THEY WILL REBUILD

they will rebuild, God keeps covenant, day 10

THEY WILL REBUILD

God Keeps Covenant

Day 10
by Wendy D. Beckett

“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant Israel in their own landnever again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:14-15 NIV) 

Day 10 of God Keeps Covenant: THEY WILL REBUILD

The transformation of the land of Israel from mosquito-infested swamps and barren desert to productive farms, vineyards and orchards is amazing. The Lord has blessed Israelis’ hard work. One indication is the jet stream, which actually shifted so that some of the former desert land has regular rain again.

Millions of trees have been planted on the barren slopes – many by Christians.  Each visit my husband and I make to Israel, we see Isaiah 51:3 becoming more of a realityThe Lord “will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.” 

For many years now, Israeli jets have departed nightly full of fruit and flowers for the tables of Europe – a direct fulfillment of Isaiah 27:6, “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.”  Even in the grocery stores of America we can now purchase Israeli fresh produce.

In the Negev desert, exceptional olive orchards and vineyards are developing using brackish water pumped from thousands of feet below ground. 

“They…will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61:4) The rebuilding has been intense throughout the years of Israel’s existence. Their ability to absorb and house new immigrants is astounding. Their rebuilt cities are clean and orderly.

Never before in history has a dead language been revived. Yet in Israel today, Hebrew is spoken everywhere, and immigrants are required to attend Hebrew classes upon arrival.

Never before has a nation, which was dispersed into many countries, remained intact as a distinct people. Ethnic groups have always been absorbed after a few generations. Yet the Lord has kept Israel as a nation even in her long exile.

The Lord has remembered His covenant and His everlasting love for His nation. The time to favor Zion has come.

Gracious Father, You have looked down on this people throughout the generations and yearned for this time when You could again pour out Your blessings upon them. Thank You for all that is being fulfilled and all that will yet happen in order to complete Your great plan of Redemption for Israel and all peoples.

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CRISIS ESCALATES ALIYAH

CRISIS ESCALATES ALIYAH blog

CRISIS ESCALATES ALIYAH

by John Prosser

 

Aliyah must move forward

For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:9 NLT

As we endure the summer heatwave, storms, fires, and hurricanes sweeping across our nation, so is anarchy spreading like wildfire. This internal turmoil poses significant threats and danger, which is dividing and weakening our country. High-level government officials are predicting an impending catastrophic event in America; they warn us that it’s only a matter of time. Economic instability, political and security concerns, civil unrest, and the alarming rise of anti-Semitism are factors in the escalation of discussions prompting Jewish people to decide to make Aliyah.

Simultaneously, the war in Israel intensifies, with Hezbollah and Hamas playing central roles. The fear of a broader regional war looms large, especially given Iran’s threats of revenge through its proxies. Despite the dangers of a global war, Israel maintains a unique position before God. This tiny nation holds a divine guarantee of protection and victory over its enemies. The miraculous victories of the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 underscored the Hand of God over Israel. The current climate between Israel and the United States is volatile, with both sides preparing for potential escalations of war.

Through intercessory prayer and fasting, we can thwart many of the enemies’ plots against Israel and its people. The history of our ministry is deeply rooted in intercession, with a prophetic call to pray for Israel — His own special treasure — and to pray for the Aliyah of God’s chosen people. I encourage pastors, fellow Christians, and families to join us and engage in intercessory prayer for Israel and the Aliyah of God’s chosen people. Pray God’s protection over the millions of American Jewish people living in the USA.

In our ministry, we are keenly aware that fulfilling God’s holy

work of Aliyah is impossible through our human efforts and ideas; we must humbly position ourselves in intercession, crying out to the LORD to carry out His eternal plans and purposes — to do what only He can do. May God’s perfect will be done. He has already made all the provisions, and divine connections will occur in His perfect timing — all for His praise, honor, and glory!

Daunting days are ahead—we must be ready to assist our Jewish friends in new and unusual ways. Operation Exodus USA (OEUSA) maintains a successful and trusted partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAI). Since its inception, the JAI has demonstrated an outstanding history in ensuring a secure pathway to Israel for Israelis in the diaspora who face extreme conflict, persecution, and anti-Semitism.

