Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
An Israeli soldier was moderately wounded when a Palestinian terrorist rammed him with his vehicle south of Jerusalem on Monday.
The attack occurred just outside the Judean community of Tekoa, a short distance south of Bethlehem.
The assailant reportedly exited his vehicle and tried to stab another soldier before being shot and neutralized. He then received medical attention from Israeli first responders.
The injured soldier is said to be 20 years old.
It should be noted that "moderate" injuries may not sound that bad, but typically result in life-long disabilities, like the loss of an arm or leg. Just because the injury is not life-threatening doesn't mean this young man won't suffer for the rest of his life.
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Pastor Jim discusses the cyber warfare currently taking place in America with special guest John Shorey.
Quotes
They are talking about this same method of cyber attack could bring down the grids. They could shut off the grids. And the grids have been shutting down in many, many cities. Did you know that? I mean major cities. -Jim Bakker
The latest report I’ve heard. Even our recent guests have told us about they’re in every city almost. Probably every city, and every state of the United States. The terrorists are just waiting for a signal to start. -Jim Bakker
Scripture
Psalm 127:3 MEV Look, children are a gift of the Lord,and the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Proverbs 17:6 MEV Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers.
Revelation 6:2-4 KJV And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Romans 13:1 MEV Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God.
Matthew 24:37 MEV As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Genesis 1:28 KJV And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
II Thessalonians 2:3 KJV Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Matthew 24:12 KJV And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Some people see everything as a sign. Others see nothing as a sign. We must avoid both extremes. But signs are important. What if there were no stop signs? Street signs? Caution signs? Speed limit signs? High-voltage signs?
Signs serve to maintain order and prevent chaos on a day-to-day level. Prophetic signs are even more important. And they are popping up all over, pointing to the soon return of Jesus Christ. You are either ready, or you're not. It's that simple.
Signs are like "previews of coming attractions." They are not the main attraction, but they point to it. Signs provide small glimpses of what the main feature will be like.
Preview Signs
I began my studies in Bible prophecy in November 1971. By 1978 I understood and publicly taught that in the final hours of the last days, certain signs would become increasingly evident:
The world's focus would be on the Middle East.
Russia would begin to align with key Muslim nations.
Israel would be surrounded by those bent on its annihilation.
Anti-Semitism would dramatically escalate.
Religious deception would be rampant.
Political chaos would increase, and a political star with plausible solutions would rise up.
Extreme famines would occur in different parts of the world.
There would be wars and rumors of war, especially relative to the Middle East and Israel.
Epidemics and pandemics would spread.
Earthquakes and natural disasters would escalate in frequency and intensity.
Technology would advance in astonishing ways.
Terrorism would jump to the forefront.
There would be an abnormal emphasis on sex and materialism, and morality would be twisted.
Betrayals, multiplying family problems and resistance to God's messages would be prevalent.
A genuine, Holy Spirit-led revival would emerge as a remnant of godly believers focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and His power.
Those signs are now joining at whirlwind velocity. But much like an alarm clock, many choose to ignore it. Signs can be agitating, discomforting. Somehow, we want to believe, "Maybe we've still got a few years or decades before these prophecies come to pass." But the evidence tells us they are upon us now.
The Day of the Lord truly will come any day. Jesus promised, "So also, when you shall see all these things, you know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (Matt. 24:33–34).
It's a Simple Fact
The generation that sees these signs taking place simultaneously and globally will be part of the final generation, and they will possibly experience the long-awaited return of Jesus Christ. While followers of Christ will walk in hope, faith and great power, others will taste only anguish and distress in the days ahead.
Dr. Dave Williamsserved for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. During his tenure, Mount Hope Church gave over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from eight to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. On May 2, 2017, Charisma House will release his latest book,Hope in the Last Days. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.
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What Russia's Top Church Leader is Saying about Donald Trump
CBN News 11-26-2016
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church believes President-elect Donald Trump is the only American politician to give Russians, and Christians, hope in the war against the Islamic State.
Patriarch Kirill told Russia Today (RT) he is encouraged by the incoming president's strong position against ISIS.
"Based on what Mr. Trump said in the course of the election campaign, we can see that he does have the intention to establish a dialogue with Russia, including first and foremost when it comes to combating terrorism," Kirill said.
"That's good; it opens up new opportunities for cooperation, which is what I hope we're going to have in Russia-U.S. relations in order to tackle this," he added.
