Showing posts with label dry bones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dry bones. Show all posts

Friday, June 16, 2017

The Holy Land: Official Documents and Fake News - Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram MAOZ ISRAEL


Celebrating Jerusalem's 50th Year Jubilee 

AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT IN MY LIFE

Monthly Report: June 2017
Sivan - Tammuz 5777



A scene from the film "Dry Bones," on which I began work in early 1968. Though the film deteriorated before the days of digital, I believe it still packs a powerful message! —SSR


By Shira Sorko-Ram

"You are destined to live in Israel."

This prophecy was given to me numerous times as a young girl in my early 20's.

At that time, there were areas of my life not in right standing with God. I had my own plans and goals, and to me, moving to Israel sounded like I was being shipped off to a third-world country like Afghanistan or Siberia.

But on October 15, 1967, 50 years ago, I arrived in Israel for a two-week visit with my parents. Only four months before, the little nation of just over two million Jewish citizens had escaped complete annihilation by the concerted efforts of Syria, Jordan and Egypt along with Iraq, and had achieved a victory that was beyond the imagination of the prime minister, the army chiefs and the whole population of Israel.

The euphoria of the Jewish state was indescribable. To the Orthodox Jews, there was no doubt the Days of Messiah had arrived.

To the secular citizens, an unexplainable miracle had occurred. The Arab armies had been crushed—and surely they had learned their lesson. There would be no more war!

Everyone repeated in joyous rapture, "Jerusalem is once again ours!" It was into these stratospheric heights that my parents and I landed in Israel. And I stayed.

Two scenes I can never forget: When the next Independence Day rolled around in 1968, it was the first one where Israelis could celebrate in the ancient city of Jerusalem. I was standing on an incline looking down at tens of thousands of Israelis surrounding the area of Jaffa Gate (before it was landscaped). Spontaneously, with no microphones or musical instruments, the people began to sing "Jerusalem of Gold," the song that had been composed only shortly before war, and became the song of the Six Day War.

Later that night, the streets of modern Jerusalem were filled with musicians on balconies with their accordions and clarinets, while soldiers stood their rifles up teepee-style in the middle of circles they formed up and down the streets, while dancing the Hora through the night.
THE EARLIEST MESSIANIC PIONEERS

Quickly I discovered there was only a tiny remnant of Jewish believers in the entire land. For all practical purposes, they didn't exist. Yes, there was a family here and an individual there. Victor Smadja and his family, immigrants from Tunisia, had established a Messianic Assembly in Jerusalem; and the Heimoff family (now Bar David) that emigrated from Bulgaria, had a small group meeting in a Tel Aviv suburb. Ostrovsky hosted a Bible study in Jaffa. That was about it.

I thought to myself, "How in the world will the Israeli people, with only a tiny handful of believers in the land, ever have the opportunity to hear a clear explanation of salvation, according to the Bible?"

Even though I had no prior plans to remain in Israel, after consulting with my father, I decided to produce a 28-minute documentary on the establishment of the new state of Israel and the recent return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, exactly as it had been foretold by the prophets.

I felt it was critical for Christians to understand that important portions of Biblical prophecy were unfolding "right now" and Israel needed the prayers of intercessors worldwide. I also began to study the Hebrew language.

CREATING THE "DRY BONES" SCRIPT

Together with my language studies, I spent almost three years working on this film which I called "Dry Bones." I struggled for months over the script, and then one day I thought to myself, "Why should I try to describe current fulfillment of prophecy? I have the best scriptwriters in the world—Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zachariah, to name a few!" And so I spent many months poring over the books of the entire Old Testament.

Each time I read a verse that foretold the suffering or described the glory of the coming Messiah, or talked about the return of the Jewish people to Israel, or Jerusalem's restoration, I wrote the Scriptures on a card. In those days there were no computers!

When I was finished, I had a stack of cards four inches tall. Out of those Scriptures I created a script and contracted an Israeli company to produce the film which I directed.
ASSEMBLING THE ARTISTS

During the filming, I had many opportunities to witness to my cinematographer, Adam Greenberg, who went on to be a much sought-after director of photography in Hollywood, filming movies such as "Terminator 2" with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Adam taught me so much with his flowing lyrical camera work!

The only obstacle—and it was a big one—was that Israel was such a young country there was not even a single film lab in the country to develop film. We had to send the film to France, and they ruined a great deal of the original film. We had to re-film a number of sections, much to our dismay. (These were the days before video!) Nevertheless, we persevered.


