Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Arrows from Zion 2/20/2019 The Rainy Season


The Rainy Season


God has been answering prayers for rain in Israel - at this writing the Sea of Galilee is up 4 inches already! From snow to torrential downpours, the rain from Heaven is a much needed outpouring on Israel.

This week the congregation of HaCarmel sends this photo above of the aftermath of "one of the recent storms, violent winds whipped over the Carmel range and a majestic old pine tree was toppled on our property.

"By God’s mercy no one was injured and nothing was damaged! Had this tree fallen earlier in the day, it could have been tragic."

It truly is the blessing of God that even when the unexpected calamity breaks in on us, one we have no idea we even need to pray about, that He is with us to protect and deliver.  Blessed be His Name!


Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com

A major focus this month from the Maoz ministries of Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram is regarding the spiritual investment they committed themselves to decades ago, first for their own young children and also for the children of other believing Israeli families.  Two ministries by Joel Goldberg, Netivah and Netsor are dedicated to keeping believer children spiritually strong from 7th grade to the end of their military service. Please read more and consider sponsoring this effective outreach to Messianic youth.

In the Maoz weekly prayer letter the focus is on heightened conflict with Iran in Syria. Key prayer requests: Pray for the continued ability of our security forces to thwart terror attacks before they happen. For revival in Iran and other Muslim countries in the region. For the Israeli elections which are 8 weeks away. Please continue praying with us for an outcome that will give us great leaders and give more freedom to the Jewish believers in Yeshua in the Land.

Ronit Bender from northern Israel has good news about the bad news of a heart attack she had recently. For now doctors are going to treat her with strong medications for a leaking valve and to prevent further enlargement of the heart. Please pray for Ronit and her doctors, and for what she describes as a "new mission field" referring to the contact she will have with others in the medical environs.

Ron Cantor is excited about the Nes v'Cafe ministry they are doing in Tel Aviv and already they envision being able to reach the final 25% of their goal to renovate to accommodate 300 seats instead of just the current 150. Donate here. He is also excited to have found himself suddenly inspired to write the third book in his Identity Theft series.  He is asking prayers for the writing.  Read this: How Identity Theft Changed my life!

Rania Sayegh is a Christian Arab prophetic intercessor who ministers from Nazareth at the HOPE: House of Prayer & Exploits. In this most recent ministry letter she shares a dream about "the Return of the Glory" upon the Land and in the nations, and a vision of The Lion & 7 Mountains of Israel.  Both see an outpouring of grace for salvation coming to Israel. She and 3 other Jewish and Christian Arab women are going to the 7 high places to declare the Word of the Lord.

Rania also writes about the February 2019 Women's & Youth Conference which Orna Grinman taught at (Feb 15) on how to deal with painful emotions. All the Arab churches had been invited to attend.  Pray that much fruit will result from the ministry time.

As you already saw, when the blessing of rain comes, it can also brings challenges as the HaCarmel congregation discovered when a pine tree toppled during the storms.  There may be challenges, but the blessing of rain is worth it and God is with us! The congregations wrote a 2019 vision statement for the congregation, which remains true to the founding vision for "corporate prayer and worship; equipping and biblical training; nurturing the whole family; reaching out to hurting people; providing humanitarian aid; social involvement; outreach, both local and international." Please pray over the ministries and outreaches they operate to run with their vision.

Also they write, "Many Israeli intercessors are sensing in the Spirit an urgency for intensified intercession for security on our northern border, as Iran and its proxies in Lebanon and Syria continue to declare their intentions to destroy our nation. Please join us in prayer for divine intervention and wisdom for our government regarding security issues. Thank you for your kind inquiries and prayers for Karen Davis. She is continuing to minister in worship and the Word, both locally and abroad, and is now working on a new CD, “Songs of Eternity,” which we look forward to hearing later this year."

From Asher Intrater's Revive Israel ministry the Revive Israel news the full February Team Edition, Plus 2 VIDEOS Where's My Healing | Cody Archer talks with Tal Robin, and Dan Juster Equipping the Saints. Revive also features Beit HaYeshua is a Messianic congregation and rehabilitation center bringing the Gospel to those who suffer from addictions.  If you would like to help Revive reach & disciple Israelis consider donating.

