THE LORD’S APPOINTED TIME TO FAVOR ZION

BY JAMES MACLEAN, BOARD DIRECTOR, OEUSA

But You, ADONAI, sit enthroned forever. Your renown is from generation to generation.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her,for the appointed time has come, for her stones are dear to Your servants, and they cherish her dust. So the nations will fear ADONAI’s Name and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

Psalm 102:13-16 TLV

As Israel celebrates the 75th anniversary of her rebirth, we see her former desolation now cultivated, vineyards are flourishing on the hills of Samaria, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited by the exiles who have been regathered to the Land. In His mercy, God has arisen to fulfill His prophetic promises and to display to the world that His appointed time to favor Zion has come. This past May, God initiated a move that has brought into focus His everlasting love story with Jacob. If properly stewarded, this move will intensify and accelerate His parallel plans for the restorations of Israel and the Church – both of whom He has declared as holy nations set apart for Himself.

For the three weeks preceding Shavuot (Pentecost), many in the worldwide Church responded to a call to fast and pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of God’s covenant to redeem and restore Israel. Isaiah 62, the foundational Scripture for this call, details God’s plan for the restoration of the Land and His people, as well as the pivotal role the Church is to play in advancing His purposes. In this passage, the Church is depicted as fulfilling its call to administer God’s government in the earth through intercession. The intercessors’ relentless Israel’s glorious restoration is complete.

The hope of restoration rests not upon the faithfulness of the people, but upon the perfect faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God. He has staked the holiness of His name upon His triumphant restoration of all things. When He initiates something, its birth is exciting, but its maturity is His purpose. We see Him imparting to His Church His love for Israel – the Land to which He is married – and His people in whom He delights. Simultaneously, we see Him imparting to the heart of His Church its desperate need for His government. The maturity of these parallel initiatives will yield Isaiah 62’s fulfillment – His Church with His heart for His people, aligned with His purposes, establishing His Word in the earth under His authority.

How does a people who by nature seek to self-govern according to their ways and thoughts be transformed into the administrative assembly of God’s government according to His ways and His thoughts? Let us consider the declaration of the psalmist: “How precious is Your loving kindness, O God! The sons of man take shelter in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.” Psalm 36:7-9

To whom does this offer of shelter apply? “Sons of man” indicates that all who bear the nature of man are included. It is not exclusive. These sons and daughters can come with their thoughts and their ways to Him and take refuge under the protections His government affords. He draws the sons of man to abide in the shadow of the Almighty, where His impenetrable wings protect against every external force. However, a far more glorious provision than just protection is offered. He affords all that He has and all who He is to those who choose to partake from the abundance of His house and the river of His delights (or pleasures). There, He desires to share Himself – His delights, His purposes, His ways, His thoughts, His character, His righteousness, and His peace.

By necessity and by call, God is leading His Church to take refuge in Him, abide there, be sustained there, and be transformed there. Let us yield to His drawing and avail ourselves of His banquet table. There, we partake of His nature and cultivate a sophisticated palate able to discern the delicacies of His Kingdom and prepared to reject the cheap imitation. As He shares from the river of His delights, we encounter that which delights Him – what He loves, who He loves, and to what He remains zealous.

The Blood of His covenant has set us free from the wells that never satisfy. Let us take hope in the increase of His government, return, and abide in the shelter of His wings. Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord by feasting on the abundance of His house and drinking from the river of His delights. Let us press past the repetition of repentance that stalls at refreshing, and yield to the restoration to which He has committed the glory of His name.

These past 75 years have demonstrated that these are the days God has appointed to favor Zion. The Isaiah 62 prayer movement calls for the Church’s restoration to be established through its yielded participation in the restoration of Israel. He is imparting to His servants His love for her stones as He rebuilds them, and His compassion on His people born of her dust, who in His acceptance are restored to life from the dead. He is calling His Church to incline their hearts and minds to His call to active alignment with His revealed promise of restoration. This Isaiah 62 prayer movement indicates that now is the appointed time for the Church to arise in harmony with Her King to favor Zion.

GOD IS OPENING THE WAY FOR A GREATER EXODUS …

GOD IS OPENING THE WAY FOR A GREATER EXODUS THAT IS BUILDING MOMENTUM FOR JEWISH PEOPLE IN AMERICA

BY JOHN PROSSER, PRESIDENT, OPERATION EXODUS USA

Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV.