I had the greatest of privileges to meet two of modern Israel's founders—giants in Israel's history: First prime minister David Ben Gurion in 1965 and prime minister Golda Meir in 1971. PM Ben Gurion asked me, "WHEN ARE YOU MOVING TO ISRAEL?"


I met one of Israel's finest composers and conductors, Noam Sheriff. Having run out of funds to enlist such a world-renowned musician, I asked him if he would compose the music for free. He agreed! I only had to pay for the recording sessions.

I searched for a very expressive voice with an Israeli accent to read the script. I was introduced to Yossi Yadin, a famous actor in Israel, and brother of the celebrated archeologist, Yigael Yadin, who excavated Masada and Megiddo, and who later became Deputy Prime Minister.

Yossi agreed to narrate the film. In order to physically make the script, I simply took a Bible and cut out the Scriptures, one by one, and pasted them on paper. At first Yossi was taken aback, asking if I wasn't desecrating the Bible by cutting it up. I told him that desecrating the Bible was done by those who did not keep the commandments written in it. He was satisfied with the answer and we recorded the narration.
GOLDA MEIR ASKED TO SEE "DRY BONES"

Yossi talked to Golda Meir, then Prime Minister of Israel, about "Dry Bones." She told him she wanted to see the film herself. Knowing how busy she was, I wrote her, offering to bring the film to her home. She invited me to show her the film on August 10, 1971.

With great anticipation, this opportunity brought me to much prayer! As a girlfriend and I prayed, I seemed to see Golda Meir on her bed at night, looking up and asking, "Is there really a God?" I also felt there was going to be some type of spiritual opposition to this invitation, and I and my friend began to pray with deep intercession that the Lord would allow me to show her this film without interruption.


The day came for me to take the film to her house and I entered with a large bouquet of flowers. I remember the security people looking carefully through it to make sure there was no bomb planted among the stems. Several aides and family members were also there.

After small talk, the film began. Its theme portrayed Israel in the late sixties as a nation raised out of the ashes just as the prophets had prophesied would come to pass in the latter days. There was also a section where the narrator read Isaiah 53 about the suffering Messiah who would die for the sins of His people.

The images portrayed a Messiah-like figure falling among his sheep in a black and white, heavily overexposed film, giving it a mystical appearance. That scene was interwoven with a sheep being slaughtered on an altar. It ended with the prophets' call to repentance, and God's promise in Ezekiel to redeem his sheep from the wolves among the nations.

When the film was finished there was silence. Then Golda asked, "What part of the film was Old Testament and what part was New?" I answered, "The entire narration was only Old Testament." She sat thoughtfully, and then said, "But why the blood? What significance does it have?"

Of course, that opened up the theme of the priestly office of the Levitical tribe which was commanded to shed the blood of animals in order to pay the price for the sins of the Israelites. I stressed that only after the shedding of blood, could the Cohanim (priests) enter into the presence of God to make supplication for the people.

"That," I explained, "is why Yeshua had to die and offer his life so we might live. He is the Lamb of God. He is the way to permanent forgiveness of sin for the Jewish people—and, in fact, all who want it. He is the gateway to the presence of the God of Israel."

"Golda again brought up the scene of Isaiah 53, and said softly, "That was Jesus." I was amazed at how open her heart seemed to be as she spoke.

Suddenly, another person in the room shouted out rather angrily, "This is idol worship (avodah zarah)! This is against Judaism!"

That ended our conversation. But I had spent almost an hour speaking about the way to salvation with Prime Minister Golda Meir. I felt certain that through our prayers (and others who had been praying for us) the Lord held back the comments of the angry man until the prime minister had had an opportunity to hear the Good News through the prophets' own words.

I left her residence at midnight, after having spent two hours with her; I felt God had desired that she have opportunity to ask questions of her heart.

The next day I received a phone call from the same aide who had burst out with his comments of idol worship. He told me the prime minister had enjoyed very much the film and the evening. In fact, he told me everyone there had found the evening very interesting.

I heard, after she died in 1983, that she had requested to have a believing doctor care for her in the hospital in her last days. He later wrote me that as a Christian he had the privilege of giving her care, but had not spoken to her about faith. I do know she asked serious questions that night and listened carefully to the Good News of Israel's ancient prophets.

One day the Good News will permeate this land in such clarity and power that all Israel will be saved. We believers in Israel today are pioneers, knowing that eventful day is coming! And oh, how we long to see it!

View this 47-year-old film "Dry Bones":

This article was printed in the Maoz Israel Report 10 years ago. On this 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's liberation, I thought it appropriate to retell the story of my visit with Golda Meir, the prime minister who led the nation between the miraculous Six Day War and the terrible Yom Kippur War which happened six years later. SSR.

