17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.
The descendants of Abraham are in peril, and I believe that those of us who have been grafted in to his family tree are called to stand with the Jewish people. The nation of Israel, re-settled in 1948 by the hand of God, faced an unprecedented attack on Saturday at the hands of Iran - the attack was turned back, but it illustrates how vulnerable this tiny nation is, but how powerful it has become. But, we also recognize that God is executing His plan for Israel and for the entire world, as Bible prophecy teaches.
The words were spoken long ago, yet they have not been voided - they are still in effect. In Genesis 12, we can read:
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
The news began to emerge this past Saturday afternoon Central Time - first it was armed drones that had been launched from Iran toward Israel, then further reports noted that cruise missiles had been directed at Israel, as well.
When it was all said and done, according to All Israel News, which has as its Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg:
Dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches from Iran were detected approaching Israeli territory on Saturday night in response to the assassination of IRGC senior commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
There were also approximately 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from Iran towards Israel. According to the IDF, none of the UAVs entered Israeli airspace.
On Sunday morning, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that 99% of the aerial threats were intercepted.
Hagari gave credit to the U.S., the U.K., and France, as well as "other countries." All Israel News stated:
Some analysts believe that several Arab countries participated in shooting down some of the missile and UAV launches that crossed into their territory, however, the countries were not disclosed due to threats from Iran to target any Arab nation that allows Israel to use its airspace.
According to Ynet News, Jordan intercepted several of the missile attacks. The United States maintains several missile defense batteries in Jordan.
It was an active night for Israel, contending with the Iranian threat, as well as reported "launches" from Yemen and Iraq, as well as from Hezbollah areas in the north.
The Christian Post reported the responses of a number of Christian leaders. Faith Radio programmer Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship was quoted; the article stated:
“As American evangelicals, we want our Jewish friends to know that we stand behind the Jewish homeland and her people,” Laurie wrote on X. “This attack is on the heels of the horrific attack from Hamas, which is a proxy of Iran on Israel on October 7th.”
He added, “We pray that God almighty would protect Israel at this hour and we are to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.’ (Psalm 122:6) One of the signs of the end time is an increase in anti-Semitism and the increasing isolation of the state of Israel. we are certainly seeing that happen before our very eyes.”
The Post also noted that Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills said, also on X: “This could be [the] hook that is set into the jaw of Gog … that would be Russia. ... And if Russia gets involved, then we could see Ezekiel 38 unfold. … A lot of great scholars believe that the Rapture could happen before the Ezekiel battle..."
The Christian Post article said, "The Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, wrote that Christian congregations worldwide will be dedicating themselves to prayer for the peace and security of Israel. 'There will be hundreds of millions of prayers prayed.'” The was also related on X, formerly Twitter.
Intercessors for America sent out an e-mail, that stated:
The e-mail also said:God heard and answered the prayers of His people all around the world! The Iran attack was unsuccessful!
The vast majority of missiles were intercepted and very little harm was done, although we are now praying for a young girl who was harmed.
Our prayer strategy today is this:
- Thank God for the defense of Israel.
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem as significant military engagement with Iran seems likely in addition to the continued conflict with Hamas.
- Pray for release of the hostages by name...
Joel Rosenberg of All Israel News also issued a call to prayer that was addressed to church leaders; he wrote:
In the Bible – in Psalm 122:6 – the Lord commands true believers to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”Rosenberg also noted, "...Israel needs your urgent prayers for safety and protection from all of our radical and genocidal enemies." He added:
Many of you do this already.
But never have we needed your prayers and those of your church members more than right now.
We also need millions of Christians worldwide to pray according to Isaiah 61:1-2 for the 134 hostages held by jihadists in Gaza to be urgently released.
Please pray that the Lord would immediately “set the captives free.”
At the same time, please pray for innocent Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, that the Lord would comfort and heal those traumatized, wounded and killed in this horrific war.
Please pray, too, that followers of Jesus Christ will be faithful and courageous lights in the terrible darkness that has settled over the Epicenter.
• Iran had to respond to the attack on the IRGC facility in Damascus if for no other reason than to save face and communicate to the world and Iranians that the Tehran government took action.
• A low-level war between Iran and Israel is decades old. Iran has long attacked Israel via proxies for years and although not officially acknowledged, Jerusalem has attacked Iranian assets and her proxies for decades using cyber, direct action and even allegedly assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists inside Iran. However, the latest attack by Iran is different and an indication we are entering a new, more dangerous era of Mideast instability.
• Until yesterday, Iran has been the puppet master using proxies to strike at Israel. The mullahs in Tehran are now out of the closet and openly engaging, threatening Jerusalem.
Bottom line: we live in dangerous days. But, not beyond what our Savior predicted - he said there would be wars and rumors of wars. We recognize that Israel is the barometer; it's at the center of the activities that will usher in the last days. As the late Jimmy DeYoung said, the "stage is being set" for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
So, the question then becomes: so how does this affect me? Are we relegated to saying, well, that's in another part of the world, so it doesn't concern me? Or do we hear and heed God's message. What is occurring in and around Israel does apply to us, and we can govern our lives, recognizing time is short. There should be a sense of urgency in our lives, every day, and we can be diligent to share the gospel and radiate the love of Christ every single day.
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