Israel - Small but Outstanding - video tour

A short video tour of the land of Israel -  

from the Med Sea, the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.

Come along with us in Nov. 2014!

(Or help sponsor one who wants to come!)

More info: Ahava Adventures 2014

Martial Law - Rick Joyner (Prophetic Bulletin) Oct. 2013

Martial Law

MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #81 - October 3, 2013

Rick Joyner

          A recent MorningStar TV Prophetic Perspectives program that I did on how martial law is coming to America has created quite a stir. Some were outraged and some glad that the obvious had been stated. Both of these responses are understandable. The stir that was created by this is encouraging. I obviously touched a nerve, as even the national news picked it up. At least for a moment, a lot of people are alert and listening.

          In the New Testament, it is recorded over twenty times that Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”He also said, “Be careful how you hear” (see Mark 4:24). More often than most of us realize, what we hear passes through a mental filter that changes the message from what was actually said to what we think was said. In some of the responses I received about this program, it is obvious that this happened with many viewers, and that is understandable. 

I’m just thankful that they care enough to get mad about this. Even so, as some on the national news edited the video to make it seem what I was not saying, I am putting this in writing so that what I am saying is clear. It will be necessarily shocking to many anyway, and many who clearly understand what I’m saying will still disagree with it. That is understandable.

          What I did say, and am saying, is that democracy in America is failing, and we are headed for martial law.

          I make no apologies for this statement, and I will stand by it. I did not plan for that program to be aired just as a government shutdown began. That is actually a gross overstatement for what is happening, and is one of many symptoms of the breakdown we are witnessing in our Republic.

          In 1987, I began warning about what is now happening. When I was first shown this in the prophetic experience I wrote about in The Harvest, I was as disconcerted and grieving as much as some were when they saw the Prophetic Perspectives program in which I boldly stated these things. For this reason, I fully understand and empathize with their outrage. However, everything I was shown in that vision has either come true or is unfolding now.

          I have the benefit of seeing many things unfold the way I was shown, and I surely understand the outrage of those who do not have this benefit. Some infer that this is something I actually want to happen in America, but that could not be further from the truth. I don’t prophesy what I want to see happen, but what I am shown. In fact, I know it is something that the Lord did not want to happen, which I will explain below.

          At best, even with the best martial possible, martial law is a very dangerous thing. America is now sailing deeper and deeper into these most treacherous seas. If there was any prophecy that I have made that I hope does not come to pass, this would be one of the highest on that list. However, like it or not, see it or not, this is where we are headed.

          Can this be avoided? Until it happens, I do think it can be avoided. However, unless you change your direction you will end up where you are headed, and martial law is where we are headed. In 1987, this was very hard for me to see. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, it was even harder to see, but since then all of the changes in our nation have been more in the direction of this.

          When I began to see that this is now almost certainly unavoidable, I did receive encouragement that even if our present government collapsed, if we, as a nation, returned to the Lord, it would be used for good and not evil. It could be a reset, a jubilee, and our Republic could be restored on a solid foundation, one that would not be so easily shaken again. I still hold to that promise. Not only will our Republic be restored, but even more importantly, America will turn back to the Lord and fulfill our destiny and purpose.

          That being said, without a soon and very radical turn back to what we were called to be as a nation, we are going to pass through a time of martial law in America. The crucial issue is who the martial is going to be. This could be a very difficult time, much darker than we can probably imagine, or it could be a time when peace and stability is restored, and the Republic is restored to its Constitutional moorings. That choice is up to Americans.

     What is happening in America, and what will happen, is not God’s choice, but the choice of Americans. As we are told in Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” This is why the Lord will not do things on the earth until we pray—He delegated the rule over the earth to men, and here we receive what we decide.

          In Revelation 3:20, we see that in this age Jesus will not even enter His own church unless we open the door for Him. America was once the place on earth where He was the most welcome and the most sought after. However, for nearly half a century now we have been telling Him to leave. We do not even want the mention of Him in our public places or in our history books. Therefore, He has left. Now what is coming upon us is not His doing, it is the choice our country made when we began turning from Him.

          In this I count myself as guilty as any. Even if it was not my desire, it has happened on my watch. I am not pointing the finger at others without accepting responsibility myself. Though the friends of the Lord still outnumber the enemies of the Lord in America, His enemies are growing in number. They are seizing the reins of our country because few of His friends have cared enough, or had the courage, to do anything about it. If we do not change our direction, we will end up where we are headed, and we are headed there with increasing speed every day.

          Again, martial law will be an extreme danger. Martial law can quickly morph into a permanent dictatorship. With the technology available today, and almost daily in the news, a totalitarian police state is now possible which could be far worse than any previous police state in history. That is where we are headed. Will we change our direction?

          The most thorough way to kill a plant is to cut it off from its roots. The most effective way to destroy a nation is to cut it off from its history. Revisionist historians have been doing this to America. Americans hardly know who we are anymore or what our purpose is. We are being severed from the foundations of what once made us a great nation. The destruction of America is imminent if we do not change our direction. If we start turning back to the Lord, we can have a reset, a jubilee, and a return to the trajectory that He has planned for us—unprecedented peace, prosperity, and strength, because of the favor of the only One who can make this possible.