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A little dose of history
THE HOLY LAND:
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND FAKE NEWS


Archeological dig at City of David.

So history repeats itself. For the 50 years I have lived in Israel, every single new U.S. president has made one of his top-priorities the goal of solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and bringing peace to the Middle East. And who doesn't want peace? The Israeli people are desperate for peace. And I'm sure many Arab citizens also yearn for peace.

As President Donald Trump tries his hand at this ultimate peace deal, hopefully his advisors are supplying him with accurate briefs on the subject of "whose land is this?" Certainly, for every Bible believer, it is worth spending a few minutes to review the historical facts.

Yes facts, not fiction. Genuine historic documents—instead of the fake history that was first propagated by terrorist Yasser Arafat and now disseminated by all Palestinian leaders. Their rewriting of history has been phenomenally successful. Today the world's 1.6 billion Muslims and almost all world leaders have accepted the "Palestinian narrative."

Perhaps the only group of people who are currently open to the real facts will be Christians who are truth-seekers and their understanding is based first of all on God's word. So here goes: Mohammed never visited Jerusalem and did not consider it important enough to mention in the Quran even once. Mecca is mentioned, but not Jerusalem. The Quran does refer to the children of Israel and states that the Promised Land belongs to them.

Quran, 17:104 : "And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: Dwell securely in the Promised Land." Quran, 5:20-21: "Moses said to his people ... O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you."

Some twenty-five hundred years before Mohammed was born, Abraham talked with his God who promised him the Holy Land long before any other current world religion was conceived. The Jewish Holy Temple stood on Mount Moriah 1500 years before Islamic warriors spread across the Middle East ultimately conquering great swaths of the earth and forcing Islamic conversion on its citizens.
BEFORE THERE WERE MOSQUES

But when Yeshua walked on the streets of ancient Jerusalem there were no mosques nor churches there—only the Jewish Temple and nothing else. King David himself purchased the land on which the first Temple was built in the 10th century BC. The Bible records the deed, the name of the previous owner, and the purchase price:


Then David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price ... So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.

Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (I Chronicles 21:22,25; II Chronicles 3:1)

The Temple Mount was purchased by a Jewish King for the Jewish people.
THE YEAR 1517AD

But allow me to skip over hundreds of years for the sake of brevity, to the year 1517 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the Holy Land and ruled for exactly 400 years.

The land was so barren and unimportant that it didn't begin to approach the concept of a nation state with borders. One traveler, Charles Thompson in 1744 wrote, "I shall henceforwards, without Regard to geographical Niceties and Criticisms, consider myself as in the Holy Land, Palestine or Judea; which Names I find used indifferently, though perhaps with some Impropriety, to signify the same Country." (books.google.co.il)

When the Allies defeated the Turks in 1917, the British and French carved up the Middle East between themselves: France agreed to administer a mandate over Lebanon and Syria. Britain governed Iraq and the Holy Land—the latter they referred to as "Mandatory Palestine" (although rich Syrian absentee landlords and rulers saw the land as Southern Syria). Palestine then became the area's common name. (cotf.edu)
THE MANDATE DID NOT GIVE BRITAIN SOVEREIGN RIGHTS

It must be understood that the British Mandate which was validated by the League of Nations (forerunner to the UN) did not give the British sovereign rights over the Holy Land. In fact, the Mandate specifically and only appointed Britain to support the creation of a Jewish state! Yes! Read the Mandate. (avalon.law.yale.edu)

While all non-Jews living in Palestine were assured civil and religious rights, the Mandate did not mention the word "Arab," much less "Palestinian."

Indeed, the Mandate stated that Britain would be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 21, 1917, [i.e. The Balfour Declaration] which declared Britain's intention to help the Jewish people establish a homeland for the Jews. As for the former owners of the Holy Land's "state lands," the Ottoman Turks showed no interest in repossessing their lost lands in Palestine. So to whom did the land belong?

The rest of the Mandate's story is all down hill. Britain decided to ask the League of Nations to detach [separate] the land east of the Jordan River from the very Mandate which was supposed to create a Jewish nation. In other words, it asked the League to exempt three-quarters of the land mandated for the Jewish people in order to give it to the Arabs. This in spite of Article 5 of the Mandate which specifically stated: "The Mandatory [Britain] shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of the Government of any foreign Power." (Ibid.)
TWO STATES FOR TWO PEOPLE

Bending to Britain's request, The League of Nations (which became the UN) did create an Arab state, called it Jordan and then handed it over to a Saudi emir. Now look closely! The British high commissioner in Palestine explained they were simply creating two states for two peoples "a Jewish National Home in Palestine west of the Jordan [River] and a separate Arab entity in Palestine east of the Jordan." (palestinefacts.org)

Anyone who knows Middle East geography would understand that the commissioner was saying that there would be two states for two peoples: the area where the nation of Jordan was created would be the state for Arabs. The area on the west side of the Jordan would include all of modern Israel and all of what is called today "occupied Palestinian territory."

