I have a very close friend of over 25 years who was former Israel special forces. He was in the Golan Heights during the 7 day war and was over run by the Syrian forces and just sat down and waited for them to see him and kill him. Yet they never did, the entire column of soldiers and tanks went right by him.
This miracle led him to the Lord Jeshua.
Anyway, He has been sending me some updates from inside Israel for sometime and this is one I just got from him. He knows what he is talking about:
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THE NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS…Greetings from Zion.During His longest single recorded teaching in the upper room just before His crucifixion, the Lord Yeshua made some pretty incredible promises about the soon coming Holy Spirit. In one of those statements He said,
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." (John 16).
The original Greek term used in the Gospel account for the word "TRUTH" in the Lord's description of the
Spirit of truth is spelled
"al-ay-thi-a" which actually signifies in Greek thought what we would consider
REALITY. That Greek term points to the reality that is lying at the foundation of anything; the veritable essence of a matter which is being discussed or considered. In simple words, what the Lord promised us is that He was about to send us the
"SPIRIT OF REAL" that will lead us into the purest and truest version of anything He guides us into.
But who will hear the Spirit's voice? According to Scripture, the voice of the
"Spirit of Real" will only be heard by humble and contrite hearts who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Seven times in the first chapters of the Book or Revelation the Lord Himself appeals to His children, saying,
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…" (Revelation 2 & 3). We pray that His voice reaches many hearts during these turbulent seasons we are all passing through.
Given this truth about the "
Spirit of Real," our goal in these Prayer Reports has never been to inform our readers of every developing event in and around Israel during this extended season of war. There are myriads of voices already doing that. Rather our aim is to bring to your attention what we would consider the
REALITY of what's going on behind the incessant news reports that flood the minds of billions.
WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON?GAZA WILL BE NO MOREIrrespective of the photoshopped images and well crafted statements that float across the screens, the facts are that the dismantling of the Hamas terror organization in Gaza has not ceased at all. Rather, it has been going on relentlessly through IDF ground operations and surgical air strikes from day to day. A million Gazans, citizens and supporters of the Hamas terror government, are sheltering in the humanitarian region in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They are NOT allowed to move back into their ruined communities in northern Gaza. These communities are NOT being restored and shall continue to remain a desolation for years to come, if not forever.
Current view of Gaza can be seen in the following link:
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With Hamas' rejection of the most recent American ceasefire proposal which included generous (we say 'unwise') Israeli concessions, it is becoming obvious to even the liberal talking heads that the terror organization has not an ounce of care for its own languishing "civilian" population. Hamas, it appears, is only committed to preserving its own foolish pride and ruthless control over the leftovers of its backwards territory, and this battle will have to continue to its necessary conclusion.
We believe that before long we'll see the evacuation of the Kh'an Yunis region and the fall of Hamas' last remaining stronghold, the City of Rafah. It is there that Hamas' surviving leadership is still holed up in their terror tunnels surrounded with the human shield of our remaining living hostages. May God have mercy on them and lift them up from the pit of death.
What the progressive media is NOT telling or showing you is that Israel is creating a fortified militarized zone along Wadi Gaza, a creek that divides the Gaza Strip in the middle from east to west. No civilian movement is allowed back into the ruined north, and we don't expect that the northern Gaza territory will ever be given back to the Arabs. When you start a war you must realize that you may be defeated, and defeat registers the clearest in the prideful Islamic mind with loss of territory. Beyond this militarized zone, Israel is also creating a kilometer wide security-belt all around the Gaza Strip which will serve as a kill-zone for future infiltrators who will try to repeat the October 7 massacre.
Gone are the days of political correctness and willful blindness. As the psalmist sang who recognized the REALITY of Israel's position,
"In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree! Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war." (Psalm 120).
Meanwhile, hundreds of heavily laden relief trucks that Israel processed and allowed into the Gaza Strip are stuck inside of Gaza with their unused cargo going to waste. The "bottle neck," as it turns out, is NOT the Israeli policies or security measures; rather it is the lack of logistics and manpower of UN agencies who are responsible for the unloading and distribution of the goods.
In simple terms, it is the ineptness and lack of efficiency of UN personnel that holds back the distribution of the needed Gaza relief, hindering Israel's efforts to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Can you hear and do you believe the voice of the
Spirit of Real?..HEZBOLLAH IS PANICKINGIsrael's northern front with Hezbollah (which launched unprovoked attacks on the Galilee since October 8, 2023, as part of its "solidarity" with Hamas) is experiencing surprising developments. The thin political envelope that holds Lebanon together is fast eroding as the Christian clans of Lebanon (40% of the population) are beginning to rise up publicly and call for the fall of Hezbollah. According to them, the Iranian terror army of Hezbollah doesn't represent them nor care for Lebanon. Of course they are correct, and their short "political marriage" with Hezbollah is now collapsing into an inner civil uprising.