"I don't know him personally, and I don't know much about his life, so I can only judge based on his statements, which were in stark contrast to other politicians' stances. There was no hope in what others were saying, while Mr. Trump's words give us hope," he said.
Kirill also told RT that he agrees that Trump is not afraid to speak his mind especially during a time when Christians in America are being shut down by political correctness.
"It seems as if political correctness is meant to limit Christians' freedom to practice their faith. For example, why should we use 'X-mas' instead of 'Christmas'?," he asked. "We're very wary when, under the guise of political correctness and universal rights and liberties, we glimpse signs of discrimination against the people who want to be open about their Christian convictions."
As Russia's Vladmir Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and later vowed to dialogue with the U.S. "on the basis of mutual respect," Kirill said it is important for Christians to continue to pray for the nations that are working to eradicate terrorism.
"All that is left to us as Christians is to pray and, of course, work together with everyone, so that all the nations involved realize that collaboration is instrumental. We keep hearing that the coalition has its own approach, and Russia has a different stance. Well, now is the time when we can't have two conflicting positions any longer; we need to align ourselves with each other," he said.
JERUSALEM, Israel – While tens of thousands of Israeli families spent Thursday night in shelters to escape massive fires threatening their neighborhoods, tweets praising the arson spread like wildfire on Arabic-language social media platforms.
"#Israel is burning" was retweeted hundreds of thousands of times, becoming the third highest Arabic-language tweet in Israel and several neighboring countries.
Shurat haDin, monitoring Arabic-language social media, reported that "#Tel_Aviv_IsBurning" was trending Friday morning, possibly to incite would-be arsonists that Tel Aviv is next.
An estimated 80,000 Israelis were evacuated from Haifa Thursday and some 600 homes destroyed by fire. Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld reported Friday morning that residents of six Haifa neighborhoods were able to return to their homes.
And though several hundred Israelis were treated for smoke inhalation over the past several days, not one life has been lost despite the enormous devastation.
At a press conference Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the arsonists will be held accountable.
"Anyone attempting to burn parts of the State of Israel will be punished," he said, calling arson and incitement to arson "terrorism in all respects."
By Friday morning, 12 suspects were in custody and police were looking for others.
Overnight Thursday, firefighting crews battled new blazes, including one in the town of Beit Meir about halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, evacuating 300 people.
Meanwhile in France, Muslim immigrants torched 26 cars in an upscale neighborhood in Paris, presumably expressing their dissatisfaction with people who own nice vehicles. It's not the first time. Last year, 150 vehicles were burned up in one night.
All this destruction took place as American families gathered around festive holiday tables to celebrate Thanksgiving, following a tradition that began with the Pilgrims thanking God for His many blessings.
A number of Israelis and Americans are praying for abundant winter rains to quench the fires and spur new growth on the scorched land.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week encouraged the United States to look to Israel as an example of how terrorism should be fought.
Speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club, Putin was critical of what he saw as America’s weak approach to combatting ISIS and other terror groups in the Middle East, an approach the Russian leader suggested had actually enabled the rise of such groups.
In particular, Putin said Washington’s politicized focus on civilian casualties - something Israel has had to contend with in its fight against Palestinian terror - was letting the terrorists get the upper hand.
“Let’s just leave everything as it is,” Putin sarcastically quipped. “Let’s leave Raqqa alone too. Our partners keep saying, ‘We need to take back Raqqa and eliminate the nest of terrorists there.’ But there are civilians in Raqqa. So, should we not fight the terrorists at all? And when they take hostages in towns, should we just leave them be?”
Putin said that Israel, which does go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, offers the only model for success.
“Israel never steps back, but always fights to the end, and this is how it survives,” noted Putin. “There is no alternative. We need to fight. If we keep retreating, we will always lose.”
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This past Sunday I woke up early, very early. Not by choice, but because I was very jet lagged from my recent speaking tour in the U.S.
I turned on the news to see what happened overnight. Both the international English cable news and Hebrew Israeli news were reporting live on the terrorist bombing in New York. I was shocked, and my thoughts and prayers turned to the residents and law enforcement professionals.
Throughout the broadcast, I kept hearing sound of traffic, heavy vehicles, and sirens. They sounded close to home, but I wrote it off due to my exhaustion as background noise from the live broadcasts in New York.
