Party on, Garth

 Feb 3, 2026: Party on Garth. This is what I have thought about for YEARS as I considered the charismatic part of the church. Not that I don't believe in the charis (gifts) of the Spirit, but I just have seen the Christians in the charismatic end of the body of Christ as more interested in their party-happenings paying zero attention to the relatively fledgling Messianic Jews part of the body.

"Party on, Garth!" is always the image I got when I considered Christian leaders of the charismatic part of the body expressing genuine puzzlement over any of their fellow charismatic leaders "Israel thing."

I'm not exaggerating. I sat in Sojourn Church probably around 2010 and watched as Bill Johnson said that exact thing about how he didn't get Mike Bickle's "Israel thing." Johnson was even looking at me off to the side when he said this from the pulpit. I can only imagine there was conversation prior that prompted him to say such a thing in the beginning of his healing service. All I know is that the whole time I sat there in that chair there was intense spiritual warfare swirling around me. If I had not come with someone else I would have fled the scene. The panic mode was on me intensely.

So when the attack came on IHOP and Mike Bickle, you will just have to understand that I have experienced the spiritual warfare of standing with the Israeli ministries when 90% of the charismatic world does not have the least bit interest in what God is doing among the Messianic Jews of the international body of the LORD.

In part the charismatic/Pentecostal part of Christians dismiss the salvation of so many Jews since 1948 as insignificant, no impact on them. Party on, Garth. It is because they are too caught up in enjoying their spiritual gifts — not unlike the Corinthian church — to take notice of how much of the prophetic verses of Bible are God's promises to spiritual restore Israel. . .after the physical restoration of the State of Israel.

Another part of the charismatic/Pentecostal part of Christians is pure ego: because it is mostly the non-charis part of the Church that has understood God's promises to Israel. These are the ones who stepped in to provide the necessary Christian support of God restoring the physical State of Israel.

They are not the ones that are most needed in the spiritual restoration of Israel. #1 their understanding of God's vision and desire for Israel's restoration ends with the physical for the most part. They support all Israel with an enormous amount of money, and that is good except they give their donations to traditional rabbis who have convinced them if they want the "honor" they get from Israel, they MUST steer clear of relationships and especially donations to the body of the LORD in Israel: Messianic Jewish ministries.

So the Jews bearing the Gospel in Israel get hardly any of the Christian donations streaming into Israel and that is a HUGE problem, because we are talking about a place where it is impossible for most of the Israeli ministries to be self-sufficient especially in forwarding their Gospel among their people. Not only because of the small numbers in membership but also because of the massive poverty levels in Israel where war and terrorism takes a massive bite out of their economy.

It is unacceptable to me that this is the case, and that the party goes on in the USA charismatic/Pentecostal churches with the Israeli Messianic Jews are struggling to keep their head above the floodwaters against them.

While I am holding back nothing, let me not hold back on the exposure situations that have rocked American churches - especially the charismatic ones. When we go through storms it is an opportunity God uses to take us deeper. As far as I'm concerned the exposures are not just about what the accusations have been about.

#1 I have done a lot of watching and investigation into the accusations against Mike Bickle, for instance, and I am still not convinced that the accusations were valid or accurate. I am still of the mind that it was a Jezebel attack on Mike Bickle as one of the few major prophetic people in the US who understood that the Israeli Body of Messiah was important. And what has the attack on him managed to do? Drive a stake in the heart of relationship that he had with Israeli ministries, and likely the closest relationship he had with Tikkun.

That one of the younger members of Tikkun, the one who was heir apparent to taking Asher Intrater's position when the baton pass was made, joined the attack against Bickle from the get-go is mind blowing to me. Tell me the devil isn't a treacherous foe to orchestrate something like that. And one year into the attack against IHOP, having already dismantled it down to a skeleton crew, Ron Cantor managed to manipulate the Tikkun leaders into an already prejudiced "investigation" into Mike Bickle and IHOP.

The final report was laughable, if it didn't make you cry. The accusations were tissue paper thin, and it was accepted without any attempt at defense investigation. I have said these things repeatedly but everyone just seems to want to push past all the red flags of lies, manipulation, evil schemes involved.

God will work it out. He will vindicate and He will convict.

We are talking about believers who did so much damage and at the same time took the Israeli body off the table. I can't live with that so I have to speak to it all the more. There are none who cannot repent and be restored, but those who will not repent are in for some terrible days ahead as the storms grow stronger.

As for me, I am going to keep speaking, calling the charismatic Church to quit partying so hard and take a look at what God is doing among the body in Israel. They need us to Awake and Arise to the hour we are in.

In the days ahead, the body in Israel needs the support of charismatic Christians to come alongside them as they reach out to their people. Most all of them are reporting that hearts of Israelis are more open now, after the horrible events of the Hamas war, than ever before. The time of the spiritual restoration is upon us. If that shatters your eschatology what are you going to believe? Your favorite end times theory or was is unfolding in the midst of God's timepiece Israel? Wake up and mature into our calling of the unity of one new man. Ephesians 2:15. Like a marriage, we come together with our difference intact and our unity made complete by our commitment before God. 

Restoring What the Locust Has Eaten

 Feb 2, 2026: "I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten." - Joel 2:25 | Someone else posted this verse with a beautiful graphic background and I loved it because of the vivid favorite colors, but mostly I loved it because this verse came to mind this morning. Immediately I wondered how could God do this for me? And just as immediately the Holy Spirit reminded me of many years-old writings that I have run across in the past week.

Those writings were seen by very few people. From the first year of my return to faith in 1983 I have written about what God was showing me. I had no outlet for others to read, so I wrote for myself not worrying about publishing what I wrote. Later I discovered the beginning stages of the internet. Before social media there was written exchanges on what was known as Bulletin Boards. I did a lot of writing there. Between that and social media, I have probably lost more of my writings than I saved to my document files. Water under the bridge.

I still have so much writing squirreled away in document files it hardly matters. And as I read them today, some things that I saw through the glass darkly in 2004 have become glaringly obvious to me in 2026. I had considered all those writings and biblical studies dead and buried in my files. They might as well have been eaten by locust because I never thought I would be worthwhile to resurrect them! But as I have read some, I see they are still useful to speak to people today.

It is clear to me that I will be resurrecting old writings that still speak, or ever that help clarify what is going on today. I have already decided to develop a couple of new platforms specifically for my writings. The chief goal is to reach Christians who haven't been interested in the past. I have one message but it can target different audiences. The writings will target mostly those Christians who haven't been interested in the past. I believe the time is coming that they are going to finally be able to hear. And for some others, the message will expand their view of what it means to support Israel's spiritual restoration.

Why the Church and the Israeli Messianic Jews are coming together like never before. It's because it is in God's vision and timing ... and the clock is ticking. Are you still standing on the outside of that?

The Prophetic and the Pathetic

 For almost two decades I turned my back on the American prophetic because it of the excesses, lack of accountability to making wrong declarations. Prophets decked out like a Disney soothsayer and on top of all that they were full of themselves instead of God's Word that they couldn't see that a major end times sign was God's restoration to the land of Israel and to spiritual restoration with Him through faith in Israel's Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. How can anyone be a prophet if God without understanding His Word? I turned my back on it all this those "playing church.'

That changed when they one prophet who actually understand God's returning to Israel is a real thing, and a priority to the Christian world was attacked, the House of Prayer room overrun by protesters of MeToo and Cancel Culture - movements with NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH GOD. It may of dressed up in religious language demanding righteousness, but none of that was sent by God. And the Christian world flocked to it like moths flying in to the fire. God knows how to correct His children. He sent a prophet to David about his sins, and David and Bathsheba's first born died, but their son Solomon continued the Davidic line that Yeshua/Jesus was born it.

What too many of the younger generation of God's people are following when we see a whole new group of people becoming the new Christian Inquisition - these sinner-seekers are NEVER sent by God and are always motivated by self-righteousness. Nathan was sent by God to confront David, not to do a media campaign to destroy confidence in the institution God set David to head. Those who are majoring in a seek and destroy mission of all sinners in the body of Christ are not doing what they are doing under the command of the Father by publishing a magazine filled with evil reports on Christian ministers? How did that get to look righteous in the eyes of Christians? Doing a 6 hour YouTube program accusing one prophet of data mining and many other more well known ministers guilty of not bringing correction within the confines of the body - where did that precedent appear in God's instruction book for us? Chapter and verse please!

Growing up my parents and grandparents always told me "Two wrongs don't make a right." That isn't explicitly written in the Bible, but it is surely a godly principle of how not to achieve God's justice. Don't be lured into something that almost looks like the righteous path but is it's own highway to hell.

It is a danger of youth to assume that they will not make the mistakes their 'parents' made - and there hasn't been a generation in my lifetime that the young people did not think they would make the better choices than their parents 'failed' them on. EVERY parent fails and every parent was failed by their parents. It is the human experience, as true in the spiritual family as it is in our bloodlines of natural family relationships.

It is humbling to realize when you are finally mature enough to realize that is a fact. Spiritual maturity does not join MeToo and Cancel Culture to see godly correction among God's people. Recalibrate what you are getting behind. Do not sanction evil or coverups, but justice cannot be brought by a lynch mob.

What I Believe About Becoming "One New Man"

 Here is something I believe in. God is looking for a perfected union between Jews and all the nations (gentiles) who are IN THE FAITH of Yeshua/Jesus. Now lots of Christians have recognized from the Scriptures that is what God wants from us, as Ephesians 2:15 communicates - God wants to make out of two "one new man." It is a oneness of unity that is the same way He says He wants to make out of two — husband and wife — to be one in marriage.

So that means in both cases God sees the differences in the two and He wants to preserve the difference even while He unifies them into one. The oneness God wants them be be so committed to each other in this new thing God has created — the oneness of marriage and the oneness of Jew and Gentile in ONE body of the LORD. This means they function together with shared love, respect, vision, and commitment even preserving the unique qualities of their differences.

Don't ever forget that God not only created the differences in male and female, He also created the differences in Jews and Christians! All the things that make a man and a woman unified in God's will for their marriage and family, these are the same things that God wants for Christians and Jews in the faith of Yeshua/Jesus to enter into together as "one new man." We are not MEANT to blend in with each other erasing all of our God-created differences!

There are things that God cannot do to bless us as the body of the Lord in the earth UNTIL we are willing to be that committed to the other. It is the same as marriage - blessing from God is tied to how unified in God's will for their marriage and family a husband and wife are.

One of the issues that troubles me even among Christians who profess love and commitment to Israel because God wills that for us, there is a breakdown in how much we share "love, respect, vision, and commit" to them. We would rather just make them all be like us. That doesn't work with male and female and it doesn't work with Christian and Messianic Jew.

I've always spoken about those Christians who say they love Israel but only unsaved Israel has a seat at their table. I believe the responsibility for that lies in Christian eschatology (vision) and what I believe is a misinterpretation of Christians making Jews jealous that is repeated in Scripture several times.

The rise of Jews coming to faith during the Jesus Movement late 1960's gave rise to Messianic Judaism. This coincided with Jerusalem being retaken by Israel in 1967. It is a fulfillment of Luke 21:24: Jerusalem is no long trodden down by the Gentiles. That day is over.

The view that many Christians has been to ignore the spiritual milestone for Israel retaking Jerusalem in 1967. You will find almost ZERO Israeli Messianic Jews in agreement with that. That fact SHOULD influence Christians to reconsider their eschatological interpretations because God ALWAYS tells His own prophets among the people who need to know for their own sake! He is not going to tell you about me without giving me an assurance about the truth of it.

Do you understand what I'm saying? If you give me a prophetic warning from God about my future, and it doesn't bear witness to me at all, that should make you circumspect. This even more so true when we are talking about a nation of believers raised up by faith in Yeshua, Israel's Messiah. If Christians are not going to listen to what God has spoken to them regarding Israel in the end times what makes us think He has told us instead? If we refuse to reevaluate our Christian-centric eschatology that is a big mistake that hurts both of us.

Husbands and wives with two different visions for marriage and family are not going to make much headway together. There has to be a unity of vision where both are able to speak into the matters and come into an agreement about what God is telling them as a couple joined together before Him. If not, there will be heated arguments, and two who cannot really walk in unity together. If the two cannot reason together with "love, respect, vision, and commitment" then the relationship is superficial. It is a facade not a union.

Very few Christians respect the Messianic Jews - and I am saying Israeli Messianic Jews - enough to believe that God has revealed certain things prophetically about the end times for the body of the Lord in the earth - including them in Israel - that must be received by the whole body. If there is not enough unity between us to sit down at that table, what do we really have? We cannot support each other as we ought to.

My view has long been that the Church has had a hard time accepting the rise of God building the body of believers in Israel with significant purposes in mind. It is almost like most Christians view the rise of Jews that come to faith in Jesus like it is not such a big deal, just like Jewish salvation is like any other people group. No it is not. That is not saying Jews are more "special" than any other people group, but Jews coming to faith is all about God's timing and dealing with the special circumstances He has put on them. To reject that is downplaying the true significance and reality that the increasing Remnant of faith in Israel is meant by God to hold massive significance - to other Jews and all peoples. It is a huge sign that is only going to become more significant with every passing day.

We Christians better let that reality impact us because their existence is towards our benefit too. I don't want a phony relationship in my marriage or in my unity with the body of Messiah in Israel. I am in both to serve God's purposes for both of us.

Arrows 2026 Jan 23 Chronicles 2001 — 2006

 The Centrality of Jerusalem
This just made my day. One of the Israeli ministries just emailed me about getting a picture I had used at some point, of the globe flattened out with Israel at the center of the world. He told me that I had gotten the picture from Eddie Santoro, who passed into glory in 2019. I must have hundreds of emails from Eddie and Jackie Santoro since I got the first one in 2004. AMAZINGLY I found the email that shared the picture Howard Bass wanted from a 2014 Santoro email.

I have history with these people. . .sort of like their "Chronicler" of the 2000's.

By the way, the article I wrote in 2014, The Centrality of Israel, is online. 
Here is what I wrote:

When Eddie & Jackie Santoro of Ahavat Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem were here in the Dallas area a few weeks ago, we were talking after the service about the centrality of Israel in the plan of God - especially here as His plan is culminating. There may be an earthly argument over who possesses the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands, but in Heaven the issue of ownership has long been settled, Mount Zion belongs to God.

God put His name on that mountain, and it is that mountain where His Son's Throne will be set up to rule the kingdoms of the earth in the Millennium. Why do you think it is inscribed on the Dome of the Rock, "There is no god but Allah" and "he has not begotten a son".

Islam lays claim to that mountain as a direct challenge to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and also to Israel's Messiah Yeshua. This is the real reason for the rage of Islam against the existence of the nation state of Israel - their existence is proof that Allah and the demonized prophet Mohammad are usurpers, laying false claim to the Throne of Righteousness which is destined by God to be situated in a precise geographical location - Mount Zion.

I'm taking the long way there, but Jackie and Eddie remembered during our conversation a picture they were given many years ago by a pastor in a European country. This picture above is that. It shows all of the continents of the world contained within a globe-like circle and here is the kicker: there was only one way that all the land masses would fit inside the circle at once and that was only if Jerusalem was placed dead center in the circle. If Jerusalem was not situated in the exact center of the circle, not all of the nations could be fully contained and visible in the circle.  Pretty amazing, no?

Tell me Jerusalem is not central to God's plan. I'm just going to shake my head and pray that God shows you what He is up to soon.

Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries

   Jan 21 Guy Cohen of Katzir Asher uploaded a teaching to Facebook that he wrote on The Olive Tree, a symbol of Israel. In it he speaks of the characteristics that Israel shares with the olive tree and also how Paul’s Roman’s 11 "uses the olive tree as a model for understanding the relationship between Israel and the nations within faith in the Messiah. . . . This is a parable that neither cancels Israel nor replaces one identity with another."
     I asked permission from Guy Cohen to publish his olive tree teaching on my blog so I could share the full content with subscribers. It is important to read. I believe many Christian leaders have taught their biblical understanding of the end times without the benefit of factoring in God’s spiritual restoration of Israel at this present time. That is a grave error.

Reuven Doron, One New Man Today, writes about wrestling in prayer: “the Lord’s return in Kingdom power and authority is DIRECTLY CONNECTED to the nation of Israel being in her land with Jerusalem as her capital, Jerusalem and the Jewish people will always be the inevitable focus of the shakings. Satan is trying to stop or delay the return of the Son of God . . . . God knows it. The devil knows it. Do you know it?
     “. . . . We pray daily that the grace and protection God granted the Israelites in GOSHEN while He destroyed the Egyptian empire strike by strike will be found upon you and yours as well as the earth is shaking, once again, under the burden of her sin. Goshen, according to scripture, was spared nearly half of God’s ten plagues (ten strikes, “MAKOT” (מכות), according to the Hebrew text) while God’s people were being prepared for the great escape.  Read Exodus 8:22, 9:4, 9:11, 9:26, 10:23, & 11:4-7. This is the Word of God. Take it into your heart by faith and let it work in, through, and for you.
     “. . . .The psychological warfare is increasing. Digital industry leaders and tech experts have been confessing openly that about HALF of all the content found online, and especially on Social Media, is AI generated and broadcasted by bots and fake accounts. They call it “AI SLOP,” and while its driving force is financial gain, it serves to deepen the brainwashing, the confusion, and the dependency of the masses. Please guard your heart and your children. The prince of the powers of the air is appropriately named, and this age is nearing its culmination as the best and worst of humanity will face one another eyeball to eyeball. Prayer in oneness with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word is not only our only shelter in the storm; it is also our strongest weapon of warfare. God will bless your faithfulness and your sacrifice as you wrestle by His side. Subscribe for more including regional breakdowns

At Tikkun we are seeing a baton pass as Ariel Blumenthal leads as Executive Director and invites prayer for Asher and Betty Intrater, founders of Tikkun Global, as they enter a season of rest after decades of faithful ministry.
     VIDEO Teaching by Ariel Blumenthal | Isaiah 19: The Prophecy That Changes How We See the Middle East | What if Isaiah 19:23-25 reveals a side of God’s plan for the Middle East we rarely talk about? In this teaching, we explore one of the most unique prophecies in all of Scripture, where God speaks blessing over Israel, Egypt, and Assyria together. Why does the “Isaiah 19 Highway” stand apart from other prophetic passages, and what might it mean for our prayers today?
     THE TIME FOR IRAN IS NOW! ESTHER CALL | Watch Ariel Blumenthal announce new prayer initiatives at Tikkun Global and Thursday Jan 21 they are launching 40 Days of Prayer for IRAN. This is going ZOOM – Click above to Sign up for the Zoom Link LIVE at 3 PM Israel Time/8 AM USA ET EVERY SUNDAY, TUESDAY AND THURSDAY (Also will be on the internet if you can’t be there live) | Prayer Guide also available at the same link. | We invite you to watch Ariel’s message, where he explains the spiritual significance of this hour and the striking parallels between Esther’s call and the unfolding story of Iran’s liberation. His words help frame why we felt it was important to pause, realign, and give this moment the full attention it deserves.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Click title to read in full Josie’s Silver’s Persia, Power, and Prophecy
Out of Zion is the Haifa ministry of David & Josie Silver. Josie writes, “. . . . In May 2025, I had a vivid dream just before waking. I heard a bell ring, followed by these words  that were crystal clear: “The Empire will fall.” …“Jeremiah 49 in essence, prophesies of a spiritual revival and restoration for Iran and the people of that nation. This week, I came across a social media article with the headline “Persia Will Fall.”

Tiferet Yeshua’s pastor Moti Cohen writes:  “Right now, Iran is nowhere to be found in the headlines in the west. Less than a week ago, every major news outlet in the world featured what was happening in Iran as its main headline. Even the US president joined in on his Truth Social account on January 14th writing, "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!... HELP IS ON ITS WAY."
     “Two days later, Trump announced that he had called off any military strike against Iran, saying that the Iranian regime's commitment to "cancel" planned executions was an encouraging step—it is not clear whether this move is a bluff or an actual change of course. Either way, if Israelis felt whiplash from the rapid turnaround (on the night of Jan.14 we braced for another Iranian ballistic missile attack), we can only imagine how the Iranian protestors are feeling….
     “. . . .We believe that God is calling us to stand in the gap for the people of Iran, to ask for mercy, grace, protection and a great spiritual outpouring for the salvation of many across Iran and the greater Middle East!  Read in full online 

Read all of Cookie Schwaeber-Issan’s daily columns on AllIsraelnews.com but don’t miss this one!
Jan 22, 2026: The Board of Peace with Fiasco Written All Over It

Faithful Galilean VIDEO Chaim Malespin talks the “technocracy” Trump has been talking about for Gaza and why Israel cannot accept a Gaza that allows Hamas to rearm. And he also speaks to other regional issues – like with Hezballah and Iran. Chaim calls for prayer for Iran: “ Join us in praying for Iran: • Pray for God’s will to be done in Iran. • According to Jeremiah’s prophecy, pray that the bow of Elam will be broken. (Jeremiah 49:35 above) • Pray for protection and freedom for the people of Iran. Psalm 82:4 

Beit Hallel’s Pastor Pochtar gives thanks for those who are Walking Faithfully in a Defining Season with the Israeli Ministries. Also sending these videos and article links: Making Room for the Harvest VIDEO Finishing the Evangelism & Discipleship Center | VIDEO A word of Prayer and Encouragement from Jerusalem with Pastor Kostia Tsivin |READ:  Gathered from the Nations: Serving the Return of the Jewish People | A Shabbat Reflection VIDEO with Pastor Pochtar: A Prayer that Reaches You from Jerusalem
     Standing With Israel — Rooted in Yeshua, Aligned With God’s Purposes | This week’s newsletter reflects what it looks like to stand with Israel in a biblical, Yeshua-centered way. (Where Do You Stand on Israel?) You’ll read about discipleship being strengthened from the roots up, leaders being equipped to walk faithfully with others, and a new center in Ashdod being prepared as a place where the Gospel of Yeshua will be proclaimed and the next generation discipled.

Awake Israel’s Shlomy & Miriam Abramov, Martha Stern & Chaya Mizrachi at the October 2025 Israeli Ministry Women’s Conference that Avi & Chaya of Dugit Ministries host annually.  Miriam Abramov posted this photo saying that she has been invited to be a woman’s small group leader for Hebrew speaker in the 2026 conference. It is always a refreshing time for the women of ministry in Israel.    By the way! Avi Mizrachi of Dugit has announced an Israel tour he will be hosting May 3-10, 2026. It is the Dugit Living Stones Tour — an opportunity to connec with the heart of the Dugit ministry, meet living testimonies and walk the ancient paths of the Bible. There is a special deal being offerred through January 31^st, so go here to act now!

Amazon blocked Plant Hope Israel’s Jennifer Guetta’s new book about Jezebel - Buy on Jennifer’s website as an E-book ($12.99) or printed version PLUS ordering 10 books $145) Send her a message. This book is about how Jezebel operates in modern culture and leadership.

Return to Zion pastor Leon Mazin reports on “Or Chai” (Living Light) their “daughter congregation” in a suburb of Haifa established in 2023. Leon writes, “"the past year was a time of growth, new steps, challenges, and many blessings." It "is a true, living family of people striving to follow biblical values in their daily lives. . . . Members and guests enjoyed the Biblical Feasts of the Lord and “Families gathered to read the Scripture, praise God, and, of course, share festive meals and lively fellowship.” For many of the Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, they are very much learning the biblical traditions of faith for the first time —made all the much greater by their faith in Israel’s Messiah, Yeshua. “A high priority is put on children’s ministry but for all are Bible lessons taught in living ways.” For example children serve alongside adults to “learn love, kindness, respect, and responsibility.” This teaches that all are able to serve each other and also those who do not yet know God.
     Leon writes, “We would be very grateful for your prayers that Or Chai would carry out God’s calling.

Heart for G-d Carolyn Hyde has a new worship video  "Odeh Yah" - I’ll Give Thanks to G-d “Come and sing with me on the streets of Jerusalem! |  Upon hearing the young filmmakers’ idea to feature me in each scene, I replied, “I’m too old for that!” But they convinced me by saying, “When we see older people walking in their gifts, it inspires us to know that we’ll do the same one day too.” On Facebook too!
     SERIOUS PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for Richard's healing as we await test results from recent signs of cancer in his body. We give thanks to G-d as we call into existence perfect health for him. Pray with us Romans 4:17
     Soon to minister in Australia and New Zealand, Carolyn is also urging: continue to lift up the people of Iran during their fight for freedom. May the promises in Jeremiah 49:35-39 be fulfilled!

Revive Israel community discipling ministry is led by Youval & Valerie Yanay. This is a different kind of ministry in Israel, but one that will interest you. Read more on their website or watch on YouTube channel  Youval writes, “| "Valerie met the Lord when she was 16, and that shapes how she walks with young people today. She knows how much it matters when someone takes the time to listen, to be present, and to speak truth with love.  . . .This is why we choose to invest in young people. We want to walk with them, to pour out God’s love in practical and personal ways, and to help them truly come to know Him, not just in words, but in real everyday life. What is planted during these years truly matters.
     "We're happy to begin the year again with Makor HaTikva Messianic high school program, and excited to launch a new program where teenagers study the Scriptures while working in the field. God’s Word doesn’t stay theoretical here. It’s learned while doing, talked through in the middle of the work, lived out in simple, everyday ways, and in the relationships we build.
     "Working the land is something we do together. This week, as we were out in the field, our autistic friends, volunteers, and the rest of the team joined in, each one finding their place. There’s a steady rhythm to it, hands in the soil, quiet focus, small conversations, shared effort. Everyone brings something, and everyone belongs.
     "Valerie also recently taught at a girls’ conference, and it was a meaningful and blessed time. We love teenagers, and we care deeply about walking with young people during these formative and often difficult years of their lives."

Lastly, Sally Shiff with the HaMayaan congregation sends two videos highly recommended. “What is antisemitism? What is replacement theology? How am I as a believer supposed to pray for Israel? Is Israel committing genocide? What is so special about the Jews?  This video is a must listen! The Rise of Antisemitism in Christian and Conservative Circles | Gary Hamrick is a pastor from Virginia that I have been listening to for years.”
     “On a completely different note, I also wanted to add another video about our economy. It is amazing how God blesses us in spite of us, and all for His glory.  As a former recruiter, I marveled that it is the Israelis that are the first choice for a high caliber position. Israel's ingenuity is because of God, and we have no other solution. " Israel’s Wartime Tech Economy”
     “These two video's combined give you a good idea of How God feels about Israel. “

The Olive Tree | Teaching by Guy Cohen, Katzir Asher in Acco

  Guy Cohen leads the Acco, Israel congregation Harvest of Asher.

Acco is located in the land allocated by God for the tribe of Asher. The Hebrew word for Harvest is Katzir. Guy was born and raised in a religious rabbinic family line in the city of Acco where he now leads a Messianic congregation discipling believers in the faith of the Israeli Messiah, Yeshua.

As we approach Tu Bishvat the festival of trees I felt drawn to teach about a tree that stands from generation to generation from kingdom to kingdom. Not a tree of one season or one empire but a tree that remains while borders change rulers rise and fall and cultures come and go. For those from the nations who have come to faith in the Messiah this season invites reflection not only on nature but on roots. The olive tree does not hurry to prove its worth. It simply stays rooted in the land witnessing history without trying to control it. In a world of constant change the olive tree offers a different kind of testimony continuity rather than conquest faithfulness rather than force and life that persists quietly across centuries.

The olive tree is far more than a fruit tree. It carries character. A quiet and resilient character that is not measured by speed or force but by the ability to sustain time meaning and identity. The olive tree does not impress at first glance. Its trunk is cracked its leaves are small and its fruit is bitter. Yet precisely from this modest appearance emerges one of the deepest connections between nature faith and leadership a connection that appears both in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament.

The olive tree moves at a different pace. It is often planted by hands that will never see its fruit yet it continues to yield for generations after. It is a tree of continuity. It teaches a view of life that is not measured only by personal achievement but by long term faithfulness. When a person plants an olive tree he declares that he is part of a story larger than himself.

Even when the olive tree is damaged it does not disappear. Its trunk may crack twist or even become hollow but from the root new shoots will grow. Identity is preserved even when form changes. The olive tree does not cling to the past yet it does not detach from it. It renews itself from the root not instead of it.

This quality stands at the heart of Jotham’s parable in the Book of Judges chapter 9. The trees seek to appoint a king and their first appeal is to the olive tree. Not to the thorn bush not to a useless shrub but to the one that gives oil light and benefit. Yet the olive tree refuses. It says that it will not cease producing its rich oil by which God and people are honored in order to go and rule over the trees. This refusal is profound not merely political but ethical. The olive tree does not reject leadership because it is unworthy but because it understands that true leadership is not necessarily rule.

The message is sharp. One who seeks power is not necessarily fit to lead. And one who gives life light and healing to others is not always available for struggles over authority. Jotham’s parable presents the olive tree as a model of influence that does not pursue control. It influences through purpose not through position.

That same olive tree appears again in a different yet complementary context in Romans chapter 11. Here Paul the apostle uses the olive tree as a model for understanding the relationship between Israel and the nations within faith in the Messiah. The olive tree is described as a cultivated tree with an ancient root. Some of its branches were broken off and wild olive branches were grafted in their place. Yet Paul emphasizes a principle that cannot be misunderstood. The branches do not support the root. The root supports the branches.

This is a parable that neither cancels Israel nor replaces one identity with another. On the contrary it establishes that Messianic faith is rooted in the covenants the patriarchs the Torah and the prophets. The nations do not begin a new story but are joined to an existing one. Grafting is not ownership but grace.

Paul also warns against spiritual arrogance. A grafted branch can also be cut off if it becomes disconnected from the root. Faith does not exist in a detached spiritual vacuum but within a historical story a people a language and time.

Here the depth of the olive tree as a shared symbol is revealed. In Jotham’s parable the olive tree refuses to rule because it is faithful to its purpose. In Romans 11 the olive tree refuses to be replaced. In both cases the olive tree teaches humility. It does not exalt itself does not claim ownership and does not erase the other. It simply stands gives and holds the root.

It is a tree that teaches that true leadership is not domination and true identity is not erasure. In faith as in nature there is one root yet there can be many branches. Diversity is not a threat as long as it remains connected to the source of life.

From the olive tree oil is produced and oil does not emerge without pressure. Yet this pressure is measured wise and gradual. Not violence but process. From the crushed fruit comes light. In the ancient world olive oil was light food medicine and holiness. The same substance lit a lamp healed a wound and nourished a household.

Here lies another virtue of the olive tree. The ability to transform difficulty into light. Not a blinding light but a steady one. The olive tree teaches that breaking is not necessarily destruction. Sometimes it is a stage on the way to meaning.

In the story of the flood the dove returns with an olive leaf in its beak. Not a large branch not a dramatic declaration but a small sign that life can return. The olive tree symbolizes peace that is not naive. Peace that acknowledges destruction yet does not surrender to it. Peace that is built gradually.

The olive tree connects past and future identity and renewal root and branch. It does not ask who came first but who is connected. It reminds us that faith like the tree is not tested in moments of peak experience but in quiet faithfulness over time.

In the end the olive tree does not demand attention. It simply teaches. Those who are willing to observe it discover that it is possible to live differently. To be rooted rather than loud. To influence without controlling. And to be part of a greater story without trying to replace the root from which all life flows.

Blessings

Guy Cohen

Chronicles 2001 — 2026

This just made my day. One of the Israeli ministries just emailed me about getting a picture I had used at some point, of the globe flattened out with Israel at the center of the world. He told me that I had gotten the picture from Eddie Santoro, who passed into glory in 2019. I must have hundreds of emails from Eddie and Jackie Santoro since I got the first one in 2004. AMAZINGLY I found the email that shared the picture Howard Bass wanted in a 2014 Santoro email.
I have history with these people. . .sort of like their "Chronicler" of the 2000's.

By the way, the article I wrote in 2014, The Centrality of Israel, is online. Here is what I wrote:

When Eddie & Jackie Santoro of Ahavat Yeshua congregation in Jerusalem were here in the Dallas area a few weeks ago, we were talking after the service about the centrality of Israel in the plan of God - especially here as His plan is culminating. There may be an earthly argument over who possesses the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands, but in Heaven the issue of ownership has long been settled, Mount Zion belongs to God.

God put His name on that mountain, and it is that mountain where His Son's Throne will be set up to rule the kingdoms of the earth in the Millennium. Why do you think it is inscribed on the Dome of the Rock, "There is no god but Allah" and "he has not begotten a son".

Islam lays claim to that mountain as a direct challenge to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and also to Israel's Messiah Yeshua. This is the real reason for the rage of Islam against the existence of the nation state of Israel - their existence is proof that Allah and the demonized prophet Mohammad are usurpers, laying false claim to the Throne of Righteousness which is destined by God to be situated in a precise geographical location - Mount Zion.

I'm taking the long way there, but Jackie and Eddie remembered during our conversation a picture they were given many years ago by a pastor in a European country. This picture above is that. It shows all of the continents of the world contained within a globe-like circle and here is the kicker: there was only one way that all the land masses would fit inside the circle at once and that was only if Jerusalem was placed dead center in the circle. If Jerusalem was not situated in the exact center of the circle, not all of the nations could be fully contained and visible in the circle.  Pretty amazing, no?

Tell me Jerusalem is not central to God's plan. I'm just going to shake my head and pray that God shows you what He is up to soon.

* Because I don't own the picture, I cannot post it here, but I have posted it on my Facebook page if you are interested.