So the British did create a "separate" Arab entity called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. But Allah demanded the entire Holy Land. The Arabs' rioting continued for years, killing both Jews and British soldiers, while insisting that there would be no Jewish state. Finally an exhausted Britain gave up and turned the whole mess over to the United Nations.
THREE STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES?

The UN divided up what was left of the Holy Land into a second Arab state (which would be in Judea and Samaria) and a Jewish state. The Jewish leadership accepted the UN plan for the establishment of two states. The Arabs rejected it out of hand.

Indeed, the area allotted for a second Arab state (west of the Jordan) was rejected by all surrounding Arab states. A day after Israel announced their new state in 1948, the Arab nations launched a war of annihilation against the Jews. Miraculously, newborn Israel survived and even expanded its UN designated borders.

In this war to destroy Israel, Jordan's army overran and occupied Judea and Samaria (where a second Arab state was to have been planned) plus East Jerusalem. The only two countries that ever recognized Jordanian sovereignty were Britain and Pakistan! Though Jordan annexed what is called the West Bank in 1950, it was never recognized by the international community. So, again, to whom did the land belong? Remember, at that time there were no "Palestinian people."

Sixteen years later, when Jordan, Egypt and Syria stood ready to attack Israel again, Israeli forces executed a preemptive strike and conquered Judea and Samaria and ancient Jerusalem in what is known as the Six Day War. (Israel also pushed Egypt out of Sinai and Gaza, and Syria out of the Golan Heights, but that's for another story.) But here is the question again. To whom did Judea and Samaria and East Jerusalem belong? Jordan? Britain? The Turks?

One thing is for sure, the land didn't belong to any Palestinians because, as we know, at that time there were no Palestinian people. Notice that in the UN-proposed division of the land, and all the documents up to the Six Day War, there was mention only of Arabs; not a Palestinian was to be found!

Today, this newly created people-group is determine to conquer the entire Holy Land including East Jerusalem, but they really have no justified legal claim to it, having never ruled it. In fact, Jerusalem has never been the capital of any nation throughout history, except Israel. Furthermore, how can Israel be occupying another nation's land since there has been no recognized sovereign entity in the Holy Land west of the Jordan River since the Ottoman Empire? And as we have seen, the Turks now for a hundred years have shown no interest in reclaiming it.

Mandatory Palestine map


JORDAN ABDICATES RIGHTS

When Israel signed a peace agreement with Jordan in 1994, King Hussein, the former occupier of land mandated for a Jewish state, asked of Israel two conditions: the first was a promise that the Jordan River would continue supplying water to the people of Jordan. No problem. Israel agreed.

The second condition was that the Jordanian army would continue guarding the east bank of the Jordan River (Jordan's border) but that Israel, not Jordan, would guard the west bank of the Jordan including Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. Therefore, the king of Jordan waived any legal rights his country might have claimed.

Even when the Jordanians did occupy Jerusalem, from 1948 to 1967, they never considered making it their capital. I myself visited Jerusalem in 1959 and 1965, and the Jordanians had left it a backwater, poverty-stricken village, while the Jordanian King ruled in his capital of Amman.

What will it take for the nations to acknowledge that no other nation has ever made Jerusalem their capital? Believe it or not, the one and only source for the Muslim's claim to Jerusalem and the site of the Temple Mount, is a mention in the Quran of a dream that Mohammed had about an unknown "far distant place." As one author asked, "Can any Muslim in the world produce any credible evidence for Islamic connection to Israel's Temple site, other than in Mohammed's dream?"

The best reference for understanding the Muslim-Arab mentality and its politically-motivated falsification of history is Mohammed's own advice to his followers: "War is deception." In the feckless mandate, Britain and then the UN "solved" the problem of Jerusalem by declaring it an "international city." But the Arabs would hear none of it. The idea was a dead letter from the start. Israel captured its ancient capital back from Jordan in a war with Arabs who fought to eradicate the Jewish state. In 1980, Israel's Knesset passed the Jerusalem Law, declaring it to be the undivided capital of the Jewish state forever. Zachariah saw it all: And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. (Zachariah 12:3)

Not a good deal for anyone. We must pray earnestly for President Donald Trump as he looks to make the ultimate deal to bring peace to the Israel-Palestinian conflict by dividing up His Land in order to create an Islamic State. At this writing, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has announced he's ready to negotiate for peace with Israel.