We are confident that the Israeli government will promptly assist American Jewry as we find ourselves on the brink of a significant wave of Aliyah from our nation. Despite most commercial airlines cancelling flights to Israel, El Al remains committed to bringing home American Jewry in substantial numbers on a weekly basis.

On the back page of this newsletter, you will find heartfelt testimonies from Olim who share their motivations for choosing to make Aliyah even during these times of conflict. Their unwavering courage, resilience, and determination serve as powerful testaments to their love for Israel, their fellow brothers and sisters, and their God!

May God bless you all abundantly! No matter what comes, let us remember that the LORD is our hiding place. He protects us from trouble and surrounds us with songs of victory. Let us praise the Name of the LORD!

God’s Sovereignty

God's Sovereignty by Derek Prince

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

by Derek Prince

Why Israel? God’s Sovereignty

Chapter 7

Why Israel? Chapter 7 – GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY by author Derek Prince.

God’s Sovereignty
Do you believe in the sovereignty of God? I certainly do. My definition of God’s sovereignty is this: God does what He wants, the way He wants, when He wants, and He asks no one’s permission.

A Covenant Kept
Almost four thousand years ago, God made a covenant with Abraham. He said, “I will give this land to you and your descendants.” Most people—even most Israelites—forgot about that covenant. Some people believe it was buried in the past. Yet there is One—the Lord Almighty—who has never forgotten. He says, “I am keeping My covenant.
This is an essential principle for all of us to remember: God keeps His covenants. This truth is especially important for us as Christians, because our relationship with God is based on the covenant made through the blood of Jesus. If you have been taught Replacement Theology, which says that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s people, you need to ask yourself this sobering question, “If God could break His covenant with Israel, why shouldn’t He break His covenant with the Church?” But here is the truth: He won’t break His promises because He is not a covenant breaker. He made a covenant, and He is keeping His covenant. That is good news. It is exciting!

CAN A NATION BE BORN IN A DAY?

can a nation be born in a day?

CAN A NATION BE BORN IN A DAY?

God Keeps Covenant

Day 9
by Wendy D. Beckett

“Who has ever heard of such a thing? …Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her childrenDo I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord.  (Isaiah 66: 8 & 9)

Day 9 of God Keeps Covenant: CAN A NATION BE BORN IN A DAY?

Let’s return briefly to the Bible College in Wales. In 1947, a number of the young students there sensed the Lord asking them to temporarily lay down their missionary calls and stay to intercede for the birth of the State of Israel. “We pleaded,” wrote Rees Howells in his diary, “that because of His covenant with Abraham 4,000 years ago, God would take His people back to their land, and Palestine (3) should again become a Jewish State.”(4)

On the day of the mandatory United Nations’ vote to allow Israel’s status as a sovereign nation, there was much prayer. The first vote did not pass. The college intercessors went back into more intense prayer and believed they saw “God’s angels influencing those men in the United Nations Conference to work on behalf of God’s people.” The next day the news came of the needed two-thirds majority. The college proclaimed November 28, 1947, “one of the greatest days for the Holy Spirit in the history of these 2,000 years.” (5)

Fighting continued for the next five months between the Arab nations and the Jewish people. However in May 1948, the Jewish council in Jerusalem signed Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Modern Israel was “born in a day.”

In less than 24 hours, seven Arab countries declared war against this new state. Miraculously this fledgling, ill-equipped nation was victorious. Even after she was attacked again in1967, her forces prevailed and broke through to the Western Wall – all that was left of the Old Temple. At that moment all of Jerusalem came back into Jewish hands for the first time since they were exiled to Babylon 600 years before Christ. (6)

Faithful God, thank You that You did “bring to the moment of birth” and You did give delivery. Thank You that You have protected Israel in the ensuing wars. We will “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her.” (Isaiah 66:10)

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ALIYAH MUST MOVE FORWARD

ALIYAH MUST MOVE Forwad

ALIYAH MUST MOVE FORWARD

by John Prosser

Aliyah must move forward
Deuteronomy 30:1-5 NLT

In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions. If at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!

The scripture above is a prophetic word given to Moses by God, testifying to His love and faithfulness to a future generation that would rebel against Him. Our fervent prayer is that today’s generation will remember and take to heart God’s instructions, repent of their disobedience, and make the choice to live under the full blessings of the LORD.