From Intercessors for Israel in Jerusalem the key this weeks is SECURITY. Prayer points for Israel's need to protect itself from Iranian activities in the Golan Heights area of Syria "This area could spark a major war at any time." Pray "for all of Iran's diabolical plans concerning Israel to be revealed to Israel and to the rest of the world." Pray for Israeli citizens living near the Gaza security fence who are traumatized.
Also there are many good prayer points for the upcoming Israeli elections. Read more by connecting directly with the ministry, or by subscribing to the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries

Martin Sarvis files an excellent and concise explanation of Israeli Politics, how the government form works.  This is well worth the read if you would like to understand how their system works and what is currently the political atmosphere.  He writes, "We believe that it is essential at each election to come to Our Lord seeking His counsels for choosing the next leader, whatever our own personal leanings. It is He who knows what lies ahead, who is more equipped to lead the country in His ways.  It is He who establishes rulers, who knows who will be more likely to receive His wisdom; He knows what lies hidden, and Light dwells with him (Daniel 2:21-22).

It is critical that Israel be well represented in these dangerous times and that our own prayers may help: " That a strong government come into place in Israel—one which will lead the people and govern all of the Land God has entrusted to them with equity, justice, integrity and truth —and that He in mercy grant vision to a majority of the electorate to select the leaders of His own choosing"

Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry leaders and believers with urgent health needs

CONTINUED URGENT PRAYER for EDDIE SANTORO signs of response to chemo has doctors open to giving him more /see update above; and Elisheva's good report last week for Jacob Damkani's rehab |  Ronit Bender is home from the hospital and being watched for more definitive evidence of the leaking heart valve. Please pray that no weapon formed against against all three of these shall prosper & that miracles of healing will flow.
      Ron Cantor's mother-in-law fell breaking her pelvis now in a rehab facility mending. | Martin Sarvis has suffered an injury to his shoulder & is/was scheduled to see doctors, asks prayer for recovery & wholeness |Ruth Nessim has several health issues, one of the most critical is her EYES which has sent her to the hospital many times. Please pray for Ruth in Nahariya|  Olga Bikas’s health condition that seems to have become chronic, with no hope from the doctors for any improvement in the future. This, no doubt, puts an additional emotional and physical burden on our family. Please pray for her acute back pain. | Albert a Messianic leader from southern Israel, has had a successful surgery and an amazing recovery but keep praying for total restoration |  Rania Sayegh asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy, and complete healing. | In the Acco congregation: Prayer for 5 year old Leon is still very much needed. The bacteria affecting the head injury has been identified as Streptococcus. Up until now all treatment, including steroids has not succeeded in stopping this infection. Pray for his mother and siblings as the past months are taking their toll.

Current Events Related to Israel

This story communicated by Ron Cantor in his 2/13 mailing is a true story of Israeli espionage daring that recently made headlines across the world. It is an account of courageous derring-do by Israeli spies that could have been ripped from the pages of the Hebrew prophets, Chronicles or Kings! The God that was with Israel of old, is with Israel of new.

Ron Cantor in Tel Aviv  Messiah’s Mandate
 
ron@cantorlink.com    http://www.messiahsmandate.org/

Dramatic escape: Mossad pulls agent out of Iran | Israel’s international intelligence agency, Mossad, participated in a dramatic multi-country extraction of a nuclear scientist from Iran after he became concerned, he was going to be discovered for spying on the country’s nuclear program. Something he had been doing for years. 

The Mossad, Britain’s MI6 and America’s CIA all cooperated in the operation to smuggle the 47-year-old technician from his home in Iran to Turkey, across Europe to the United Kingdom, and eventually to America.

The technician, a long-time spy for Israel, apparently had a role in the 2012 assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a nuclear scientist and director of one of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities.

After Israeli agents smuggled him out of Iran, they debriefed him in Turkey. He then traveled by land to France’s coast. Not wanting to jeopardize their nation’s nuclear deal with Iran by helping a defector, MI6 couldn’t fly him into England. So the technician joined 12 migrants on a dinghy that crossed the English Channel.

A source told Britain’s Sunday Express that back in Iran, authorities quickly noticed the technician had gone missing and tried to track him down, the report said. “We were informed that a special unit of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was sent after him,” the source said.

The technician, who was not named, reassured investigators, according to the Express that “Iran seems to be sticking by the terms of the JCPOA (The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). This is good news.”

To get to freedom, the technician crossed from Turkey through Greece, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and France. In France he boarded the inflatable boat and arrived in Britain on New Year’s Eve. After being interviewed by British authorities, he was transported to the U.S., the report said.

Iran, whose leaders constantly threaten the destruction of the Jewish state, has been developing its nuclear program despite U.S. sanctions. In fact, on Saturday, Iran said it had successfully fired a new long-range missile while marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“The test of the Hoveizeh cruise missile was carried out successfully at a range of 1,200 kilometers (840 miles) and accurately hit the set target,” Defense Minister Amir Hatami said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named Iran as the biggest threat Israel faces.