Yeshua the Messiah said: "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by nations, till the times of nations be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

Not a good deal for anyone.

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After four years of hard labor ...
DR. DAVID H. STERN'S
JEWISH NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY
IN HEBREW IS FINISHED!


Jewish New Testament Commentary in Hebrew

One of the largest projects Maoz has ever undertaken was the translation into Hebrew of the Jewish New Testament Commentary. It took four years! And now it is completed!

We invited 120 of Israel's Messianic pioneers and leaders from all over Israel to celebrate David Stern's life and his contribution to the Messianic Movement in Israel and around the world. He and his wife Martha, two children and their families, including eight grandchildren, were all in attendance.

Each Messianic leader who attended received a copy of the Hebrew version of the Jewish New Testament Commentary as our gift to them. It was a glorious evening which none of us will ever forget. And we will always be grateful for our Maoz contributors who donated the $100,000 for the translation. We estimated it would cost that amount, and that's what it came out to—within a couple of hundred dollars! Thank you, Maoz partners! Your investment is now a reality and will impact Israel for years to come!


A great time of prayer and blessing


Dr. David H. Stern Event

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PASSOVER SEDER AT
CONGREGATION TIFERET YESHUA



Over 70 people came to celebrate the last Passover Seder at Tiferet Yeshua. "The event was amazing; it felt like we were all of one heart, and nobody rushed home!" says David Trubek, elder of Tiferet Yeshua.

Eyal, an Israeli from Tel Aviv, who attended for the first time, was surprised how interactive all the members of the congregation were with the Seder, the dynamics between them and the fact that everyone participated in the readings and Messianic songs!

Of course, an inseparable part of the traditional Seder is the music, which contains traditional songs everybody sings around the table. The Lord brought our hearts together as worship leaders Roman and Tanya Kadin led us in joyful praise, singing these ancient songs together with songs that glorify the Lamb of God.

"I don't remember ever participating in such an extremely blessed Passover Seder," says Olga Gez, a member of Tiferet Yeshua congregation. Many believers and non-believers desire to experience a Messianic Passover Seder, but because of the size of our congregational fellowship hall, we were limited with the number of people we could host. Tiferet Yeshua has an aspiration to renovate our main hall, so that next year we'll be able to invite many more to our Passover Seder! And next year we would love to livestream our congregational Seder, to give a chance for Israelis all over the world to take part in it!



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TWENTY-TWO ISRAELIS
HEADING FOR MJAA CONFERENCE


2016 Conference Attendees -- Messianic Jewish Alliance of America

Every year the largest gathering of Messianic Jews in the world takes place at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America hosts a week-long conference of teaching, fellowship, worship, concerts, youth events, and much much more. In fact, it was at this conference in 1975 that David Stern met Martha and soon they were married!

We have seen that bringing Israelis to the MJAA enriches the Messianic experience for both Israeli and American Jewish believers, not to speak of those who come from many different countries around the world. Israelis have the opportunity to see large numbers of strong Messianic Jewish believers, while Jews from around the world can rejoice in the fact that they see with their own eyes Israeli Messianic Jews who are also members of congregations throughout Israel.





Every year our Maoz partners have supplied the funds to enable Israelis to attend the MJAA Conference, for which we are so grateful. This year 22 Israelis have been selected to attend. Each of them has paid $500 for which many have saved up for a long time. Also the MJAA is participating in bringing the Israelis to the conference. The amount yet needed for each young adult attending and for which Maoz is committed, is $1850* per person.

We are sowing into the lives of the new generation of Israeli born-again believers. It is worth it!









June 2017

Dear Maoz Partner,

This is a monumental time for Israel!

Having just celebrated Jerusalem's 50th anniversary on May 24 according to the Hebrew calendar, many of us will celebrate it again according to the Gregorian (Western) calendar on June 7!

Fifty years! Fifty years ago there was only a tiny handful of Jews who had been introduced to Yeshua the Messiah as Lord and Savior!

Now no one really knows the number. Gallup should do a poll in Israel!

What we do know is there are hundreds of teenagers who attend Israeli Messianic Jewish congregations, and many hundreds more on the outskirts of the Messianic movement, believing in their heads, but not yet making a complete commitment to what they know is the truth.