THIS IS A CRUCIAL TIME FOR THE CHURCH (THE REMNANT) TO RISE UP IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COMMAND TO CARRY HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS HOME

(ISA 49:22).

All the sinners among My people will die by the sword, those who say [defiantly], “The disaster will not overtake or confront us.”

Amos 9:10 AMP

It is impossible to deny or ignore the decay of Christian-Judeo values in American society against God has brought a great calamity in our country and around the world.

The LORD is using this time to shake and sift His chosen people Israel and the nations. A reversal must take place in the hearts of God’s people. Repentance and obedience to God are prerequisites to living our lives under the blessing and protection of the Lord. An unrepentant heart—choosing death over life—leads to deception and separation from God! Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV.

In the coming days, if the levels of uncertainty and instability continue to rise in our nation, we could experience the downfall of our way of life, as we know it today. This would have a direct impact in the lives of American Jewish people, precipitating for many of them an urgent exodus and return to their God-given land of Israel.

Perilous times are the catalyst the LORD uses to propel His people to obey Him and make Aliyah. Many Jewish people are recognizing their true identity as God’s chosen people and their God-given rights to return to Israel. Unfortunately, the majority of American Jewry are still in denial of the dangers of disobeying God by choosing to remain in exile. The level of anti-Semitism rising in our nation is very alarming, and it should be a great concern to all American Jewry and the Church.

We cannot predict what the work of our ministry will look like in the near future. Olim (Jewish immigrants) may find themselves in a variety of dangerous and difficult challenges. Opportunities will arise to assist the Olim in new and unusual ways that we have not experienced before. Many American Jews are realizing that we have entered “a new day” in America—a “new way” that we have not been before.

This is a crucial time for the Church (the remnant) to rise up in obedience to God’s command to carry His sons and daughters home (Isa 49:22). As we pray and remind ourselves that our ministry’s mission is a holy work, the Father—in His faithfulness—will help us as we seek Him for His wisdom and guidance.

My prayer is that our ministry, in the fear of the LORD, will remain before our Holy God in a posture of humility, prayer and worship—as the LORD opens the way for an exodus that is building momentum for Jewish people in our nation. All glory be to our God!

Thank you, dear friends and partners, for your confidence and trust in the work of Operation Exodus USA. Together, let us choose to commit ourselves to bless Israel and the Aliyah of His chosen people, no matter what comes our way! In the fear of the LORD, one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14:26 ESV.

Original article published in issue 5/2022 of Operation Exodus USA Newsletter.

Aliyah Exodus

He Who Has An Ear

HE WHO HAS AN EAR

BY STEVE LIGHTLE, AUTHOR AND INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER

Seven times in Revelation 2 and 3 (ESV), Yeshua declares to the even churches, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This is a truly important saying for us today; we need to hear what the Spirit is saying to participate with our Heavenly Father in what He is doing. One of the great things He is doing is the Aliyah — returning the Jewish people home to Israel.
Eleven times in six verses (Jeremiah 32:37-42), He promises, “I will” perform the Aliyah, and He has given the nations the responsibility to bring them home (Isaiah 49:22). God has given commandments in the Bible to His children, His church, and His people. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

First, we pray. Psalm 122:6-9 is clear — we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. God’s peace plan begins with Jerusalem and spreads to the other cities of the world. The blessing and promise to those who obey this command to pray for Jerusalem, love Jerusalem, and seek its good is that they will prosper; it is because Jerusalem is the house of the Lord our God. May the Church not miss this blessing. In Nehemiah 2:10 (NKJV), when Israel’s enemies learned that Nehemiah was sent to help Israel, “. . . they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the wellbeing of the children of Israel.” Don’t let the enemy stop you from praying for Israel.

Secondly, the Church has a corporate responsibility to help the Jewish people (Romans 15:27). Thirteen times in Hebrews, we read, “Let us,” the plurality referring to our corporate responsibility (Hebrews 4:1,14,16; 6:1; 10:22-24; 12:1,28; 13:13,15). God brings us to maturity together, “. . . let us go on to perfection. . .” Hebrews 6:1 NKJV. We will remain like babies if we don’t, only feeding on milk (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Thirdly, what should our response be when disasters, drought, devouring locusts, or pestilence (AKA pandemics) come? If we “humble [ourselves], and pray and seek [His] face, and turn from [our] wicked ways,” then God will move, and forgiveness and healing will come. 2 Chronicles 7:12-16 NKJV. God will hear our prayers, and His presence will be in His house.