Today, more than ever, Israel is facing unprecedented dangers as its enemies relentlessly attack and call for its destruction. Many nations around the world are turning their backs on Israel. Unthinkably, the US is increasingly siding with Israel’s enemies. Let us not despair! Together, let us continue to trust the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who promises to defend Israel. We may not fully understand how God’s plan is unfolding, but we know that He is using it to bring about salvation for Israel and the nations. His Word is unshakable, and it cannot fail, as we read on Scripture below:

This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! . . . As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace . . . Isaiah 55:8, 10-12 TLB

Join us in praying for God’s plan to bring His people home to unfold according to His perfect timing concerning the Aliyah of American Jewry. The Lord is allowing these unprecedented and destructive times of mayhem in America to uproot, gather, and plant His people in their Land. Let us not forget, regardless of the ongoing war, Israel is the only nation that God promises that He will protect and fully restore —FOR HIS HOLY NAME’S SAKE!

Please watch CBN’s LATEST ISRAEL UPDATE VIDEO: video:  Hezbollah Leader Vows War ‘Without Rules’ if Israel Launches Offensive, Israelis Claim End to US Weapons Spat | CBN News

I am grateful for your prayers and your generous support. The LORD IS the provision for His holy work of Aliyah—but He expects each one of us to do our part, in obedience to His command to carry His sons and daughters’ home. (Isaiah 49:22) Please consider giving to help those who want to make Aliyah!

In God we trust!

John Prosser

The Land of Israel

The Land of Israel. What is that topic? God’s plan for the land of Israel.

The Land of Israel

by Derek Prince

Why Israel? The Land of Israel

Chapter 6

Why Israel? Chapter 6 – The Land of Israel by author Derek Prince.

In the first section of this book, we dealt with the subject of the people of Israel. Beginning with this chapter, I want to focus on what is possibly the most controversial topic in contemporary politics. What is that topic? God’s plan for the land of Israel.

In contemporary media language, the land of Israel is often mistakenly referred to as Palestine. Let me point out that it is totally contrary to Biblical truth to call it Palestine. Palestine means the land of the Philistines. That term was never used until the Romans had conquered and destroyed the second temple. Then they used the name Palestine to assert that the Jews no longer had any claim to this region. It was a deliberately chosen, anti-Semitic word.

Biblically, the land of Israel was called the Land of Canaan before it was taken by Joshua. But in the New Testament, do you know what this nation is called? The Land of Israel.

God’s Promise to Abraham
To begin our exploration of this controversial subject, let us look at what God has to say about this unique and significant land. In Genesis 17 verses 7 and 8, God appeared to Abraham. At that time, God made a covenant with him which was totally sovereign. Abraham took no initiative with this covenant. God simply decided that this was what He was going to do. He said to Abraham:

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

For me, it is absolutely clear that for everyone who believes the Bible, there is no dispute as to whom the land belongs. Whether Israel is in the land or outside of it makes no difference. According to Scripture, specifically stated in the above verse, God has given it to them as an “everlasting possession.”

A Firm Commitment
There is a remarkable passage in Psalm 105, which I personally consider to be one of the most significant passages in Scripture. This psalm contains the statement of God’s plan and total commitment for this land. It describes God’s covenant-keeping intentions for Israel so explicitly. We begin at verse 7:

He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. [In other words, what God decrees applies in every part of the earth.]
He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, …and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute.

In four verses of Psalm 105, the Word of God uses stronger language to describe His total commitment to this land than anywhere else in the Bible. You cannot find another passage quite like this one. Let me just list the words used: covenant, word, command, oath, statute, and everlasting covenant. Here is the pivotal question: to what is God making such a total, authoritative, unreserved commitment? My breath is taken away when I discover the answer to this question in verse 11:

To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance.

All those words—covenant, word, command, oath, statute, and everlasting covenant—are applied to God’s giving of all the land of Canaan. The strength and clarity of God’s words carry the implication that anybody who goes against that covenant would be going against God.

The Return of Israel
In Jeremiah, we have one of the countless passages predicting the return of the Jewish people to their inheritance in the last days.

“‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Jer.30:3

Anyone with a moderate knowledge of the Bible knows that the land God gave to Abraham and his descendants is the land of Canaan. The name for this territory became the land of Israel—the land we call the Holy Land. God says, when the time comes, I will bring back the descendants of Israel and Judah from their captivity to the land I gave to their fathers.

THE TIME TO FAVOR ZION

DAY 8 THE TIME TO FAVOR ZION by Wendy Beckett's 30-day devotion, God Keeps Covenant

THE TIME TO FAVOR ZION

God Keeps Covenant

Day 8
by Wendy D. Beckett

“But You, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; …You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.”  (Psalm 102:12 & 13)

Day 8 of God Keeps Covenant: THE TIME TO FAVOR ZION

I will never forget the gathering in the large cafeteria of a major industrial company in Cleveland, Ohio.  Derek Prince was addressing two thousand eager listeners. The year was 1971 – twenty-three years after the formation of the state of Israel. The air was electric as we heard this renowned Bible teacher expound on how this verse related to   Israel’s birth as a nation.

Profound questions were being addressed: Had 1948 been a turning point in history? One of the Lord’s “suddenlies”? An appointed time that had escaped the world’s attention, but to the Lord was of great importance?  Was He showing favor to His people, Israel, today in the midst of our modern world?

We knew the new nation had been created, but here was Scriptural insight into what the Lord thought of the event. I was in awe as my mind flashed back to mother’s words: “Maybe that’s what the prophets meant!”

The following two Scriptures give us further insights into this “appointed time.” Jesus, in His prophetic description of the history we have just studied, tells us: “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) Paul echoes this: “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25)

With Israel’s birth, a seismic shift occurred in the heavenly realm and in the world. And many – even much of the Church with its rich depository of Scriptural truth – missed it.

How comparable to the way the world missed our Savior’s birth, which was ushered in by the great angelic pronouncement. The sky was ablaze with heavenly light for the Bethlehem shepherds. And the sleeping world yawned.

So it was also with Israel’s inception as a nation. Few understood or were even aware of God’s dramatic invasion into history. But the process had begun. For indeed, the “Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. …for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.” (Psalm 69:33 & 35) And that is exactly what has been happening since 1948.

Father, please help us all in Your Church to see the significance of the wondrous accomplishment that You brought forth from the ashes of the Holocaust. You were true to Your Covenant and again gave Your people their land. You have had “compassion on Zion” and shown her favor at “the appointed time,” just as You promised!  You are revealing the continuation of Your love story.

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What God Expects

What God Expects

WHAT GOD EXPECTS

by Derek Prince

Why Israel? What God Expects

Chapter 5

Why Israel? Chapter 5 – What God Expects by author Derek Prince.

In this chapter, we will deal further with the needed response. We will address these important questions, “What is God looking for in Israel? What is He waiting for?”

Meekness and Humility

For our first answer to questions about the response God expects, let’s look at Zephaniah chapter 3 verses 11-13. Before we explore these verses, I want to add that this passage has a message for the Church just as much as it does for Israel.

In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.

What characteristic is God objecting to in this passage? Religious pride. Let me say that there are many reasons for people to be prideful, but religion is at the top of the list.

God says to His Jewish people, “Until you have learned not to be proud because I have chosen you; because I have placed my temple in your midst; because I have called you specially; I am not coming back.”

Then the Lord says:

I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies. Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.

What is the Lord expecting to see in Israel when He comes back? A meek and humble people. What is the Lord looking for in the Church? Exactly the same—a meek and humble people.

I have come to see that the real issue we are confronting in the Church—in America and many other nations—is pride. Are we really willing to humble ourselves before God?

This point is particularly significant because it brings us right back to the parallel between the Church with Israel. In both cases, Jesus is coming back for a meek and humble people.

The biggest problem with all religious people is pride. That is true of Jews, and it is true of Christians of all denominations. In our study in this chapter, we have learned the most important single lesson for our spiritual well-being: God is looking for humility and meekness.