Prophetic Perspectives

          I am very glad for this controversy, even the outrage I have created in some by the Prophetic Perspectives program. To quote King David, “I will yet be more vile” (see II Samuel 6:22 KJV). I don’t enjoy controversy, but I do appreciate it for what it can accomplish. It is not likely that anyone will be able to speak the truth in these times without it. I intend to use the controversy started by that program to delve into more depth on these issues. Therefore, future Prophetic Perspectivesprograms will likely be even more controversial. If you do not get these programs through your network or cable provider, you may go to www.morningstartv.com and view them online at your convenience.

          For those of you who have expressed concern about me personally, I appreciate this concern. However, my job is not one that wins the favor or understanding of many people. If you speak the truth in these times, many will be enraged. I knew this when I took the job. My ambition is to know that I was not a watchman that slept on my watch, but that I did the best I could to sound the alarm when there was danger. 

Alarms have to be irritating to wake people up. So my reward is seeing people wake up, even if they are angry with me at first for being so irritating. At least I know that some of those who wake up irritated are finally awake now. Those who are now enraged at me at least care enough to be enraged, and I’m thankful for that. They can be the ones who rise up and do the most to protect us from what is now threatening us.

          Even so, it is not the time for fear, but faith. Please read and take courage in the following Psalm that I was given for this time. Keep in mind that mountains often speak of governments in biblical prophetic symbolism:

Psalm 46
A psalm of the sons of Korah
To the Chief Musician

God will prevail

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will we not fear even though the earth changes, and though the mountains shake and fall into the seas.

3 Though the waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling of them. (Selah)

4 There is a river whose waters make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she will not be moved. God will help her when the morning dawns.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken. He uttered His voice, and the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah)

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He has made in the earth.

9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah)

          In times of great tribulation and upheaval among the nations, we have a Rock in our God. He will never be moved, and the nations are like dust in His hand. When the shaking comes, and it will come to even the most powerful and seemingly stable nations, the righteous will be at peace, and they will not be moved, because they have built their lives upon the Rock.

         So what can we do? There is a lot. We must mobilize and get engaged. We must resolve that we value truth, righteousness, and justice more than our comfort, or we will soon be the most uncomfortable of all people. If you love God, if you love His truth, it is time to stand up.

Click here: MorningStar Ministries Prophetic Bulletin

Rick Joyner at Harvest Fest conference 

Oct. 2013 at MorningStar 

(Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC)

True Messengers: The Great Voices of History - Who are the Sons of Zadok in Our Time? (Rick Joyner)

Rick Joyner:

True Messengers: The Great Voices of History - Who are the Sons of Zadok in Our Time?

Great Voices in History

When we have more faith in people than in God, we tend to get our security or confidence by how many people share our views. Jesus had a different perspective, saying in Luke 6:26: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way."

It is noteworthy that the great voices in history and those whose perspective proved true were almost always rejected by the majority, and often stood completely alone. 

We see this with the first apostles. Even so, if we know we are sent by God and that we have received our message from Him, then it really does not matter what men think about us.

As Paul said, "If I [were] still [seeking to please] men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ"(see Galatians 1:10). Just the mentality of seeking our approval or encouragement from men can be the biggest stumbling block that keeps us from being true messengers. 

Paul understood this well. When his apostolic authority was challenged, he pointed to his afflictions and persecutions as evidence that he was indeed an apostle. How different is that from most who claim to be apostles today?

Of course, just because not many people listen to us does not prove that we are right either. However, we must heed such warnings as Matthew 24:12: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (NIV).

If we get our security from the crowd rather than from the Lord, we will follow the crowd instead of the Lord. The Lord did not say that the love of "some" or "many" would grow cold, but "most." 

If we are prone to follow the majority, then we will end up being deceived just as "all Israel went astray" following Absalom and turning on his father, King David.

How could this thing happen in Israel? The same way it has happened so many times since and still happens today. Like a good politician, Absalom met with people and showed sympathy for their problems. He gradually increased his authority with people because he was a good politician. Then David's sin with Bathsheba was exposed. 

You would think that God would certainly depart from David after such a diabolical sin. However, God has considerably more grace than people do, and He did not abandon David. He disciplined David because He loved him, but He would never leave him or forsake him.

Sons of Zadok

Zadok was High Priest during Absalom's rebellion. At the risk of his ministry and even his life, he picked up the Ark and followed David into what seemed like certain defeat. Even though "all Israel" was following Absalom, Zadok had the discernment to know that the anointing was still on David and that the Lord was still with David. 

So, he risked everything to follow the Lord. That is remarkable spiritual discernment and faith. It is the kind that is desperately needed in spiritual leadership in these times.

Centuries later, one of the greatest commendations of all time was given by the Lord to Zadok through Ezekiel the prophet. The Lord said that it would be the "sons of Zadok" who would be allowed to come near to Him to minister to Him personally (see Ezekiel 44:15-16). So who are the sons of Zadok today?