PRAYER POINTS

• “And when he comes, he will . . . unplug the ears of the deaf.” Isaiah 35:5 NLT. Thank the LORD for His ability and willingness to open spiritually deaf ears. Pray earnestly for the Church to receive ears to hear from the Spirit about Aliyah.

• “And may you have power, with all God’s people to grasp the full dimensions of God’s love” Paraphrase of Ephesians 3:18. Pray that those with ears to hear will embrace the corporate responsibility to help the Jewish people make Aliyah.

Original article published in issue 2/2022 of Operation Exodus USA Newsletter.

SHAVUOT CELEBRATION

SHAVUOT CELEBRATION

Shavuot and Amalek

Chag Shavuot, translated the Festival of Weeks, is celebrated fifty days after the Passover by the Jewish people. This year it will be observed in Israel from Saturday evening, June 4, to Sunday evening, June 5. In the diaspora, it begins Saturday evening and ends Monday evening, June 6.

All Jewish men are commanded in Torah to appear before YHVH in Jerusalem on Shavuot. (Deut 16:16) The first fruits of the wheat harvest are offered on this day. It is a commemoration to receiving the Ten Words (Commandments) and entering covenant with YHVH, the God of Israel. For disciples of Yeshua, it is also a commemoration of the receiving the power of the Ruach Kodesh (Holy Spirit). (Luke 24:49)

Days before receiving the Torah, Moses took some of the elders of Israel to Mt. Horeb (Sinai) before all the people, and with the rod of God struck the Rock that YHVH stood on. Water came forth and the people drank the spiritual drink of the Rock of Messiah. (Exod 17:5-6, 1Cor 10:4)

Following the outpouring of the spiritual water of Messiah, the nation of Amalek came and fought against Israel. A miraculous victory was achieved, and Moses raised the staff of God, supported by Aaron and Hur, while Joshua led the army in battle. After the victory God said, “By the hand (Yeshua) upon the throne of YHVH, YHVH will war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exod 17:8-16)

The spirit of Amalek is alive and well today in the nations that come against Israel as it once again is being gathered to the land of promise by God. Chief among those nations is Iran, ancient Persia, who has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister announced that Iran has enough fissile material to produce a nuclear weapon. They continue to add thousands of new centrifuges to make even more weapons grade uranium while simultaneously developing missile technology to deliver nuclear weapons.

God has said He will regather His people and like Aaron and Hur, it is our responsibility to intercede both spiritually and physically to war against, the powers and principalities of Amalek that come against the regathering of Israel by the Hand on the throne of YHVH, Yeshua.4, June 6.

Prayer Points:

Please pray for the Nation of Israel, all its inhabitants and its leadership to fulfill its destiny and to resist the spirit of Amalek who seeks to destroy it and hinder God’s plan to return His people to His land.
Please pray for an increase in Aliyah, particularly for those from the west and that the golden handcuffs that bind them be released.
Please pray for the highway to be established for the Jews of Russia and Ukraine to make Aliyah.
Please pray that when the Jews declare, “Next year in Jerusalem”, then follow through.
Please pray for an increase in housing and jobs in Israel to attract Jews to make Aliyah.

Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. Isaiah 41:11-12 ESV

Cy Wegman
Area Representative
Operation Exodus USA

Aliyah Continues Despite Europe in Crisis

Aliyah Continues Despite Europe In Crisis

by Pete Stucken, Chairman of Ebenezer Operation Exodus Int’l Board

War in Europe. The unthinkable became a chilling reality on February 24^th of this year. Not for 77 years has Europe seen conflict on this scale. As Ukrainian cities were subjected to both ground attack and aerial bombardment, a massive humanitarian crisis unfolded.