We at Maoz know there is no better investment than impacting the lives of our Israeli young people—to not only be a follower of the God of Israel and His Son Yeshua, but to become leaders, using their talents in ministry, in the marketplace, in music, art and every other means that builds the Body of Believers in Israel.

That is why each year we send a number of Israeli young people who are committed to the Lord and their local congregation to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America's annual conference. The interaction of Israeli Jewish believers with their counterparts from America and many other countries is beneficial to all involved.

Therefore the MJAA and Maoz partner each year to bring Israeli young people to the week-long MJAA conference at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Each one of the delegates also contributes $500 toward his or her trip.

Our part is to raise the remainder—$1850 per individual. We have 22 in our delegation this year.

Every year, you, our Maoz partners, have understood the vision and the importance of this trip for the spiritual life and growth of our Messianic teenagers and young adults in Israel.

Last year was fantastic. May this year be even more so!

For the day when "All Israel shall be Saved!",

Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram

P.S. Thank you for investing in our young people! Their future and Israel's future is worth it!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Angelic Hosts Are Stirring in the Waters of America

Does God still have confidence in the White House?
Does God still have confidence in the White House? (Wikimedia Commons )

Prophetic Insight, from Charisma Media
I saw the Lord's heart for the United States of America to be raised up as a flag of testimony to other nations. As much as it is steeped in such darkness and has moved away from its first love, Jesus, it can be turned back, in Jesus name. 
The Lord is wanting to bring about a great turning in the United States and set her high on a hill to shine to all the other nations of the world, releasing a Song of Victory across the entire earth that a nation can be turned around by the power of prayer and His people moving together in one accord in intercession. 
As the people of God prayed and cried out to the Lord, I saw angelic hosts in the core of the United States of America and they were stirring the waters. They were stirring the waters to bring healing and restoration into the nation. As the people of God cried out and prophesied His words, living in the divine echo of what He was saying, these waters were then being released into many parts of the USA. The Lord wants to heal the land of the United States, bringing life again into places that have dried up and died. 
I then heard the Lord say, "Do you believe these dry bones can live?" 
"He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord God, You know.' Again He said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." Thus says the Lord God to these bones, "Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord."'
"So, I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no death in them. Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army" (Ezek. 37:3-10).
The Lord wants us to align with Him, with what He is saying—to declare and believe that the dry bones of the United States of America CAN live. 
The four winds of God are coming to breathe upon the United States of America. Strong winds will be seen in the natural as a prophetic sign of the four winds of heaven coming into the USA to break the hold of the spirit of death over the nation and bring it to life again.
People of God, it is important in this time of prayer and fasting to be declaring the things the Lord shows you over the United States of America. The destiny of the United States hangs in the balance. He is asking His people, "Prophesy to these dry bones." Put your ears to His chest and listen to what He is saying and speak it out. Be the echo of heaven over this beautiful nation. 
I then saw many of the people of God so discouraged and despaired over the government of the United States of America. 
I saw Jesus come to each one, one by one and He took them in His arms and He spoke with such love and kindness and He said:
"It is not over yet. Not all is lost. Continue to declare My goodness, My kindness and love into the White House. Continue to declare encounters with My love and goodness into the White House."
I then saw Daniels arising all over the world being raised up for such a time as this to move into governmental arenas in the United States of America bringing His hope, His love and His goodness into it. I saw as these Daniels were rising up and moving into governmental areas and there was a wave of His love moving into the White House. 
Encounters with Jesus are coming into the White House as the people of God pray. It is not over yet. Not all is lost. Continue to declare His goodness, kindness and love into the White House. For the Lord desires the White House to be a place that is governed from purity and righteousness. He has not given up on the White House and He does not want His people to give up on it too. A shaking is coming to the White House and as the people of God pray, the shaking may tip into God's desire and destiny for the United States.
People of God, you have been prepared for such a time as this. Your hands have been trained for war and fingers for battle. He is calling His people together in unison to declare and sing a song of victory over the USA. Sing a song of victory even before you see it. The army of God is moving forward. This is a significant time in the United States history. United States of America, it's time to come to life!
Lana Vawser has a heart to encourage the body of Christ and individuals in their walks with Jesus; deeper intimacy with Him; and learning to hear His voice. She operates in the prophetic and loves to share the heart of God with others. Lana has written her first book, titled Desperately Deep—Developing Deep Devotion and Dialogue with Jesus, and loves to see others grow in all that God has for them.
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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Jewish Cartoonist Confronts 'Holocaust' of Mideast Christians