When the Pharisees told Jesus that they were free because they were sons of Abraham, Jesus replied that if they were children of Abraham, they would do the deeds of Abraham (see John 8:39-41). Likewise, the true sons of Zadok are those who do the deeds of Zadok – those who follow the Lord even when they are a minority or are alone, and even when it seems certain to cost them everything, maybe even their lives. 

We are in desperate need of "sons of Zadok" today.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries

Email: info@morningstarministries.org

Website: morningstarministries.org

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History. 

He is also the president of The OAK Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.

Rick Joyner's Itinerary:

Note: Events are subject to change at the ministry's discretion. We suggest you always check first with the event contact listed here and/or directly visit their website for latest updates on each event.

October 14-19, 2013

MorningStar Worship Creative Intensive/Worship Conference
MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Drive, Fort Mill, SC
Contact: 877-446-3836

October 24-26, 2013
Kingdom Business Association
MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Drive, Fort Mill, SC
Contact: 877-446-3836

October 29-31, 2013
Triumphant Church
Erie, PA

How the American Colony Adopted Yemenite Jews in 1882

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

---

How the American Colony Adopted Yemenite Jews in 1882 -- As Told by Bertha Spafford Vester, a Leader of the Colony


Why so many pictures of Yemenite Jews? (American
Colony Collection, circa 1910)

In previous features we discussed why the American Colony photographers dedicated so much film to the Yemenite Jews of Jerusalem.

Today we present the words of one of the key figures of the American Colony, Bertha Spafford Vester, daughter of the founders of the Colony, Anne and Horatio Spafford. Bertha took over the management of the American Colony enterprises after her parents' death. She described her life in her fascinating book,An American Family in the Holy City, 1881-1949.

She provided one chapter to the Colony's special relationship with a group of "Gadites" who arrived in 1882. It was believed they were descendants of the tribe of Gad.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Gadites entered our lives a few months after our arrival in Jerusalem, and until [the 1948] civil war divided Jerusalem into Arab and Jewish zones, with no intercourse between except bullets and bombs, they continued to get help from the American Colony.



Yemenite school at Kfar Hashiloach. Yemenite village
in Silwan (Central Zionist Archives, Harvard, circa 1910)

One afternoon in May 1882 several of the Group, including my parents, went for a walk, and were attracted by a strange-looking company of people camping in the fields. The weather was hot, and they had made shelters from the sun out of odds and ends of cloth, sacking, and bits of matting. Father made inquiries through the help of an interpreter and found that they were Yemenite Jews recently arrived from Arabia.



View of Kfar Shiloah in Jerusalem, outside of Jerusalem's
Old City. Note the caves, first homes for Gadite newcomers
(Central Zionist Archives, Harvard, 1898)

They told Father about their immigration from Yemen and their arrival in Palestine. Suddenly, they said, without warning, a spirit seemed to fall on them and they began to speak about returning to the land of Israel. They were so convinced that this was the right and appointed time to return to Palestine that they sold their property and turned other convertible belongings into cash and started for the Promised Land. 

They said about five hundred had left Yena in Yemen. Most of them were uneducated in any way except the knowledge of their ancient Hebrew writings, and those, very likely, they recited by rote. As appears, they were simple folk, with little knowledge of the ways of the world outside of Yemen, and that is the same as saying "the days of Abraham."

When they landed in Hedida on the coast of the Red Sea, they were cautioned by Jews not to continue their trip to Jerusalem and that if they did so it would be at peril of their lives. Some of the party were discouraged and returned to Yena. Others were misdirected and were taken to India, The rest went to Aden, where they embarked on a steamer for Jaffa, and came to Jerusalem before the Feast of Passover.



"Arab (sic) Jew from Yemen" (circa 1900)


Library of Congress caption: "Photograph shows a
Yemenite Jewish man standing in front of Siloan village.
1901 (Source: L. Ben-David, Israel's History - A Picture
a Day website, Sept. 11, 2011)"

They told about the opposition and unfriendliness they had encountered from the Jerusalem Jews, who, they said, accused them of not being Jews but Arabs. One reason, they said, for their rejection by the Jerusalem Jews was because they feared that these poor immigrants would swell the number of recipients ofhalukkah, or prayer money. 

Early in the seventeenth century, as a result of earthquakes, famine, and persecution, the economic position of the Jews in Palestine became critical, and the Jews of Venice came to their aid. They established a fund "to support the inhabitants of the Holy Land." Later on the Jews of Poland, Bohemia, and Germany offered similar aid. This was the origin of the halukkah. 

The money was sent not so much for the purpose of charity as to enable Jewish scholars and students to study and interpret the Scriptures and Jewish holy books and to pray for the Jews in the Diaspora (Dispersion), at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and in other holy cities of Palestine. 

Thehalukkah, as one could imagine, was soon abused. It only stopped, however, when World War I began in 1914 and no more money came to Palestine for that purpose.

In 1882, when the Yemenites arrived, those who had benefited from the generosity of others were unwilling to pass it on.