With very little warning, Ebenezer Operation Exodus International found itself in the midst of it all. Our beginnings in 1991 were as an Emergency Fund, dealing with a very different kind of crisis: a massive stream of Olim from Russia and Ukraine, formerly forced to stay behind the Iron Curtain, now free to make Aliyah. For three decades, we have followed our calling in serving Aliyah, helping the exiles home to Israel: on ships from Odessa then later on flights from major cities in Russia and Ukraine. Olim streamed to Israel in great numbers. One and a quarter million came from the “land of the north”, the former Soviet Union (fSU). Despite huge challenges, Aliyah was a comparatively orderly process.

Well over half of the Jewish populations living in the “land of the north”, the regions to the north of Israel, made Aliyah in the three decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yet while they responded to the call, many others remained behind.

Resonating through these years was Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning a change of season: ‘“Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,” declares the LORD, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks”’ (Jeremiah 16:16, NASB).

The Lord is sovereign and moves in times and seasons; His purpose is unshakeable. Are we seeing the hunters being let loose in Ukraine?

The Prophet Zechariah’s words, written two and a half thousand years ago, sounding a future call to the Lord’s covenant people, ring out with renewed emphasis today: ‘“Ho there! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have dispersed you as the four winds of the heavens,” declares the LORD’ (Zechariah 2:6, NASB).

The time to flee is now. The time of the hunters brings urgency, danger and hardship. For us, it calls for a very different type of response, with readiness the key.

Ukraine has borders with Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The largest influx of refugees has been into Poland, and this quickly became the primary focus of our emergency response. Prepared and equipped by contingency planning and prayer invested over years, we sprang into action.

Within hours of the crisis unfolding our first-responder volunteer team arrived at the Polish border to scout the land, pray and find a site for a temporary base in proximity to the border crossings. Straight away we saw the Lord provide a small hotel, ideally located and accommodating up to 50 people. As Polish churches and volunteers stood ready to help, Ebenezer teams with vans and supplies began to arrive. Our French teams and their vehicles were the first on the scene, soon joined by others from the Netherlands and Germany. Support streamed in from the nations, material and financial. Additional vans could be borrowed or bought to help collect Jewish refugees from the border crossings. Day and night they were brought to our base as a transit stop for rest and recuperation. Faces filled with emotion and tears flowed at the sight of a bed and a hot meal.

Mostly Jewish families came mixed in amongst the tide of people pressing towards the border exits, mainly women, children and the elderly, the men needing to remain to help defend Ukraine. Israeli medical teams at the border crossings referred needy refugees to us. From rabbis across Europe and as far afield as the USA came urgent pleas to locate and rescue relatives or individuals known to be in danger. At the same time generous expressions of gratitude arrived in the form of humanitarian supplies.

Our Ukraine team worked courageously and tirelessly around the clock, fielding a stream of anxious calls for assistance each day. Roads became dangerous, fuel scarce, border crossings clogged with those seeking to cross waiting long hours in the cold.

Special operations rescued Jewish community groups in active war zones, snatching them out under missile and artillery attack. The courage and ingenuity of the drivers was admirable. The Lord gave His protection. Generous gifts poured in for these vital missions.

In Moldova, our team has been active day and night in assisting Jewish refugees, particularly with transport. Dedicated Aliyah flights departed from Chisinau to Tel Aviv even with Moldovan airspace closed to normal air traffic. The Lord makes a way for His people!

Zechariah’s exhortation to “flee from the land of the north” is also resounding among remaining Jewish communities in Russia. Economic sanctions and the uncertainties of the future have brought a rise in the number of Jewish people seeking to make Aliyah. No matter where they’ve been scattered, the faithful God of Israel is bringing His people home. Our teams in Russia will be fully stretched and working under difficult conditions in the coming months.

Let’s continue to pray for Aliyah highways to be open for both Russian and Ukrainian Jews; for temporary sanctuaries provided for the Jewish refugees in the nations to be exactly that: only temporary sanctuaries. May they see the signposts to Zion and press on to the land of Israel!

Pete Stucken
Chairman, International Board

Original article published in issue 2/2022 of Ebenezer Operation Exodus’ International Bulletin.

Ukraine In Crisis

Ukraine in Crisis

by John Prosser, OEUSA President

Look, I’m bringing them from the northern region, and I’ll gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. among them will be the blind and the lame, together with the pregnant woman and the woman in labor. A large group will return here. Jeremiah 31:8 ESV

The travesty taking place in Ukraine for the last few weeks is appalling and incomprehensible. Our hearts break as we watch and listen to the cries of everyday Ukrainians pleading for help from other nations to come and help them survive this demonic invasion. We thank God for their bravery and for those in the Ukrainian church praying around the clock.