These developments were somewhat expected for those who understand the region, and especially following the recent assassination of one of the Christian community's outspoken leaders who was kidnapped, tortured and returned as a bloody, broken body to his clan for burial earlier this week. Not many years ago the Christian Lebanese worked closely with Israel to combat Iranian sponsored Shi'ite terror, and we may see this pact resurrected now to preserve the parties' shared interests of peace and stability in the region. Historically, Israel could have done better in our alliance with the Lebanese Christians, and we are now paying back this ancient debt.
With riots and street fights erupting between Christian Lebanese and Syrian/Hezbollah units in hot spots throughout Lebanon, Hezbollah is panicking due to the possibility that Israel may respond to the Christians' request to provide them with weapons in order to attack Hezbollah from the rear. Likewise, the Sunni rebels in Syria are also waiting for the right moment to make their move and overthrow the hated Iranian puppet, Bashar al-Assad, who is barely hanging on to power in his failed terror state of Syria. Basically, Iran is at war with the entire world, but only Israel is fighting back at the moment.
As long as Israel maintains a strong stance, in spite of international pressures, it seems that Iran is falling into the trap it tried to prepare for Israel. So far, fearing Israel's inevitable and fierce response, the "Iranian promised revenge" remains but a boisterous threat. Nevertheless, all of us here in Israel are presently bracing for the possibility of a serious missile attack targeting sensitive locations all over Israel. As most families in Israel, we too "have skin in the game" as family members are serving in various IDF units on the frontline. Thank you for your prayers.
As the regional dynamics continue to unfold, it wouldn't surprise us to see Iran, fearing a full out escalation and an unrestrained Israeli counter strike, sell out the "invented" Palestinians, and also possibly Hezbollah, should it continue to falter. Can you hear and do you believe the voice of the
Spirit of Real?..THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA) FARCEThe American administration is gradually beginning to understand the pit they have dug for themselves by trying to push Israel into a bad deal with the ("moderate") Palestinian Authority that was "supposed" to govern the Gaza Strip after the war. In a series of astonishing and rapid developments, Hamas itself shattered the "day after delusions" of the globalists when they themselves arrested and deported Palestinian Authority officials who had recently entered the Gaza Strip.
Calling these "moderate" Arab Palestinian Authority officials "traitors to the cause," the Hamas leadership vowed to NEVER allow any Arab or International force to rule Gaza other than themselves. The point that the world is finding hard to accept is that the Hamas manipulative and cruel rule over the miserable Gazans grants it its global legitimacy. If the territory will be taken away from Hamas, which is what Israel is determined to accomplish, Hamas will remain "just" a Terror Organization which is what it actually is. Just like Hezbollah in Lebanon, or ISIS in Iraq, terror organizations don't care for the populations that shelter them… they care only for their sinister cause. Can you hear and do you believe the voice of the
Spirit of Real?..TIME TO WAKE UPWhile Israel is the only nation that is actively pushing back against the militant forces of Islamic Jihad, the West is finally beginning to awaken to the presence of aggressive Muslim enclaves in its most populated cities. Holding Ramadan prayers and Eid al-Fitr festivities in cathedrals, public monuments, and sports arenas in Europe and the USA, these newcomers are boldly declaring their faith and their goals as they increase their influence in the halls of power and turn the laws of the lands in their favor.
The mainstream media is mostly hiding these alarming developments. What will it take to stop the Islamization of the West? Does western society even possess the character and spiritual convictions to save itself from this coming darkness?
GLORIOUS JOYSome of you asked us about the U.N. sponsored "Happiness Report" that we addressed a few weeks ago in which Israel holds the fifth place of happiness among all the nations of the world. We were asked why, and what are the reasons for Israel's happiness?
The global study we mentioned, among other studies, concluded that the essence of Israeli happiness lies not in the absence of conflict, but in (1) deep social cohesion, (2) strong family ties, and (3) a rich tapestry of traditions and history that binds the people together into a purpose that is greater than each individual alone. These principles overcome the prevailing sense of loneliness, isolation, and often lack of purpose that plague many in the West. Israelis derive their joy from a profound sense of community, belonging, and a purposeful existence. No wonder the Word of God invites the faithful from among the nations to join the
commonwealth of Israel and to be grafted into the
Olive Tree of God.Addressing Gentile disciples, the Apostle wrote,
" … at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2). And,
" … if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?" (Romans 11:24). Welcome home!
BLESSED SHABBATAs the Sabbath begins for us here in Israel, we are settling into a tense quietness, praying for peace while preparing for war. While the world around us may be troubled, we planted a new fruit tree in our garden today, and our granddaughter just walked in to show us her new catch of lady bugs crawling in a plastic dish. Life conquers death every day.
We live in cruel times with lots of loss and suffering around us, and our only shelter is in the promises and the love of the Lord. As the Shulamite said to Her Beloved,
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame." (Song of Songs 8).
"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 'The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.'" (Numbers 6).
Thank you for your faith, hope, and love.
Shabbat Shalom.
R & M