Father was interested in the Gadites at once. Their story about their unprovoked conviction that this was the time to return to Palestine coincided with what he felt sure was coming to pass the fulfillment of the prophecy of the return of the Jews to Palestine.

Also, Father was attracted by the classical purity of Semitic features of these Yemenite immigrants, so unlike the Jews he was accustomed to see in Jerusalem or in the United States. These people were distinctive: they had dark skin with dark hair and dark eyes. They wore side curls, according to the


Yemenite Jewish family circa 1900

Mosaic law: "Ye shalt not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." Otherwise their dress was Arabic. They had poise, and their movements were graceful, like those of the Bedouins. They were slender and somewhat undersized. 

Many of the women were beautiful, and the men, even the young men, looked venerable with their long beards. They regarded as true the tradition that they belonged to the tribe of Gad. They believed that they had not gone into captivity in Babylon, and that they had not returned at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the temple. For thousands of years they had remained in Yemen, hence their purity of race and feature.

The thirty-second chapter of Numbers tells how the children of Gad and the children of Reuben asked Moses to allow them to remain on the east side of Jordan, which country had "found favor in their sight." It goes on to tell how Moses rebuked them, saying, "Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?" Then Moses promised them that if they would go armed and help subdue the country, then "this land shall be your possession before the Lord."

In the thirteenth chapter of Joshua, "when Joshua was stricken in years," he gives instructions that the Gadites and the Reubenites and half the tribe of Menasseh should receive their inheritance "beyond the Jordan eastward even as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them."

In the Apology of al Kindy, written at the court of al Mamun, A.D. 830, the author speaks of Medina as being a poor town, mostly inhabitated by Jews. He also speaks of other tribes of Jews, one of which was deported to Syria. 

Would it be too remote to conjecture that the remnants of these tribes should have wandered to and remained in Yemen? I know there are other theories about how Jews got there, and about their origin, but Father believed that "Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad," and the Group did everything in their power to help these immigrants. We called them Gadites from that time.


Yemenite Jews circa 1900. Why are they near mailbox belonging to the German postal service? (Library of Congress)



Yemenite rabbis, "some of the first immigrants"
(Central Zionist Archives, Harvard)

They were in dreadful need when we found them.

Some of them had died of exposure and starvation during their long and uncomfortable trip; now malaria, typhoid, and dysentery were doing their work. They had to be helped, and quickly. No time
was lost in getting relief started. 

The Group rented rooms, and the Gadites were installed in cooler and more sanitary quarters. Medical help was immediately brought. Mr. Steinharf's sister, an Orthodox Jewish woman, was engaged to purchase kosher meat, which, with vegetables and rice or cracked burghal (wheat) she made into a nutritious soup. 

Bread and soup were distributed once a day to all, with the addition of milk for the children and invalids. One of the American Colony members was always present at distribution time, to see that it was done equitably and well.

Translation of the Gadite prayer kept in the Spafford Bible:

Prayer of Jewish Rabbi offered every Sabbath in Gadite synagogue,
June 27?: He who blessed our fathers Abraham, Isaac & Jacob,
bless & guard & keep Horatio Spafford & his household & all that
are joined with him, because he has shown us mercy to us & our
children & little ones. Therefore may the Lord make his days long...(?)
and may the Lord's mercy shelter them. In his and in our days may
Judah be helped (?) and Israel rest peacefully and may the
Redeemer come to Zion, Amen.

The Gadites had a scribe among them who was a cripple. He could not use his arms and wrote the most beautiful Hebrew, holding a reed pen between his toes. He wrote a prayer for Father and his associates, which was brought one day and presented to Father as a thanksgiving offering. 

They said that they repeated the prayer daily. I have it in my possession; it is written on a piece of parchment. The translation was made by Mr. Steinhart.

This amicable state of affairs continued for some time. Then the elders, who were the heads of the families, came as a delegation to Father. They filed upstairs to the large upper living room, looking solemn and sad, and smelling strongly of garlic. 

They told Father that certain Orthodox Jews, the very ones who had turned blind eyes and deaf ears to their entreaties for help when they arrived in such a pitiable state, were now persecuting them under the claim that they were violating the law by eating Christian food. Some of the older men and women had stopped eating, and in consequence were weak and ill. They made Father understand how vital this accusation, even if false, was to them, and they begged him to divide the money spent among them, instead of giving them the food.



Yemenite Rabbi Shlomo (1935)

Everyone knows how much more economical it is to make a large quantity of soup in one cauldron than in many individual pots; how ever, their request was granted. A bit more money was added to the original sum, and every Friday morning the heads of the Gadite families would appear at the American Colony and be given coins in proportion to the number of individuals to be fed.

They explained to Father that they were trying to learn the trades of the new country and hoped very soon not to need assistance. They had been goldsmiths and silversmiths of a crude sort in Yemen, but Jerusalem at that time had no appreciation or demand for that sort of handicraft. One by one the elders came to tell us they had found work, to thank, us for what we had done, and to say they needed no further help. Father was impressed with the unspoiled integrity of these people.

