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August 2, 2006 8 Av, 5766 Dear Praying Friends,
Before getting into the prophetic subject of this letter, we want to ask you to lift up all those on the front lines of a very fierce battle for our existence. The children of a number of our friends have been sent to the northern front. May the Angel of His Presence make them invisible to the enemy’s eyes. As we pray for their physical protection, we also pray that they would not be emotionally scarred. May the will of the Lord be done, and quickly.
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This evening begins Tisha B’Av (the 9th of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar). It is the end of the three-week period that has historically witnessed many trials and tribulations befall Israel. (On that day the Temple was destroyed twice; the first crusades began in 1096; the Jews were expelled from England in 1290, from France in 1306, and from Spain in 1492; and plans were laid for the annihilation of the Jews of Europe in 1942, along with many other calamities.) The spiritual seed that led to the Temple’s destruction was sown when the twelve spies returned from exploring the Promised Land and the people did not believe that they could do what God commanded them to do.
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We speak here in particular to those that are called as worshipers in time of battle. The dynamics of this position are somewhat different from those of prayer and intercession. With the latter two, we are engaged in the details of the moment. We are aware of the nature of the gap that needs to be closed. Supplicative prayer brings a request before God. Intercession is from a position of authority as we ourselves are sacrificially given to the matter. Worship, on the other hand, is completely other. First, it faces God with our backs to the “problem.” It echoes Yeshua’s words, ”It is finished,” and is in keeping with the settled peace reflected in the sea of glass before the Throne of God. It is a response to His Presence and declares our trust in His power and sovereignty by our laying the need down and exalting Him.
Israel’s very first lesson in earthly warfare is also for us instruction in spiritual warfare. We understand that what happens on the earth is not only connected to what happens in the spirit but is determined by it. Moses simply lifting His hands before the Lord speaks to us of worship, as opposed to prayer or intercession. Our brother Asher Intrater noted something key in one of his recent writings. Exodus 17:12 reads in English that Moses’ hands remained steady until the sun went down. But the Hebrew word translated as “steady” is the word for “faith”...emunah. Moses knew that his uplifted hands were the key to the battle; he did not wonder whether he should be somehow engaged in the fray. His part was to stand before the Lord and minister to God in worship. So we say to you who worship the Lord: Do not doubt the effectiveness of turning your backs to the enemy and ministering to the Lord, especially now.
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The physical reality of the state of Israel is a reflection of the spiritual reality of the Body of Messiah -- “spiritual Israel,” and the forces opposing Israel physically are reflections of that which is opposing the Body spiritually.
The current state of affairs on the ground tells us about the spiritual realities. The enemy...the prince of darkness…has a well-thought-out strategy that has been in the works for many years. The “Palestinian” people were “created” in 1965 (before that they were mostly Jordanians) to be used as a tool to destabilize Israel at home and in the eyes of the world community. Their refugee situation was engineered to become a time bomb in the midst of Israel that would gain the sympathy of the world and birth a generation that, from the cradle, would have one reason for living...the annihilation of Israel. The nations, being blinded by the darkness, are not able to discern this, even though all the facts are readily available and evident.
The nature of Hizbollah is different. They do not represent a people that have even the pretension of being oppressed by Israel. Neither are they seeking anything for themselves, personally speaking. Theirs is purely an ideological position: Israel cannot continue to exist. To this end, Iran created Hizbollah and grew them up in the midst of Syria-controlled Lebanon. (Iran contributes about 100 million dollars a year to maintain Hizbollah).
Let us look for the reflection in the spiritual of what the following natural conditions reveal. Hizbollah is deeply entrenched in its position. They have been working for at least six years to prepare for this moment. The enemy is quite well hidden in underground bunkers as much as 40 meters below the surface. Our (Israel’s) weapons are incapable of penetrating to that depth. They surface...fire their rockets...and disappear again. In order to fully disable them, we would need to employ a great number of grounds troops. In preparation for that possible eventuality, they set minefields and all manner of traps. They have weapons we did not know about that are of much greater range and capability than we expected. They have positioned themselves in the midst of heavily populated civilian areas. If we come to the ceasefire that the world community is pressing for, Hizbollah, not being eliminated, will regroup and be back at a time of their own choosing. Even if we wipe out all their rocket launchers, they still have some 10,000 rockets left. And if we wipe out their rockets, Iran and Syria will just rearm them.
So also our spiritual enemy is in part hidden so as not to be seen, and in part disguised so as not to be recognized. We have underestimated his strength and are not as aware of his strategies as we think we are. Without realizing it, we have allowed him place in our midst to grow and build his kingdom. Beloved, our purpose in writing here is not to try to define or identify the ways the enemy has taken root in the Body. This is something we must each pray about and ask God for revelation, for ourselves individually and for the Body corporately.
We are reaching for a Divine strategy for the long haul that lies ahead. We pray that we will have the time to understand and develop what God is trying to show us. Hizbollah had six years to prepare. Perhaps God will grant us the same. I spoke to a national prayer leader in Germany this morning who shared that God had spoken to her yesterday saying that there is no time to lose. We must be about the work of preparation now.
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We leave for Bangor, Ireland tomorrow for the “Holy Fire Bangor 2” conference with a sense of Divine timing and orchestration. Centuries ago, monks in Bangor prayed continuously for 300 years; this prayer movement is credited with releasing a move of the Spirit that brought about the evangelization of Europe. We believe that through the words released in this conference, coupled with the calling of Bangor, God desires to confront religious spirits, impart a fire of determination into the Body, and release a wave of prayer, worship and warfare in this moment of upheaval and battle in the Middle East. We surely covet your prayers for this conference, which will be held the 4th-6th.
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What a great privilege it has been for the last three weeks to give refuge to people whose homes are on the front line. Honestly, if left to ourselves, we would have chosen to take in only believers. In fact, before we were asked, it had not occurred to us to do otherwise. But the fruit and blessing of helping families who do not have the comfort of knowing the Lord and to be able to minister an eternal hope along with physical shelter has been wonderful. As one of the families left yesterday, another one arrived to take their place. Not being able to be in their own homes for three weeks now is so very difficult. But God is using it to open their hearts to the gospel. Please continue to pray especially for the seeds of salvation to take root in the tens of thousands of refugees traveling throughout the Land looking for peace and security.
As we have been serving in this way, the Lord is confirming our call to be a refuge in ways we had not imagined. It is in our minds and spirits that the day will come when we will again receive refugees, but at that time they will have nowhere to return to. Six years ago the Lord gave me (arni) a dream of a future devastation. We are praying that God would prepare us both spiritually and with the resources and facilities to meet the needs that will come in the days ahead.
We are most grateful for your friendship, prayers, and financial support. May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit |