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Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.”
Perhaps visualizing a cityscape descending down from Heaven is not the part of this verse that
captures the spiritual reality of Zion
coming down – but rather “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Deuteronomy 30:11-12 11 “For this
commandment which I command you today is
not too mysterious for you, nor is it
far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring
it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
Zion:
A Place Worth Defending
by Donna Diorio
To me, the disingenuous questioning of Zionism we hear today among
anti-Jewish antagonists is like when “an
expert in the law stood up to test Jesus” asking Yeshua, ‘Who is my neighbor?”
If you don’t know the answer by now,
maybe the reason is you don’t want to know.
This
morning someone asked me privately about an open letter that Dennis Prager
wrote to Candace Owens. At first I didn’t read it because I don’t like
getting drawn into the objections unsaved Jews have against some Christians. It
is like the objections the whole Israeli news media is predisposed to believe what
their liberal colleagues in America charge against Donald Trump.
When I saw the headline come in this
week where Trump warned Hamas that if all of the Israeli hostages are not
released by the time he swears in as president on January 20th,
there will be “hell to pay” for them. Some
unsaved Jews don’t realize who Israel’s biggest supporters are, and far too often
I’ve found the same is true of many Messianic Jews. Do they believe Israeli news
bias condemning Trump and the conservatives who follow him, or are they just
trying too hard to be in solidarity quickly
condemning people like Trump or Candace Owens.
Just to be perfectly honest, I’ve
never followed Candace Owens. Her style of political punditry has never been my
cuppa tea – so I had no idea until I read Prager’s open letter to Candace
how intensely anti-Semitic she has become!
The change in her is a miracle makeover in the worst possible way. It is
like Candace was dipped into a giant vat of anti-Semitic garbage sludge and
came out thoroughly soaked inside and out!
Her spewing of “facts” are well known anti-Semitic lies.
Dennis
Prager addressed her anti-Semitic statements brilliantly. He spent time researching
the evidence, then systematically addressed the outrageously anti-Semitic lying
propaganda things she has been broadcasting, tweeting and writing. Even though Candace
Owens was never a pundit I cared to listen to, I had assumed she was a chaser of truth just because she was on the conservative pundit team. It is a bad
assumption to make as I have been learning recently. After the things Prager had to correct Candace
on, I have lost all belief that she has ever had a love for the truth. It’s a tragic thing to have to say because if any person does not have a love of the
truth, God will surely send them a powerful delusion so that they may believe a
lie.
Let me encourage you all to read
Dennis Prager’s letter to Candace because it can arm you with facts
should you need to refute the lies of anti-Semites you come across.
It is interesting that Dennis Prager
is not yet a believer in Israel’s Messiah Yeshua, but he certainly is a one who
clearly does have a love of the truth. I especially appreciated how he
approached Candace, someone he has known “for about as
long as she has been in public life. She began her podcasting at PragerU in
2019 and left in 2021. She left on very good terms. To this day, she often
speaks of her respect and love for Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, and me.”
Not only that but I truly
appreciated his frank disapproving appraisal of the ADL – something even
most Messianic Jews won’t do! Prager wrote, “I am no fan of the ADL, but just about every Jew in 1913 America,
seeing the antisemitic mobs and seeing a Jew lynched, understood that a Jewish
anti-defamation organization needed to be formed. . . . as a frequent critic
of the ADL, which, especially in the last decade, has veered so far left that,
as I have said on my radio show, it may
have fostered more antisemitism than it has actually fought.” To me
that is the mark of a true pursuer of the truth, loving the truth enough not to
cover for those who are not telling the truth even if they are “one of us.”
I have a lot more to say about Zion as I understand
it: a spiritual state and also a
geographic place. Dennis Prager is not a part of spiritual Zion – at
least not yet. Spiritual Zion is the
manifestation of “one new man” in Yeshua whose throne is located in Jerusalem. This
is the Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to earth – not a cityscape, but a
people fully in Him. Zion is a place worth defending. It is our
future.
Arrows
from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer
Requests Israeli Ministries
His was the last ministry letter to come in this morning as I was wrapping up
the last slot for the Weekly Summary of
Prayer Requests from Israeli Ministries, but I had to move it to the opening
letter because it fit so hand-in-glove with the article I wrote for this
issues, Zion – A Place Worth Defending.