The Colony continued giving help to the original group of Gadites in decreasing amounts until only a few old people and


Yemenite Rabbi Avram (circa 1935)

widows remained. But these came regularly once a week. Their number was swelled by newcomers and we still shared what we could with them: portions of dry rice, lentils, tea, coffee, and sugar, or other dry articles. 

After the British occupation of Palestine and the advent of the Zionist organization, with its resources and vast machinery to meet pressing necessities, after forty years our list of dependent Gadites was taken over by them. Even then, individuals continued to come to the doors of the American Colony to ask our help.

One night in June 1948 the American Colony had been under fire all night between the Jews west of us and the Arab legionaries east of us. In the morning a Yemenite Jew lay dead in the road be fore our gates. I recognized Hyam, a Yemenite from the "box colony" near the American Colony. He was one of those who had been receiving help from us for years.

For all this relief work the American Colony was using the money of its members.

The chapter continues with the story of a con-man, Mr. Moses, who stole an ancient scroll from the Yemenites while they were still in Yemen. The Yemenite community in Jerusalem discovered him in Jerusalem and requested that the American Colony help secure the scroll for them.

Kevin Subra Shares History of Family - back to Civil War days with Steph...

My cousin Kevin Subra shares ancestral history

(Father of 15 children)

-son of Glen and Ardyce Subra

Published on Jul 31, 2013

At the annual Subra family reunion (Everett Willard and Lucy Yarwood Subra family) on July 27, 2013 in Winona, Minnesota, grandson Kevin Subra (my cousin) shares some history of the family, beginning during the Civil War days with Stephen Subra. He then follows it through to days in Minnesota and onward.

Seven of the original nine children of Everett & Lucy were able to attend this year. Many of their children also, including myself from Charlotte, NC.

Videos filmed and shared by Steve Martin - to give appreciation to and love for those we support, through Love For His People, Inc.

Seven of of the original none, 

with Marlyn Subra on right 

(husband of deceased Roger Subra)

Cousins (a few...)

(L-R) Steve Martin, Tom Martin (brother), 

Loren Subra (uncle), Don Bicknese (cousin)

Cousin Wanda

(L-R) Lila Subra Martin Parker, 

Lavonne and George Hermann

Standing - Lorraine Monahan

(Seated) George & Lavonne Hermann daughters

Kevin Subra (father of 15)

- my cousin, son of Glen and Ardyce Subra 

of Marion, IA

When the Middle Eastern pot boils over - Avner Boskey, Final Frontier Ministries

                                                       

Avner & Rachel Boskey - Beersheva, Israel

When the Middle Eastern pot boils over

The Middle East is a violently boiling cauldron. So many changes are happening so quickly, and the media does not grasp the complexity and intractability of the present situation.  What follows is a brief summation of the current state of affairs, and scriptural guidelines on how to pray for each country.

Syria – the history

At present over 100,000 people have been murdered in the civil war raging across Syria, many of these unarmed civilians including women and children. Syria has been a dictatorship since time immemorial. Its population is a mix of Arab Sunni Moslems (60%), Arab Alawite Islam with Shi’ite roots (12%),  Kurdish Sunni Moslems (9%), Arab Greek Orthodox Christian (9%), Armenian Christian (4%), Arab Druze (3%), Arab Isma’eli Moslem (2%), and 1% made up of other minorities like Turkmen, Circassian, Assyrian and Jewish. For background on the biblical and historical perspective in Syria, see “Shakings, Weighings and Divisions: Syria, Annapolis and the Return of YHVH - Part One – Syria”; October 13, 2007 at www.davidstent.org under “words.”

Military dictatorship ruled Syria (and much of the Middle East after WWII), which eventually ended up as Socialist Ba’ath governments (espousing Arab nationalism, socialism and secularism). A military officer named Hafez al-Assad (from the quasi-heretical Alawite Islamic stream) became Commander of the Air Force in 1963, and then after a military coup in 1966 became Minister of Defense. In another coup in 1970 he became Prime Minister, and in 1971 became President. He attacked Israel in 1973’s Yom Kippur War, forced Lebanon into a practical annexation in 1976, supported and trained international terror groups, carried out assassinations of Lebanon’s Prime Ministers in 1982 and 2005, and oversaw the murder of between 25,000 – 40,000 Syrians in 1982 in Hama in an attempt to crush the Muslim Brotherhood. At that time the President’s brother Rifa’at al-Assad declared that the Syrian government was prepared to “sacrifice a million martyrs” (over a tenth of Syria's population at that time) in order to stamp out “the nation's enemies.” For more background on Hama, see “Shattering the gates of Damascus (Amos 1:5)” August 7, 2012 atwww.davidstent.org under “words.”

Assad died of a heart attack in 2000 and was succeeded as President by his son, Bashar al-Assad. Hafez al-Assad was considered by his supporters as a champion of secularism, women's rights and Syrian nationalism. His critics have accused him of being an authoritarian dictator, a leader of a personality cult, a sponsor of terrorism and a perpetrator of multiple human rights abuses both at home and abroad. Christians in Syria (considered a minority group) nevertheless felt a measure of protection from Assad’s government.