What a glorious time for the true Church of our LORD to rise up and pray for God’s deliverance and protection for all His children, especially for the Ukrainian people, including the 200,000 Ukrainian Jews. May this crisis be the catalyst propelling the second Exodus from the nations, particularly from the West!

The first refugee flights carrying Ukrainian Jews landed at Ben Gurion on Sunday, March 6, 2022. Three planes departed from Moldova, Romania, and Poland, carrying close to 300 Ukrainian Jewish refugees. Orphan children between the ages of two and twelve (close to 90 of them) were part of this first round. We thank God for the great work the Israeli government is doing in rescuing their people to bring them home to Israel. They expect a wave of thousands of Ukrainian Jews to make Aliyah in the coming weeks and months.

The Ebenezer Operation Exodus International team is still operating in Ukraine out of the city of Lviv, helping Jewish people cross the border to neighboring countries. Johannes, who is spearheading this complex operation, is expanding operational bases in Poland, Moldova, and other regions. This expansion is necessary to meet the growing needs of those fleeing from the carnage of the Russian invasion.

Our international teams continue to help displaced Ukrainian Jews by providing basic needs, such as food, transportation, and warm and safe housing. Most of all, they are comforting God’s people. We encourage you to watch this powerful video from our international teams about their work in Ukraine:

This is a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions! We thank God for the faithful and courageous volunteers from various European nations who are willingly stepping up to help and comfort God’s people through the horrors of this unprovoked war. Let us continue to join our voices with the Church of our LORD, praying for the manifestation of God’s miracles and His perfect will to be done! May His Truth and Light penetrate through this darkness, bringing hope and comfort to all those in peril.

At Operation Exodus USA, we consider it a privilege to stand side-by-side with Ebenezer Operations Exodus through this crisis. We are praying for all team members on the ground and helping to finance the operational needs to assist and comfort Ukrainian Jewish refugees.

We are grateful for the generosity of so many of you, our friends and partners, who are giving above and beyond to meet this urgent need. Thank You!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement. He encourages us in every trouble, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any trouble, through the very encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For just as the sufferings of Messiah overflow into us, so also through Messiah our encouragement overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 TLV

If you would like to contribute to this cause financially, you can do so over the phone or on our website. These funds will be used to purchase vehicles and clothing, rent housing facilities, and fill other needs as they arise. If you have already donated funds to support this effort, thank you! The Lord will surely remember your acts of charity towards His people.

Aliyah and the Church

by Adrianne Prosser, Outreach Development Director

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. … I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:11, 12, 14 NIV

The LORD warned the Israelites about the severe consequences of rebellion and disobedience against Him. He banished them from the Land, but His desire was always to gather and carry them back to ISRAEL – to prosper and restore them unto Himself!

Operation Exodus USA has chosen to be active participants with God as He carries the exiles HOME to ISRAEL, fulfilling the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Aliyah reverses God’s banishment of the Israelites from their Land. The LORD, through His faithfulness and love, has never stopped carrying His people HOME, restoring them to their God-given land and their God! Israel is strengthening and flourishing as the exiles return HOME to be deeply rooted in the Land, never to be uprooted again. (Amos 9:15)

As members of His Church (Gentiles), we are responding to God’s mandate (Isaiah 49:22) to support and bless Jewish people making Aliyah. What an incredible privilege and honor we have to serve the LORD at this crucial time in the Aliyah of His people! This holy work is at the forefront of God’s agenda. One central prayer in the hearts of Jewish people, both in exile and in the Land, is to pray for God’s redemption and the coming of the Messiah! AMEN!

The Church needs to embrace God’s Word regarding Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration. This is of extreme importance to the LORD, and therefore should be of the utmost importance to His Church. Unfortunately, many Christians are completely ignorant of the tremendous debt we owe the Jewish people and our responsibility to support and bless them as they return home from their exile.

A great London preacher from the 1800s, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, made a remarkable statement one hundred years before the birth of the state of Israel:

“I think we do not attach enough importance to the restoration of the Jews, but certainly if there is anything promised in the Bible, it is this: the day shall yet come when the Jews, who were the first apostles to the Gentiles, the first witnesses to us who were afar off, shall be gathered in again. Until that time shall be, the fullness of the church’s glory can never come. Matchless benefits for the world are bound up with the restoration of Israel; their gathering shall be as life from the dead.”