I was glued to the TV and news happening 6,000 miles away. Then I got the SMS from the security department in our town (Efrat, Israel). What was unfolding in front of me on TV, and in my front yard, was surreal. But you probably only heard about the news from New York.
Setting the stage for what was happening in my neighborhood, it had been a weekend of lots of violence in Israel. There were several stabbings and car rammings that continued into the new week for five days straight, as of this writing.
As I slept, under the cover of darkness, a Palestinian Arab terrorist was spotted entering my town from his adjacent town. Overnight, led by our volunteer rapid response security team and many soldiers, a manhunt began to find the intruder. I got wind of this all around 5:00 a.m. Residents were instructed to stay indoors until further notice. About an hour later, reports started coming in that the terrorist was found and shot. "Neutralized."
The terrorist was found in a neighbor's yard where he surprised a soldier, stabbing and critically wounding him. Twenty minutes later, dozens of neighbors would have passed that exact spot, many casually on foot, not quite awake yet, heading off to the early morning prayer service at my synagogue. Despite the soldier's serious wounds, a much greater potential tragedy was avoided. A miracle.
However, to be sure we were all safe, dozens of soldiers fanned out across my neighborhood, literally going door to door, looking under and behind anything and everything, to make sure that the one terrorist didn't hurt anyone previously, and that there weren't more terrorists. We were all still on lockdown.
About an hour after that, as my oldest daughter was getting anxious that she was going to miss her ride to school an hour away, we got the all-clear. I drove her to her ride, and saw dozens more soldiers and military vehicles up the block blanketing our neighborhood. She made it and things started getting back to normal.
After the all clear, neighbors started coming out of their houses, talking together and comparing thoughts. It reminded me of the time a rocket from Gaza landed across the valley from our homes in the 2014 Gaza war, and resembled the Munchkins slowly coming out after Dorothy's house landed in Munchkin Land, killing the Wicked Witch.
We got the all-clear in time to get all the other kids to school, though they were understandably scared to walk to the bus. As I drove them, my 11-year-old son said he was nervous. I tried to calm him with the parental, "everything will be OK." But how could he not be nervous? And how could I be sure it would be OK?
I was glad that he articulated it because overcoming fear like this requires first being able to affirm it. Many Israeli children carry traumas like these with them, so it was important to start the dialogue. Hopefully the increased security presence at all the schools that day was something that brought comfort, not something creating more fear and stress.
After taking him to the bus, I brought a cake to the soldiers still in our neighborhood. It was a really good one left over from our Shabbat. But it was morning, they had been up all night, and they needed and certainly deserved it more than I did. They spent the night watching my back figuratively, and I gave it to them to say thanks, and as to watch my waistline.
Now everything is back to "normal"—almost. The sounds of the heavy military vehicles and sirens were replaced by sounds of kids in the street and adults driving car pool and going to work. The one sound missing was that of the din of the heavy machinery grinding down the ancient Judean Mountains across the valley, excavating new neighborhoods in our town.
No Palestinian Arab workers were allowed in town that day. But by the next day, everything was back to normal with hundreds of Arab men carrying heavy tools coming to work right up the block.
Later in the day, I realized that while the incident in our town was relatively minor, it comes in the context of yet another increased wave of violence, leaving many Israelis hurt, some severely. Looking at this through my son's eyes, I realized that our children carry a great burden.
My son's response was normal. But then I wondered about his friend whose father died, and thousands of others who've lost a parent or sibling due to terror or other tragedy. I understood how the trauma of listening to the news or reading the morning paper could inflict a sense of fear and insecurity that adds to the trauma they have already suffered. Regular violence compounds deep-seeded trauma.
I developed a new appreciation for the work I do every day with The Koby Mandell Foundation, kobymandell.org, to heal the invisible scars of women and children who have lost a loved one. Healing from grief is not a finite process. Grief doesn't just stop.
And even when one is recovering, a stabbing in the Judean Mountains far away can open the wounds and set back the healing process. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to do what I do because the renewed and ongoing potential for terror attacks in Israel remains a daily reality.
Organizations like The Koby Mandell Foundation are all the more critical when terror is in the news, even when it's quiet, or the terror attacks just aren't reported, because even invisible scars never quite go away.
Jonathan Feldsteinwas born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for charismanews.com's Standing With Israel. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
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