WORLD WAR II AND THE HOLOCAUST

WORLD WAR II AND THE HOLOCAUST by Wendy Becktt's 30 day devotion, God Keeps Covenant

WORLD WAR II AND THE HOLOCAUST

God Keeps Covenant

Day 7
by Wendy D. Beckett
You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest (pray continually) till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. (Isaiah 62:6 & 7)

Day 7 of God Keeps Covenant: World War II and the Holocaust

In the summer of 2004, as I walked for the first time through Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, what struck me most deeply was the Jewish suffering after World War II. My heart was broken not only by the gas chambers and crematoriums (which I had known about) but also by the post-war holding camps in Cyprus and northern Europe, where conditions were not much better than at Auschwitz. I wept as I thought of the survivors of the Holocaust finally landing in Haifa, Israel, only to be sent back to the holding camps because of anti-Semitic regulations.

But I don’t intend here to dwell on the horrors. If you have seen “Schindler’s List,” “Playing for Time” or “The Pianist,” you know very well the appalling scenes from the Warsaw ghetto and the death camps.

Instead, let us zero in on a small Bible College in Wales where nightly, powerful prayer meetings were occurring during the war. Rees Howells, an intercessor God had groomed with great care, would take time by himself to wait on the Lord for the prayer strategy for a particular evening.

Once he had heard the Lord’s direction, he would join others already in prayer and together they would go into deep intercession – perhaps for hours – until they sensed they had “broken through” and the Lord had achieved what He desired. Often within days the news would report a victory the Allies had needed to press on to defeat the evil Nazi regime – exactly as they had prayed.

O yes, there were prayer gatherings everywhere as the world writhed convulsively during those awful years between 1939-1945. Finally those regimes fell, and the senseless murder ceased for those whose only crime was that they were Jewish.

Can we ever answer the question “Why?” In today’s world, innocent people, children, and babies are being murdered almost daily by terrorists. We all wrestle with why evil has to be so powerful. The answers will come when we see the Lord face to face.

Then, we will have the kind of history lesson those two disciples had on the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Day when the Lord Jesus brought His gruesome death and the prophetic Word together for them. (Luke 24) Until that day, I have to trust my Lord. In His Sovereignty, the Lord had to allow the Holocaust. The outcome was a homeland for the Jewish people – the restored nation of Israel. He used the incredible tragedy for His purposes.

To return to our opening Scripture, we see that intercessors did call on the Lord and gave themselves and Him no rest during those terrible years. Through the horrors, the Lord somehow caused His Will to be done to bring closer the Day He “establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

Father, again we have to acknowledge that Your ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) We can only declare that You are Sovereign over all the earth. You know what You are doing as You bring about Your will and Your purposes in preparation for that great Day!

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A Special Response – Return of Jesus

the return of Jesus requires a special response...from the Church and from Israel. By author Derek Prince.

A Special Response

by Derek Prince

Why Israel?

Chapter 4

Why Israel? Chapter 4 – A Special Response by author Derek Prince.

In this chapter, we will explore the idea that the return of Jesus requires a special response from both sections of His people—from the Church and from Israel. In other words, Jesus is not coming again until both the Church and Israel are prepared to make the appropriate response. I will begin by saying that I don’t know exactly when Jesus is coming again. It is not up to us to determine the date of His return. But in Matthew 24:3, Jesus was asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

In the verses that follow this question, Jesus gave a number of signs, including several distinctive ones. However, He did not answer their question with those responses. It is not until Matthew 24:14 that Jesus provides a specific answer to their specific question about “the sign.”

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
When will the end come? When the “gospel of the kingdom [has been] preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.” It is clear to see from this response how His return places the responsibility directly on the Church. We are responsible to do what is outlined as the predicate for His coming.

The Jewish Equivalent
Interestingly, Jesus also spoke a word in Matthew 23:37-39 to the Jewish people concerning His return:

Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” [Note that “you” is plural here.]

It is important for us to understand that the Jewish people have a collective will. Many times, God addresses them in the plural: “You [My people] were not willing!”

Let us look at how the Scripture passage continues:
For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

In other words, Jesus is not going to come back until the heart of the Jewish people has been prepared to welcome Him. He requires a response from Christians (the Church), and from Israel.

Jesus says, in effect, “You are not going to see Me again—I am never going to force Myself upon you. I am not coming back until you are longing for Me; until you cry out for Me; until you realize who I am.”