prayer Points:
• Pray that the people of Israel will repent and trust in the LORD their God with all their hearts during the 21-day period of mourning!
“Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.” (Ps 81:13-15)
• Pray that Christians will repent from replacement theology and anti-Semitism, hastening the day of the LORD!
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD.’” (Isa 40:1-3)
• Pray that the Israeli left will be defeated in their accusations against what is right and just, “breaching the walls of Jerusalem”!
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Ps 1:5-6)
• Pray for continued wisdom and boldness for the Israel Government to fight this battle against Hamas!
“The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Pr 21:1)
• Pray for nothing but a complete victory over Hamas this time!
“And he said, ‘Take the arrows,’ and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground with them.’ And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.’” (2 Ki 13:18-19)
• Thank God for Canadian PM Harper and pray that more world leaders will act like him and support Israel at this time instead of demanding a cease fire!
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.” (Ge 12:3)
• Pray that God will bless and protect the soldiers of Israel in this battle, making them victorious!
“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.” (De 33:26-27)
God bless you as watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem!
Lars and Harriet Enarson
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