Reuven Doron’s Who’s
Behind the Wailing Wall? It is about the Kotel – the Wall in the Old City
Jerusalem. To many Christians (myself included until now) it seemed a
mysterious attachment the Jews have for it, but anyone who reads what Reuven
has broken out of mystery from the Song of Solomon will begin to see this
prophetic significance is more of a mystery to the Jewish people than it ever
will be to this Christian again!
Reuven shows how in the Song of
Songs 2:9 in a unique – one and only time - the word “KOTEL” (actually “KOT’LEI’NU,” meaning “Our Wall”)
used in the Hebrew for the wall. Reuven asks, Why only here? Then answers
because, “The prophetic picture in this unique and inspired choice of words
was predetermined by the Spirit of God for our time and for our people. . .
. as He draws nearer with every passing
hour to His people Israel.
According to Solomon’s vision, the Lord is doing three things as He
labors to fulfill His eternal purpose for Israel. “… He stands behind our
Wall; He is looking through the windows, (and He is) gazing through the
lattice…” The Hebraic thought behind these terms is a little different. (1) He STANDS (עוֹמֵד) behind our KOTEL.
(2) He WATCHES OVER US (מַשְׁגִּיחַ) through the windows. And (3), He GAZES
through the cracks while REMAINING HIDDEN. This is the real reality of
Israel while she passes through the valley of the shadow of death.
Reuven has much more to share including
his view of the current fast changing regional situation Israel is grappling
with and you can read
it all online here. Don’t forget to support these Israeli ministries
pouring out the abundance of revelation they have to share with us. This
link offers Reuven’s tax-credited giving options.
Avner Boskey is back with FOUR (& a 5th coming soon)
articles, like Sons of the
Pioneers Pt 1 and Pt 2, from which I love this quote: | “When guard dogs forget how to bark ‘His watchmen are blind; all of them know
nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark – dreamers lying down, who
love to slumber” (Isaiah 56:10). And from Part 1, Avner quotes Bob Dylan, “When
you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?” The Jewish people,
state and army all have a divine calling (see Romans 11:28-29) which, in
our day, is more important than ever. The revival and redemption of the whole
world hinges on Israel turning to YHVH in repentance for cleansing and new
life, and passionately embracing that divine calling (see Romans 11:12-15). Read in
full online
Also Restless and
plotting – Pt 1 and Pt 2 “… the machinations and conspiracies of the superpowers
of this earth always end up focusing on the Jewish people, their land and their
destiny. This fixated and twisted dynamic could be called the world’s
‘Magnificent Obsession.’… Satan has chosen the Israeli nation to be the
particular focus of his murderous madness and heinous hatred. How is this
playing out in our day? | DD: See
prayer points with each article. Support this valuable prophetic voice in
Israel, as Avner writes, “Your prayers and support hold
up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He
has called us to do.”
Continuing the important commentary by Arni Klein’s Emmaus Way ministry letter from last week:
Part 2 | Israel is God’s
threshing board (Isaiah 41:15) dividing nations as
wheat from chaff…. Genesis 12:3,
according to the Hebrew, declares that all who lightly esteem Israel will be
under a bitter curse. Going by the UN voting records, most nations have
openly stood against Israel. Some have occasionally abstained, the US
included, and not been fully supportive. Very few have held fast to
righteousness and truth. The
unquestionable bottom line is that the world’s disdain for Israel and the
world’s rejection of God’s perspective and values have opened the gate to a
malignant global blindness. Prior to the present moment, it was still
somehow possible to not take a position concerning Israel. Now, we sense
that for Israel to be marked as the aggressor, with the International
Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime minister and
Defense Minister has moved the line from the sand to concrete. What
perhaps could almost have been written off as foolish nonsense has morphed and
hardened into a twisted hatred of light and truth…. So far, it appears that
the position of the incoming US Trump administration regarding Israel is very
much in line with Scripture…. If President Trump does nothing else but stand for
God’s Word concerning Israel, he will engender a spiritual shift of global
proportions. Beyond the blatant sickness
of the passing-away world, the Body of Yeshua is in need of a quantum
foundational shift…. To be clear, speaking in spiritual terms, the
Israel of God is a new man made up of both natural and spiritual
children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
…. This
all logically leads us to the matter of first love, preparing a place for the
Lord, and establishing Outposts of Heaven. It’s hard to believe that it’s only
three weeks since we returned from the conference in Germany dealing with this
topic. The messages from this and the April gathering in the UK will be
accessible from the home page of the EW
website.