Teaching Articles

Tikkun.TV / Tikkun Global Family
https://tikkun.tv/contact/

The Recovery of the Jewish Gospel | by Dan Juster, Restoration from Zion | Why speak of a Jewish Gospel? Isn't the Gospel universal and for all peoples?  Yes indeed. We use the phrase Jewish Gospel to speak of the original context of the message.

The Power of Encouragement | by Moshe Morrison, Tents of Mercy | While every generation of believers tends to think that the sin in the world around them is worse than it has ever been in times past, there is no denying that it has always been a battle to "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." ...There is something woven into the very fabric of this present world system under the power of the evil one that by means of deception seeks to suck the faith out of those who love the Lord.

The Remnant from Cush | by Avi Tekle, Tents of Mercy  | I was 14 years old. I was driving with my mom, accompanying her while she worked. It was summer time. While driving, my mom verbalized what seemed to be a hidden family identity. "We are Jews!" She said. As soon as she said the words her face was filled with relief as if a thick cloud had been lifted from her. Those few simple words caught me off guard, jamming my mind with a storm of questions and answers that made me speechless. "Who? Us? Jews? How? Oh, that's why our relatives made their homes in Israel, and why we ate Matzah (unleavened bread) during Passover."
               
To Fill the Hole Inside of Us | by David Shish, Olive Tree Ranch | Fifteen years ago one of the major newspapers in Israel published an article about a group of Israeli young people that had banded together to throw off the malaise of material prosperity and meaninglessness, and to renew the "halutz" (pioneering) spirit in Israel by creating a new village of college students in the Negev desert of southern Israel (HaAretz supplement April 23, 2004). The article offered a thrilling glimpse into the soul of the modern young Israelis.

Baptized in His name | by Guy Cohen, Harvest of Asher | Last week I was in Greece spending quiet time with the Lord and quality time with other leaders from Israel. As the bus passed by the city of Corinth, I immediately thought about the congregation of Corinth and what Paul had written to them. There are many chapters written to the Corinthian church; it appears more than to any other church.

Israeli News You Can Trust

D.C. Appeals Court Resuscitates Palestinians Genocide Case Against Adelson, Elliott Abrams in USA | Jerusalem Post | The $34.5 billion case was previously dismissed by the lower US district court for the District of Columbia based on the idea that it implicated political and foreign policy questions of which the judiciary traditionally stays out. The civil damages lawsuit by a group of Palestinians claiming support for genocide against tycoon Sheldon Adelson, the Trump administration's envoy Elliot Abrams, megachurch pastor John Hagee and a range of banks, companies and NGOs. The Palestinians claim these people and institutions are linked to the settlement enterprise and to alleged war crimes in the last three Gaza wars.

Anti-Messianic Jewish Update | by David Lazarus, Israel Today | This is a brief roundup of recent attempts to prevent Jewish people in Israel from hearing the Gospel of Yeshua (Jesus) from local Messianic Jewish ministries and evangelists.

Brexit and messing with covenant | by Joni Koski, in KehilaNews.com| Joni writes, "The events shaking the UK, with its legacy of Christian faith and birthing of modern democracy, are truly remarkable. The core issue is one of covenant."

Religious and Secular Jews Clash on the Sea of Galilee | Israel Today| Tiberias has become a focal point for tension between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews since the new mayor of Tiberias, Ron Aharon Cobi's policies and social media posts aimed at breaking ultra-Orthodox hegemony over many aspects of Israeli life.

Child Soldiers: horrific, Avoidable Tragedy | Jerusalem Institute of Justice | 230,000 children in Gaza are undergoing systemic indoctrination with serious or direct threat to their life. 17,000 children in Gaza recruited to partake in hostilities against Israel. These are among those 57 million children who  live in either conflict or war zones that JIJ is fighting for. Read the complaint JIJ filed against the leader of Hamas for war crimes committed against children in Gaza.

*On January 29, Two Hate Crimes Occurred. The Media Only Covered The Fake One. Here's Why. | by Ben Shapiro, The Daily Wire | The faked attack of Jussie Smollett and the brutal attack of a Brooklyn Jew by three thugs who stole nothing. The anti-Semitic attack was caught on video. "This has been going on in NY long before Charlottesville or 2016 just ask anyone visibly Jewish," tweeted Motti Seligson featured in Shapiro's article.