Today, this marvelous revelation should be echoing in the hearts of Christians in every church! Sadly, we see the ideology of replacement theology still blinding most of today’s church – it has dug its heels deep in the hearts and souls of many Christians. Our fervent prayer must be that the true Church of Jesus Christ recognizes the integral part the complete restoration of Israel plays on God’s eternal redemptive plan for all peoples! We are in this together! Our partnership with the LORD represents a cord of three strands that cannot be easily broken!

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT

God is fulfilling His promises to His first-born, ISRAEL! He is restoring His covenantal relationship in preparation for His soon coming! We join our prayers with our Jewish brothers and sisters, and we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” May the grace of our LORD Jesus be with God’s holy people! Amen!

Thank you, dear friends, for your love and support! We cannot do this work without your commitment to fervently pray and bless the Aliyah of our Jewish brothers and sisters! We stand with you in prayer, trusting the LORD will carry us through the many difficulties and hardships some are facing! To our God be all the praise, glory, honor, and praise!

Hearts Stirred for Aliyah

by Pete Stucken, Chairman of the International Board

“The LORD said, ‘I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to rescue them . . . ‘” Exodus 3:7-8 NASB

In calling Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, the Lord made it clear that it would take a series of severe judgments to unlock the gates of Egypt and free His people from slavery. The Lord also said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. This was already evident in the brutal slavery conditions he imposed on the Israelites.

Above: Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh

As Moses stood before him, asking for Israel’s release, Pharaoh hardened his heart (literally “made his heart heavy, stubborn”) on five consecutive occasions. After this we read that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He scarcely needed to. There was no fear of the Lord evident in Pharaoh despite the dramatic plague judgments. His heart was indeed hardened.

With an outstretched arm, with signs and wonders, with devastating destruction upon Pharaoh and his army, the Lord released His people from Egypt. This first Aliyah into the Promised Land was an Aliyah of rescue.

Not all Egyptians shared Pharaoh’s hardness of heart. Some recognized that the Israelites in Goshen were spared the worst calamities. Israel’s firstborn were safe through that first Passover. There grew a cautious respect in Egypt for the God of the Israelites, in some even a reverential fear of Him. Neighboring Egyptians allowed the departing Israelites to help themselves to stock and valuables. Some joined the Israelites as they left. Their hearts had been stirred to reverence Israel’s God. They were willing to assist, even participate in, this first Aliyah.

The Israelites possessed the land of Israel, but over the ensuing centuries they drifted into idolatry. In the 8th century BC Isaiah foretold destruction and exile from the Land but also prophesied of God’s grace, mercy and redeeming love. In one prophecy, precise in its detail, Isaiah spoke of a king named Cyrus, who would rise to help the sons of Jacob (Isaiah 45).

The fulfilment would follow after some 200 years. Those who had survived Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of the southern Kingdom found themselves in Babylonian exile. By the rivers of Babylon they wept as they remembered Zion. In this setting Daniel studied the Scriptures and found Jeremiah’s prophecy that

Jerusalem’s desolation would cease after 70 years (Jeremiah 29:10). Daniel prayed, his face towards Jerusalem.

Now the time had come: in a most remarkable turn of events, the Lord stirred up the heart of a Persian king, the ruler of the great Babylonian empire — Cyrus.

“…in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom … ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to rebuild for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Go up [literally ‘make Aliyah’] to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel … the people of that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up [make Aliyah] to rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all of those around them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with equipment, cattle, and with valuables, aside from everything that was given as a voluntary offering” Ezra 1:1-6 NASB.

Cyrus’s heart was stirred up — and so were the hearts of the Jews. During the exodus from Egypt no stirring of hearts had been needed. The oppressive conditions of slavery in Egypt made Aliyah the obvious choice.

It was different in Babylon. This profoundly pagan city had become somewhat of a safe haven for Jews. They had settled, established communities, taken up occupations, ran businesses, married and started families. There was no urge to leave. Yet the God of Israel responded to faithful prayer, moved to fulfil His word and stirred the hearts of His people for Aliyah.