Syria – the players

The civil war places Assad’s government forces on one side, and a Islamist green rainbow of warriors on the other side.

The Muslim Brotherhood organization, a jihadi Islamist group whose strategy involves coups and/or election-based takeovers of secular Arab dictatorships, has successfully risen to exercise power in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, and Gaza. One of its main leaders Youssef Qaradawi operates out of Saudi Arabia. Its networks are active in Jordan and Syria. For more background, see “Hurtling Through The Fog of War: A Messianic Perspective On The New Hamastan” February 4, 2006, at www.davidstent.org under “words.” The Muslim Brotherhood has been waiting patiently in Syria since Hama, looking for the right time for a coup, a revolution or an election which would bring them to power. Street demonstrations in 2012 afforded them that opportunity, and it was quickly snatched up.

Yet at the same time, al-Qa’eda proxies, spillovers and franchises stepped into the abyss, attempting to achieve their version of jihad on the backs of the Muslim Brothers. These include Jabhat Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Fatah al-Islam and Jordanian Salafi-jihadis.(www.understandingwar.org/report/jihad-syria).

The Syrian opposition (or National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_opposition) involves many different streams, including: Syrian National Council, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians, the Damascus Declaration, the Syrian Democratic People's Party, the Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution, the Assyrian Democratic Organization, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, the Free Syrian Army and Higher Military Council, the Liwaa al-Umma, the Syrian Liberation Army, the Syrian Liberation Front, the National Salvation Front in Syria, etc.

These groups are not as strictly organized or supplied as the regular Syrian Army. As a result, there is a war of attrition going on, with many civilian casualties caused by Assad’s warplanes bombing cities, Assad’s artillery shelling civilian areas, and limited use of chemical warfare by Assad’s army. Rebel forces are chipping away at resupply routes, and command and control centers. They are being gradually armed with heavier and more advanced weapons. The balance of power tips back and forth with every new day.

At the same time, a state of anarchy is happening among the rebels, with Salafi and jihadi forces massacring Shi’ites and Christians (beheading Orthodox priests, torturing Protestant believers etc.), executing Muslims they suspect of being not fully Salafi and Islamic, etc.

Ø  Syrian believers in Yeshua see the handwriting on the wall, and know that whatever the outcome, their lives will be terrifyingly worse if the rebels come to power.

The stockpiles of chemical weapons in Assad’s warehouses are mostly aimed at Israel, though they could also be targeted at Jordan and Lebanon if need be. Surrounding countries (especially Israel and Jordan (with the US shadow handing over Jordan’s shoulder) – as well as Special Operations Forces from Western countries – have their fingers on the trigger, waiting and watching to see if the tripwire snaps and operations to seize chemical weapons becomes necessary.

Iran openly activated Hezbollah forces recently in order to bolster its influence over the western Middle East.  Hezbollah in Lebanon is a strategic partner of Assad’s Alawite regime, and they have lost over 500 fighters on Syrian soil in an attempt to prop Assad up from collapse.

The Great Game between the West and the Saudi-led block (on the one hand), and Russia, Iran and China (on the other) is heating up.

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray for the preservation of human life

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Syria

Ø  Pray for the destruction of all chemical warfare stockpiles, with minimal loss of life

Egypt

Egypt has been convulsing in birth pangs for at least two years now. For more background, see “Riots on the Highway to Egypt” January 31, 2011; and “You say you want a revolution” - February 12, 2011, atwww.davidstent.org under “words.”

The military dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak was dislodged by street demonstrations and US State Department pressure. At first the demonstrators became the darlings of the news media, and the moniker “Arab Spring” was coined, replete with visions of sugar-plums and Twitter hash tags. Within a very brief time indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood hijacked the ‘revolution’ and established itself as the new Pharaoh in Egypt. While corruption was a significant factor in Mubarak’s Egypt (and in the rest of the Middle East), the accession of President Morsi’s Brotherhood did not alter the socioeconomic situation. The economy actually got worse, as Islamists moved into offices of power and influence, and Western investors balked at pouring in good money after bad.

Persecution of Coptic and Protestant Christians has increased (riots, arson, murder), and recently Shi’ites were massacred in Cairo while at worship. The safety of women on the streets and in public squares has become highly dangerous. The Muslim Brotherhood has been pushing to ratify an Islamist constitution, one which would disenfranchise secular Egyptians, Christians and women.

In June and July 2013 crowds have taken to the streets in a bizarre parallel to the anti-Mubarak crowds of 2011. Now they are calling for Morsi to step down, accusing him of being an American and Zionist agent. Flags of the USA and Israel are being burned in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, as well as posters of President Morsi. The largest demonstration known to mankind took place on Sunday June 30, with over a million Egyptians protesting the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist reign.