. . . .We
will soon publish dates for the 2025 Galilee Worship Gatherings. In
addition to worshipping in the Land, we’ll be focusing on establishing Outposts
of Heaven in the nations.
Jennifer Guetta of Plant Hope Israel also writes about The City of David, God's Dwelling place and the Glory and how “as an archaeologist I have been involved behind the scenes with the excavations in the City of David for more than 22 years. … After I came to know the Lord, He brought me back to the City of David and called me to pray over Zion on high level to prepare it for Him…. Many people are talking about Zionism today. But did you know that God chose Zion Himself? The City of David is the original Mount Zion, next to the Temple Mount. Zion is a symbol of His resting place both physically in Israel and spiritually in your heart. …According to Isaiah 24:23 “Zion is also the place where Jesus will come back to reign in the future. …. Zion is a physical place in Jerusalem and it also represents the place of God’s presence, power, blessing and protection, and His dwelling place in our hearts and Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21).”
Reviving what was left dormant is the headline for Chaim Malespin’s focus in the Aliyah Return Center email for
12/2. He is speaking of ancient seeds found in a cave in the 1980’s that were
dated back to approximately 993 CE to 1202 CE. Many years later a Medicine
Research Center director in Jerusalem would be inspired to launch a project to “revive”
these “mysterious ancient seeds.” They
did and “After lying dormant for over 1,000 years, one of the seeds
miraculously sprouted in 2010!” It is believed these are the nearly extinct
plant known as “the Balm of Gilead.” In ancient days it was used for
healing wounds and known for anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and
anti-tumoral activities.”
Are you getting chill bumps yet? I
am, because as Chaim writes, “This remarkable story of reviving an ancient seed
serves as a metaphor for Israel, which
also lay dormant for nearly 2,000 years before being miraculously restored,
just as God promised in His Word. Truly, God is faithful to His covenant! Thank
you for your prayers! We are so grateful for you standing with us in these
difficult days with your “year
end giving”!
From the team of Tree of Life
Ministries, who do online and street evangelism in northern Israel some great news about a “A famous Israeli
YouTuber who was leading many into immorality and darkness has now surrendered
his life to Jesus, Yeshua, and is leading others to the holiness and light that
are found in our Messiah! From the “Good Life” to the Good
News | Rafi* is an Israeli Arab
whose parents are from Lebanon. He has a YouTube channel with millions of views
where he focused on how to get girls and live the life that you want. He was
highly successful, living the “good life,” and had his fill of the pleasures
this world offers….He recognized that there would be a tremendous cost to
following Yeshua, as he’d have to let go of everything he had worked so hard to
build and live a completely different life. But he knew that nothing could be
more valuable than knowing Yeshua, and surrendered his life to Him! Hallelujah!
Read this and many more Stories from the Harvest. Plus Tree
of Life are now doing New Online Meetings: Join Us Live with prayer meetings online “where we’ll share
testimonies of what God’s doing as well as key insights from Scripture and
prayer points, and then pray together as “one new man” in Messiah! See details
here.” You can also sign up for
our newsletter
Sally Shiff has continued in her daily short emails to bring the important news and
perspectives since Oct 7. On 12/3 she wrote,
“This morning God drew me to Isaiah 53. The hardest part of the war is to see
firsthand the trauma imposed on my people (from all cultures) because of this
war and the bad actors who choose to extend it due to political gain. My
character is to fix problems, but this fix is not on my shoulders...My job is
to be and to do whatever I am supposed to do at the moment. My moment right now
is to keep you posted on what is going on here.”
This has certainly kept her busy
because events in Israel and the surrounding nations are fast moving – from the
immediate breaking of the ceasefire by Hezballah to the reprisal response by
Israel, then racing off to the strange developments in Syria as super-extreme
Islamists have invaded and are seeking to overthrown the Assad regime in Syria:
“Rebels are taking over cities in Syria! Anti-palestinian Islamic
extremists have begun a coup in Syria…. How this plays in Israel, I don’t
know yet.”