Jewish Cartoonist Confronts 'Holocaust' of Mideast Christians

HERZILIYA, Israel -- One of the more well-known political cartoons in the world comes from Israel.
Dry Bones appears in the Jerusalem Post and has been reprinted in newspapers from The New York Times to the Wall Street Journal.
For more than 40 years, Jewish cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen has aimed his political commentary at topics like Islamic terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Now, he's targeting what he calls one of the worst problems in the world today: persecution of Middle East Christians.
"Christian communities being totally slaughtered and murdered and driven out and a whole ethnic cleansing of the Middle East, to wipe out Christianity and Western leaders just look the other way," he remarked.
In just one recent example, this past summer ISIS drove tens of thousands of Christians out of their ancient homes and gave them the choice to either convert or die.
Another example is a burned out church in Minya, Egypt, by the Muslim Brotherhood. Kirschen said he can't understand the apathy in the West to what he calls a holocaust facing Middle Eastern Christians.
"I think the unusual thing is the apathy," he told CBN News. "It's totally crazy that the churches are not speaking out; that the politicians are not speaking out; that there aren't demonstrations in the street."
So, Kirschen is turning up the volume. His team includes his wife, Sali, and their intern Michael. Together, they've launched an Internet campaign to rally support for Middle East Christians.
He wants to turn Dry Bones fans into members, then activists.
"People have to find a way to fight back against this. And if our churches and our Jewish organizations and our political leaders are willing to go along with the willful rewriting of history, if they are willing to go along with just looking the other way while the Christians in the Middle East are totally slaughtered and wiped out, then we the people need to do something," he told CBN News.
Watch more from Chris Mitchell's talk with Kirschen:
Kirschen's art form, refined over four decades, communicates truths in pictures and just a few lines. This is clearly a mom and pop operation.
"I'm the fulfillment department and the shipping department," his wife, Sali, said.
They offer perks to new members and despite their small size hope to make a big splash for Middle East Christians, especially at this time of year.
Kirschen summed up their plight in two cartoons especially for the Christmas season.
In one cartoon it says: "Santa claus will have it easy this year. Just about the only place left in the Middle East with Christians left to visit is the Jewish state."
He also penned this cartoon's plea: A Christmas wish for Christian communities across the Middle East: May the world hear your cries for help.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Hagee: Spiritual Awakening Coming to 'Dry Bones' Israel


Bones
(Flickr/Incase)
God's chosen people, the Jews, and the promised land of Israel are the hub that forms the wheel of prophecy. All end-time prophecy focuses first and foremost on Israel's importance to God and His eternal covenant with them: "All the land of Canaan, where you now live as strangers, I will give to you and to your descendants for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God" (Gen. 17:8). But because of the Jews' disobedience and rebellion, they were scattered around the globe, and control of their promised land of Israel slipped right out of their fingers for hundreds of years.
More than 2,600 years ago the prophet Ezekiel prophesied the resurrection of Israel from the Gentile graves in the lands to which she had been scattered, predicting the rebirth of Israel, which took place on May 14, 1948. Ezekiel also prophesied about the holy war that would take place in Israel some time after Israel's restoration to independence.
God gave Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dry bones. I want to make it very clear that I do not believe that Ezekiel's vision has anything to do with the resurrection of the dead saints of the church. In Ezekiel 37:11, God told Ezekiel, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel." There is no doubt in the text that this could only be Israel.
In a vision, God took Ezekiel to a valley full of dead bones that were very dry and scattered. This was God's physical portrayal of the nation of Israel. Israel ceased to be a nation in A.D. 70 when the Jews were scattered to the ends of the earth by the Roman army under Titus. It would be more than 2,000 years before Israel became a recognized state again in May 1948—and the bones grew very dry!
God asked Ezekiel a perplexing question: "He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'"(Ezek. 37:3).
Ezekiel responded to God by saying, "O Lord GOD, You know" (v. 3). In other words, he was saying, "I don't see how it's possible. Death has done its work. Life is gone. Lord, if these bones live, it will require the miracle-working power of Jehovah God."
For nearly 50 years I have preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to audiences all over the earth. I have stood in churches, cathedrals, auditoriums, football stadiums and a preaching field in Nigeria with more than 3,000,000 people attending. Yet, like Ezekiel, as I have looked over the audiences large and small, I have often thought, "Can these bones live?"
In response to Ezekiel's question, God told him to do something very strange. It was the strangest message to the deadest congregation in the history of preaching! God told him to preach the Word of the Lord to the dry bones. "Again He said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord"'" (v. 4).
The word "prophesy" doesn't always mean to foretell or to predict. Here, it means to speak out or to preach a message to the people of God. There is supernatural power in the spoken Word of God.
Ezekiel's faith conquered the limitations of his carnal mind, and he obeyed the voice of God. It is a Bible fact: Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings judgment. Ezekiel looked at the valley full of scattered, very dry bones and preached this message: 
Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."
—Ezekiel 37:5–6
Ezekiel proclaimed that God was going to do a supernatural work that would make those dry, lifeless, scattered bones live again. It would be a reversal of death and corruption.
In perfect obedience to the Word of God, Ezekiel said:
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
—Ezekiel 37:7–8
Notice that the restoration to life for the bones was a process. It was not an instantaneous event. The bones were dry, scattered, and dead for a very long time. The dry bones in Ezekiel's vision represent the nation of Israel during the Diaspora, beginning in A.D. 70 (Ezek. 37:11). Gradually the bones came together, and the sinews and flesh came upon them.
It was at this point of Israel's gradual restoration that people like Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, began to call the Jews back to Israel. The "sinews and flesh" continued to come together as the Jews of the earth returned to Eretz, Israel, to drain the swamps and transform the desert into a rose. On May 14, 1948, at 4:32 p.m., the State of Israel, after 2,000 years, was reborn. Ezekiel's prophetic vision was fulfilled:
Then say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land.'"
—Ezekiel 37:21
God made it exceedingly clear that He would bring the Jews back to "their own land." He would not bring them back to the Palestinians' land—He would restore them to the promised land of the eternal covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants.
At the conclusion of Ezekiel 37, the nation of Israel had been physically reborn. Today they have a flag; they have a constitution; they have a prime minister and a Knesset. They have a police force, a powerful military and the world's best intelligence agencies. They have Jerusalem, the city of God. They have a nation. They have everything but spiritual life.
Like the dry bones of Ezekiel 37, Israel awaits the spiritual awakening of the breath of God and to the coming of Messiah.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Prophesy to the Bones - Rick Joyner Video | Prophetic Perspective on Current Events