A resonance of the exodus from Egypt came when Cyrus ordered the surrounding peoples to support the departing Jews with silver and gold, equipment, cattle, even a voluntary offering! Those living around the Jewish communities were being stirred to help them generously.

This Aliyah continued for over a century as more Jews decided to uproot settled lives in Babylon and go. Their hearts were stirred and were willing. Governmental authorities had been stirred to endorse their Aliyah, while the surrounding Gentiles were stirred to offer them provisions.

What an inspiration for us! Let’s pray that in the growing modern-day Aliyah the Almighty God of Israel will stir the hearts of governments and Jewish communities in the diaspora, and a multitude in the nations, to be willing participants in making or helping in a mighty Aliyah of choice while time remains.

Original article published in issue 3/2021 of Ebenezer Operation Exodus’ International Bulletin.

Offering Hope in an Age of Genocide

“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3 NKJV

In August, we had the privilege of hosting a zoom conference call with Dr. Susanna Kokkonen. She spoke to us about “Offering Hope in an Age of Genocide,” a message we all need to hear in the face of rising anti-Semitism worldwide.

Dr. Kokkonen has her degree in Holocaust Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and worked as the Director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem from 2008 to 2018. She frequently travels around the world speaking about anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and the persecution of Christians.

The word brought to us by Dr. Kokkonen gave hope to everyone on the call that night, including our team here at Operation Exodus USA. We have made this call available for you to watch online so you may be encouraged and blessed by this word of hope.

From Hope to Home – Hope for God’s People

by Quay Messner

“From Hope to Home” is more than a catchy phrase attached to the OEUSA logo.

“Ha Tikvah,” translated as “The Hope,” is the national anthem of Israel. Written in 1886, it expresses a graciously given supernatural hope that resides deep in every Jewish heart — the hope of being restored to their God-given homeland.

The Hebrew word “Tikvah” is Strongs’ Concordance #8615 and means “a cord” – as an attachment. It comes from the primary root “Kavah,” which means to bind together by twisting; to expect; to wait patiently.

“Ode lo avdah tikvatenu; Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim.” In English: “Then our hope – 2,000- year-old hope – will not be lost.” This hope is based on faithful covenant promises from God written in the scriptures. It is a sure hope – it is a cord between the Jewish people, God, and the Land.

Through His faithfulness and enduring love, He is making the 2,000-year-old hope a reality one by one, family by family. This hope is an essential ingredient of Aliyah. Despite the turmoil in the world, hope is blossoming profusely, shining brightly, and causing the Jewish people to return to Israel. Hope is alive and well in Jewish hearts. Let us bless this godly hope and pray that many more will go “from hope to home.”

There is a supernatural grace of hope for us Gentiles as well. “Put on salvation as your helmet.” Eph. 6:17a, NLT. A companion verse provides greater clarity: “and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” 1 Thes. 5:8, ESV.

The LORD has made provision for the protection of our minds (spiritual, soul, and physical) against discouragement, despair, apathy, inaction, paralyzing fear, being overwhelmed (and more) by the formidable and potentially exhausting events in the world. In addition, the helmet of the hope of salvation provides the power to dwell on that which is of the living God. The helmet enables us to “fix our thoughts on what is true… honorable… right… pure… lovely… excellent… worthy of praise.” Phil. 4:8, NLT

In his excellent treatise on the “helmet of the hope of salvation,” the 17^th-century pastor William Gurnall writes: “This hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eyes – sign and sing all in a breath.” ¹

I find it easy to have faith, hope, and love for God’s Aliyah. There are many scriptures, historical and current examples of His faithfulness to His promises. However, the battle against the mind in other personal, family, church, relational, national, and international matters is more challenging. Let us avail ourselves of the priceless provision of God’s full armor – and note that He is currently emphasizing our need for the helmet of salvation. We all personally need the sure hope that is “an anchor for our soul” that takes us directly into His Presence (Heb. 6:19, NLT). This hope gives us personal confidence during conflicts that we encounter.

“But now these three remain – faith, hope, and love.” 1Cor.13:13a, TLV.

Godly hope is alive and well in the Jewish heart. May godly hope be alive and well in our hearts and minds also. We earnestly pray for you:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13, NLT. Amen.

¹ The Christian in 1Complete Armour, William Gurnall, 2^nd Volume, page 144.