From Tikkun Ministries VIDEOS: Principles
of Ministry: Integrity with Asher Intrater and El Kannah: The Jealous
God! with Ariel Blumenthal. Asher: There
is not a lack of power in the Kingdom of God, there is a lack of “worthiness”
to receive it. We need to embrace the
principles of integrity and moral purity in order to see revival that will
last.
ARTICLES: What does “Maranatha” mean? By Asher Intrater | Just Down the Road from Armegeddon by Avi Tekle | Honor and Blessing by Asher Intrater | Eagle Project Wartime Update by Leon Mazin
From Beit Hallel & Voice of Judah Ministries Israel Pochtar ‘s
VIDEO Bringing the
Light of Christmas to Israel: A Celebration of Faith and Hope in Jerusalem | ALSO his A Call to
Prayer: The Crisis in Syria and Our Response as Believers | Syria. A land rich in history and faith, now
scarred by war and loss. For over a decade, it has been a place of unimaginable
suffering—families torn apart, cities reduced to rubble, and hearts weighed
down by grief. It’s easy to feel distant from it all, to see Syria as just
another headline. But for us, as believers, it’s personal. This is the land
where Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, where the early church grew and
flourished. It’s where followers of Jesus first called themselves believers
(Acts 11:26). Today, the church in Syria is still there—small, battered, but
standing strong. Our brothers and sisters are holding on to their faith in the
face of persecution, loss, and uncertainty. And they need us...read more, click
title
READ ONLINE: A Call to
Refresh Israel’s Ministry Leaders AND
Peter’s Testimony: A Divine
Appointment at Beit Hallel Congregation
11/29 VIDEO Is God's
Shekina Glory Returning to Jerusalem? | The Hebrew word used for
“dwell” in this verse is shakhanti, derived from the same root as shekhinah—the
divine presence, radiant with glory and light. This is not just about
proximity, but about an overwhelming sense of God’s nearness, His glory filling
the atmosphere. WATCH now!
Station manager Evan Santoro’s report from ShelanuTV
tackles something extremely important: “As I sit here in my office thinking about how to explain to you
the situation here in the Land of Israel,
I am struck with the possibility that you may not know about the dynamics of
witnessing to the Jewish people. Many Christians are under the false assumption
that witnessing in Israel is the same as witnessing in other nations around the
world — that all you must do is stand on a big stage … and the locals will
come eagerly to listen.” (Evan may
not realize it, but even some American Jewish believer ministers are under the
same false assumption about that!)
He writes how Jewish history with
Christians is “stained with hate, persecution, violence, and ultimately
death in the ovens of the concentration camps during World War 2. This
age-old history of blatant hatred of the Jewish people by the church has left a
scar that runs deep till this very day…. When the name of Jesus is
mentioned to an Israeli, it touches a deep wound that only God can heal…. This
is the reality that we deal with here at Shelanu TV on a daily basis. We continue to produce and release
programming, in Hebrew, made by native Israelis declaring the truth of the
Gospel. Our efforts are met with anger, hatred, and disbelief. But amongst
this darkness, there are small cracks, and the light of Yeshua does shine
through!
Evan goes on to share some of the greatly
encouraging interactions with Israelis who have come to faith and those who are
firmly treading that path to knowing Him. I wish I had room to share these, but
let me say this is a ministry that is broadcasting the seed of the Gospel
throughout Israel: “Shelanu TV is a
ministry that is one
hundred percent funded by the generous gifts of believers who believe in our
vision to bring the salvation message to Israel in their native Hebrew
language. We are so
grateful for your support! Together, we will see all Israel saved!
Youval & Valerie Yanay of Revive Israel write, “God has abundantly blessed us through our Friday Market, and we are grateful to fulfill its purpose as a platform to share the Gospel with the Israelis who stop by. It’s more than just a market for fresh, organic vegetables; it’s a bridge to meaningful conversations about the hope we have in Yeshua. Each week, we witness how God uses the simple act of cultivating and sharing the land’s harvest to open hearts to His truth. Those involved in our discipleship training or working on the farm experience the transformative power of His creation, and together, we use the Friday Market to proclaim His love and grace to everyone who visits…. As the harvest grows, so does our mission to bring His message of salvation to Zion and beyond. We invite you to partner with us in this vital work of reaching Israelis and join us in the greater harvest for His Kingdom.