Rick Joyner - MorningStar Founder

Prophesy to the Bones














Rick Joyner

Monday, April 7, 2014

Rick talks about understanding prophetic revelation and about the level of prophesy rising since the passing of Bob Jones. It is time to speak to the dry bones!




Friday, August 9, 2013

Ahava Love Letter - "Rise Again" (Steve Martin)

"Rise Again"

“"Thus says the Lord God to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath
to enter you that you may come to life. 'I will put sinews 
on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and 
put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will 
know that I am the Lord.'" (Ezekiel 37:5-6 NAS)



Dear family of friends,

Listening to singer/song writer Paul Wilbur’s “Song of Ezekiel” sure does excite my spirit. I have his latest project, “Your Great Name” (2013) in my car, and turn it up on the way during the early drive to work (full video below).




Hearing him proclaim that Israel, and I believe the Church as well, will rise again in these last days, to complete the task that was set in place from the beginning of eternity. The Lord God of Israel and the nations has a plan. Check this out.

Ezekiel 37:1-28 (NAS)

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.  He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.  He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"



And I answered, "O Lord God, You know."  Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'  "Thus says the Lord God to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.'"


So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.  

Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.' "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.



 "Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it," declares the Lord.'"

 The word of the Lord came again to me saying,  "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.' "Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

 "When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?'  say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."'

 "The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.  "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.

"They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them.

And they will be My people, and I will be their God. "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.  "They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.

 "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

"And the nations will know that I am the Lord  who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."'"


That day has come. In the natural, the Jewish people have, and continue to, return to the Promised Land, where they will abide for eternity. No one or nothing will stop the King of Israel from completing His plan. Not the USA White House, not the Kremlin, not the Beijing government. Not even the devil himself, try as he will.

And as the natural is being restored, so is the spiritual. The Church will be empowered to take the Gospel to the nations, in power and with a revelation of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) love for His nations. We will rise again!



Do not lose hope. Do not grow weary with despair or continue in a depressive spirit. As Bob Mumford used to say, “We have read the end of the Book, and we win!”

Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858. 

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 Please share this Ahava Love Letter with your friends.

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Ahava Love Letter #66   “Rise Again”  ©2013 Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (08/08/13 Thursday at 8 pm in Charlotte, NC)

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on this Blog:

Here are the last few:
The Cities (#65)
How can You Mend A Broken Heart (#64)
Anxious (#63)
Hidden (#62)
Get Back in the Boat (#61)
Need Money? (#60)
Rejected? (#59)
In Your Building – Guard Against Distractions (#58)
Connections (#57)
Your Name (#56)
Lost, But Not Forgotten Friends (#55)