   * Hate crimes against visibly Jewish individuals are happening on an alarming basis in New York City without much news coverage at all. The news media ignore news reports that do not support their bogus claims about White Supremacy gathering steam in the US. The NYC anti-Semitic assaults are exclusively the domain of Islamist and Black-on-Jew assaults. 



"Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics" | by Donna Diorio | 

About 150 years ago the first and only Jew to ever serve as British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." 


At least that is who Mark Twain attributed the quote to, and who doesn't trust Mark Twain?

If you guessed that this is part two of what I was arguing a couple of weeks ago about the manipulated statistics reported by the ADL regarding a "surge" in White Supremacy groups in the United States since Trump took office, you are right. 

The manipulated ADL statistics are a false assertion that must be exposed especially among people of faith. We are to know the truth and not be taken in as so many are by "the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments." We cannot make informed decisions in our voting responsibilities if we have been convinced of lies based on manipulated statistics. 

I'm sure the Anti-Defamation League, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, started out with noble motives, but today they are riding on a past reputation that has been spoiled. ADL and SPLC are too politically biased against Republicans and for Democrats to deliver the unvarnished facts about anti-Semitism in America. If they were, they would be forced to reveal that the source of the great majority of rising anti-Semitism comes from Leftist activists and much of it is originating on college campuses across the USA.

That is why it was disturbing to me to see the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs (headed by Naftali Bennett) publish the false statistics of the Anti-Defamation League with the indication that there was a rise of Right Wing anti-Semitism starting with the Trump presidency.  This is a false assertion that has been made across the liberal American news media, and the Israeli news media is just as Leftist leaning as their American counterparts in bias against conservative Republican leaders. 

This seems counter-intuitive because one would think that Israeli news media would be more interested in seeking the facts when it comes to issues directly impacting Israeli security. Apparently the Israeli news media are just as agenda driven as the American news media. Perhaps it is because they want to oust Benjamin Netanyahu from office in a guilt-by-association-to-Trump mentality. For certain the Israeli media smacks of anti-Trumpism and do follow the lead of liberal American Jews on that point. 

It is hard to see how denigrating the pro-Israel  constituency in the United States, but rather supporting those who side with the enemies of Israel, could ever produce good outcomes for Israelis... but that is what is happening.

At the very least the Israeli news media needs to recognize that the ADL statistics are so skewed, it really is a detriment to Israel's national security to make decisions based on them. Trump is not the cause of anti-Semitism in America and is the most pro-Israel president in my 67-year old lifetime.  But fake statistics die as hard as fake news, and the ADL statistics are fake statistics that are being widely distributed for political agendas - not a pro-Israel agenda or even a pro-Jew agenda, but for American Jewish Liberal Democrat political agenda. Is that really what Israelis want?

Let's break it down to why the ADL numbers are fake. First the stats are too generalized. Reporting the ADL's report, the New York Times headline read simply: "Anti-Semitic hate crimes are on the rise, up 57 percent in 2017 from 2016." But that statistic covers 3 categories of incidents: vandalism, harassment, and assault.

According to the ADL: "The sharp rise, reported in ADL's Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, was in part due to a significant increase in incidents in schools and on college campuses, which nearly doubled for the second year in a row."

 Vandalism accounts for much of the overall increase, with harassment also seeing an increase, largely due to the series of false bomb threats made by a troubled Israeli teenager on Jewish institutions across the U.S.  The assault category actually saw a 47% decrease. 

We know that the precursor to assault is harassment and vandalism, which points us back to the Leftist activist rhetoric on college campuses as the ground zero of anti-Semitic incidents -not Trump, who by great contrast is consistently vocal on his pro-Jew and pro-Israel sentiments.

We count on our government and our media to get it right, but what happens when their political agendas get in the way of relaying solid facts? We have to be on our toes in a propaganda-rich environment as information-overloaded as the world is today.  

How do we do that? The old fashioned way: we have to know the source - the original source of the information, and the reliability of the source publishing the information.  We always have to ask, does this source have an agenda beyond providing me with facts? Usually they do.  That's why I am devoting more focus in Arrows from Zion to highlighting important news stories from sources I consider to be reliable. 

There are many individual ministry leaders that I personally count on to shed light on the news in and about Israel. There are also Israeli Messianic Jewish news platforms that are able to sift through and bring the news stories that are most pertinent to international Christians and Messianic Jews.  These Israeli believer sources and platforms are what should be our Ground Zero for obtaining the news we need related Israel, although I will also include reliable secular news stories and sources too.
- Donna Diorio

     Also stand-alone article at my IsraelWatcher blog







Donna Diorio 
donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
 

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