Cookie Schwaeber-Issan | Opinion Columnist in Jerusalem itscook7@gmail.com |Available for Zoom Calls for your
Israel-interested groups | Jerusalem Post 12/4 With rising antisemitism, Jews have to
decide to stay or move abroad — Is
it worth fighting to stay in a country where you’re not wanted – to the point
of receiving chilling death threats? | 11?20
Should Israel loosen immigration rules
amid rising anti-Semitism? | 11/2 How do anti-Israel campaigns aim to
isolate and defame?
AllIsraelNews 12/3 Corpses not colonialists established
the Jewish Homeland |
12/1 Go anti-Jew, Go anti-YOU! |11/28 Echo chamber thinking —A prerequisite
for political survival |
11/26 What must the hostages be thinking? | 11/24 How Gazans facilitated their own
misery | 11/22 Israel’s
Defense of her Citizens is Deemed a Crime | 11/20 American Muslims Already have Buyer’s
Remorse | 11/16 Europe Needs to Stand Up to its
Anti-Jewish Problem
Orna Grinman, an anointed minister especially in biblical healing of
emotional issues, offers two of her books for consideration for Christmas gifts
(in print or digital): "Who is
Knocking" (book and study guide) -
This series addresses the power of painful emotions and harmful thoughts, and
the one amazing tool that can put an end to them! This series offers two
transformative tools that have revolutionized lives, including the author's.
ALSO “His Faces” explores a hidden biblical phenomenon, showing how
God's partial concealment from Israel, as foretold in Deut. 32:20, has shaped
their history and suffering. Written in accessible language, the book connects
this theological mystery to a call for the church to aid in Israel's spiritual
healing and to find its place in God's amazing story. Email otoomofet@gmail.com for more details and
ordering.
Avi Tekle who leads the Tents of Mercy
congregation writes about the similarities between the American Thanksgiving
and the Ethiopian Jewish holiday of Sigd, “a celebration of the connection
between the Ethiopian Jewish community and the Land of Israel. It is a day of
prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving — a day when Ethiopian Jews gather to
reaffirm their faith, remember the journey of their ancestors, and celebrate
their return to Jerusalem…. There are profound similarities between
Thanksgiving and Sigd. Both holidays emphasize gratitude for what we have, a
recognition of those less fortunate, and the importance of helping others —
especially in times of need. It is in this spirit that we ask you to consider a
generous contribution to Tents of Mercy.
Your support allows us to continue our vital work in Israel,
providing food, furniture, clothing, and assistance to the local welfare
offices and municipalities, addressing a wide array of community needs of the
most vulnerable communities, including those of Ethiopian Jewish descent.
We are committed to bridging gaps, building hope, and offering a hand of
assistance to those who need it most…. Whether you make a one-time donation or set up a
recurring gift, your generosity will go
directly to aid those in need and help us carry on the mission of unity,
compassion, and hope. Your support will make a world of difference for those
who need it most.
Lastly, but certainly not least! Eitan Shishkoff of Fields of Wheat writes: SAVE THE DATE: We’ll be PRAYING TOGETHER
immediately before the Katzir Hanukkah Youth Camp. Please set aside Wednesday, December 11,
6:00-7:30 pm Israeli Daylight Time. I believe this prayer time, which
brings us into one community on screen, will have a great impact! We will send
out the ZOOM link early next week. | Giving Link
Thanks from my heart for taking a moment
to get quiet before the Lord. Is He calling you to participate in equipping
the young believers in Israel for the end-time harvest leading to Yeshua’s
return? For 2000 years, the nations of the world have received the Gospel. Now
is the time for Israel to once again hear and receive the good news of her
Messiah, Jesus. Then He will hear these words “Baruch HaBa, B’Shem
Adonai…Blessed is He, who comes in the name of the Lord,” (Psalm 118:26;
Matthew 23:39) and we will see His face.
FYI: For a while now I (Donna) have tried
to attend this prayer Zoom call for a few reasons. One is because of all
the years I have written about the Katzir camps, I have made a heart connection
with their vision to equip the young ones who will become the leaders of
Israel’s future. Also because Eitan, who has a strong pastoral ministry gift, gives
room for everyone on the call to pray their heart for the upcoming camps. This
is important because it gets us out of a passive viewer-mode into active participant
mode. It is also held at a time I can tune in easily. I am saving this date
& perhaps I will see you there!
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