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray for the preservation of human life

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Egypt

Ø  Pray for revelation according to Isaiah 19 regarding the ultimate spiritual result for Egypt and Israel

Jordan

In 1922 the eastern bank of the Jordan river was established as a British puppet state, and then again in 1946 as a fully sovereign Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan (today known as Jordan). King Abdullah (a descendant of the Hashemite dynasty and related to Mohammed) lost out on ruling Mecca to the Ibn Saud family, but the British set him up as king in this territory. For years under British tutelage, Jordan gradually moved to rest under the American umbrella (as did the new country of Saudi Arabia!).

The Hashemite dynasty is not native to the country of Jordan, and a majority of the population is descended from Arabs hailing from west of the Jordan river (commonly known as Palestinians). As a result, a simmering Muslim Brotherhood movement arose, intent on wresting Jordan away from the Hashemites, and on establishing an Islamist Caliphate in that country. Only a strong and wily intelligence service keeps Jordan alive.

The Syrian spillover has resulted in refugees flooding into northern Jordan – approximately 420,000 at latest count. Social and economic instability has resulted, and Jordan’s leadership (as well as those of Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq) are focusing fitfully on developments.

The USA has recently conducted Operation Eager Lion in Jordan, depositing Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries, F-16 fighter jets, Special Operations Forces and other boots on the ground. Syria, Russia, Iran and China have protested America’s presence. Similar American military groups have established themselves on Turkey’s border with Syria. Jordan’s leadership is concerned at how Syrian developments might lead to unrest and violence on Jordanian soil (as once happened in 1970, when Syria invaded Jordan and the USA asked Israel to threaten Syrian forces with Israeli tanks; www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/jfq-55/25.pdf ; www.aisisraelstudies.org/papers/Rubinovitz2009b.pdf).

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray for the strengthening of human life and for spiritual fruit among the Syrian refugees in Jordan

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Jordan

Lebanon

Lebanon was severely weakened after the PLO failed to overthrow King Hussein, and he subsequently drove the PLO out of his country into Syria and Jordan (the Black September season in 1970). The arrival of a substantial Sunni terrorist contingent in Lebanon weakened the tenuous balance between Maronite Christian, Druze, Shi’ite and Sunni, and led to the civil war of 1975-82 wherein over 100,00 Lebanese were killed. Israel’s invasion in 1982 resulted in the PLO been driven out and re-establishing itself in Tunis.

Into this vacuum moved Syria and Iran. The latter strengthened the Shi’ites in Lebanon, and the al-Amal movement gave way to a Khomeini-like jihadi organization known as Hezbollah (the party of Allah). This movement gradually became the main player in Lebanon, taking most of its orders from Iran’s mullahs and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran). The attacks on US and French Marines bases in Lebanon were engineered by Hezbollah, as well as similar attacks on the Israeli army, and attacks on Jewish organizations in Argentina, The Hezbollah network is one of the strongest present-day terror networks in the world, with many sleeper cells in Western countries. Most of its armaments come from Iran and through Syria.

Hezbollah has kept its Shi’ite warriors under wraps when it comes to action in Syria, but events there have prompted Iran to “call in the mortgage” and send Sheikh Nasrallah’s fighters into the thick of Syria’s front lines. This has catalyzed a strident negative reaction from Sunni leaders in Saudi Arabia, in Gaza’s Hamastan, in Egypt and among Lebanese Sunnis, Druze and Christians. Fighting has drifted back and forth across the Syrian-Lebanese border.

A fuse has been lit in Lebanon, and Hezbollah’s power base is experiencing tremors. The previous Lebanese civil war (1975-82) might end up being child’s play compared to what may be coming around the bend. And in many instances in the Middle East, the tradition is, “When things get bad, blame Israel!”

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray for the strengthening of human life and for spiritual fruit among the Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Lebanon

Ø  Pray for much spiritual fruit among all Lebanese, including among Hezbollah members

Afghanistan

The original American invasion of Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom, October 7, 2001) was meant to drive out al-Qa’eda and its minders the Taliban, allowing the country to become a Western-oriented democracy. Though al-Qa’eda was scattered as a result, it went underground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, morphing into a loosely knit diaspora community from Indonesia to Yemen. The British and Russians were not able to crush the Afghanis during their military sojourns in that country, and the US forces have not been able to get more brilliant results. President Hamid Karzai is a leader tainted by typical Afghani corruptions, while US diplomats negotiate with the Taliban behind Karzai’s back as US forces prepare for a staggered retreat from Afghanistan.

The Islamist world sees Afghanistan as the anvil upon which Western “Christian” forces are beaten, while in the West many leaders are running full speed away from defining themselves, their countries and their morality as Christian.

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Afghanistan

Ø  Pray for much spiritual fruit among all Afghanis, including among Taliban members

Iraq

The Kingdom of Iraq was created by British statesmen in 1932, which functioned as a British puppet until 1958, when a Ba’athist coup established the Republic of Iraq. The dictator Saddam Hussein ruled with an iron hand from 1979-2003, when he was deposed by US military forces.

Iraq is made up of a Shi’ite majority (65%), a substantial Sunni minority (34%), and a one percentage point of minorities, including Armenians, Chechens, Circassians, Egyptians, Palestinians, and Shabaks.  The ethnic distribution is as follows: Iraqi Arabs (75%), Kurds (17%), Turkmen (3%), Assyrians (2%) and Persians (2%). This religious and ethnic mix guarantees that Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurd will always be fighting each other for control. The fracturing of Iraq into separate countries does not look like a feasible option in these days of energy-based political decisions.

As the US walks out the Iraqi door and slowly disengages from the country once called Mesopotamia, explosions are accompanying her at every corner. Al-Qa’eda in Iraq has moved delicately into the vacuum, while Sunni and Shi’ite employ IEDs to fragment civilians and worshippers on both sides of the Islamic divide.

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will not triumph in Iraq

Ø  Pray for much spiritual fruit among all Iraqis

Iran

The Western orientation of the Shah of Iran could not paper over his corruption and cruelty. The rise of a bloodthirsty and demonized Shi’ite Islamist Republic under the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 led to the rebirth of ancient Persia as a Middle Eastern force to be reckoned with. The export of Shi’ite jihad to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Emirates, Central Asia, Iraq and Lebanon altered the Islamist jihadi equation in the world. Iran’s persecution of Jews, Bahai’s, Christians, Communists and secular Iranians has led to a dictatorship international recognized for its cruelty and zeal against its own citizens.

Iran’s spread of international terrorism through its Revolutionary Guards Pasdaran movement is the most outstanding example of its kind. Iran’s fanatic fervor in obtaining nuclear weapons, while threatening Israel’s with total destruction, has created deep fear among the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, and any other country within reach of Iran’s cold and bony arm. The world’s attention is fixed on Iran’s race to nuclear holocaust, yet shows callow spinelessness in confronting these ambitions. The parallels between the world’s indifference to Hitler in the 1930’s and the world’s indifference to Iran in our day must be drawn and considered.

Ø  Pray that believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will be removed in Iran

Ø  Pray for much spiritual fruit among all Iranians

Ø  Pray for the removal of nuclear weapons factories in Iran

Hamastan and PA

As a result of Western pressure on Israel, the PLO terror organization was allowed to return to Gaza and the mountains of Israel. More pressure from the US and EU led to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally disengaging from Gaza. The gap was quickly filled by the local Muslim Brotherhood branch (Hamas) coming to power in January 2006, with President Jimmy Carter as an international observer during the voting. Knee-capping, torture and assassination of PLO/Palestinian Authority personnel was the order of the day, and soon Gaza became an armed camp with missiles aimed at Israel. Two main clashes with Israel have occurred (2009 and 2012), while scores of Qassam rockets and mortars have slammed into Israeli cities, kibbutzim and moshavim before and after each war. Over10,138 rockets have been fired at Israel during this period, as well as 4,890 mortar shells (www.idfblog.com/facts-figures/rocket-attacks-toward-israel/; www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas-qassam.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel).

Gaza has become an Islamist region, with shari’a law in effect. Unaccompanied women and mixed couples displaying any physical affection are in severe danger. Christian workers have been martyred, while foreigners have been kidnapped and held for ransom. Israeli cities, towns and villages are attacked from time to time by rocket and missile fire. Smuggling tunnels bring weapons in and terror teams out. The Sinai peninsula has become a terror hotbed, and rockets have been fired from the south into the Israeli city of Eilat, often overshooting their mark and hitting the Jordanian city of Aqaba. Terrorists attempt to tunnel into Israel on a regular basis.

Gaza’s Hamas leadership oversee an Islamist Palestinian “state.” Yet the Palestinian Authority in what is called the West Bank oversee another quasi-state. Under their watchful eye, terror squads belonging to the PA (Tanzim, al-Aqsa) as well as Islamic Jihad groups and Hamas operatives – all plan and attempt to execute terror attacks and the planting of IED’s against Israeli civilian targets. Only Israel’s Shabak (General Security Services) , the IDF and the anti-terror barriers stand in the way of bloody casualties.

The world would like to see peace break out in this area, yet turns a blind eye to all of the above – active support of terrorism, refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, wanting descendants of Arab refugees to settle in Israel and not in PA areas (thus overrunning and destroying the Jewish state), etc.

Two Palestinian-ruled geographical entities exist. Both are attempting to destroy Israelis. Why exactly is there great fanfare about a peace process?

Israel

The nation of Israel sits like a pontoon bridge on a lake of hungry sharks, surrounded on all sides by the most unfriendly of neighbors. As the pot boils over in one country after another, and as the world turns two blind eyes away from the threats facing this country, we believe that the God-breathed prayers of believers in Yeshua worldwide make all the difference in the world.

Ø  Pray that Israeli believers will be protected and given great opportunity to witness their faith

Ø  Pray that Islamist forces will be weakened in Israel, the PA area and in Hamastan

Ø  Pray for the gospel to go forth in power to the Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, to Gazans and those in the PA areas

Ø  Pray for the destruction of all weapons formed against us (Isaiah 54:17 )

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do!

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

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