"Watching Over Zion" (The CFI News Report & Prayer Update)

~ Thursday 5th November 2009 ~

Compiled by David Soakell Tel: 01323 410810 E-mail david@cfi.org.uk Website: www.cfi.org.uk

The Word: The LORD is king. He is clothed with majesty and strength. The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved. Your throne, O LORD, has been firm from the beginning, and you existed before time began. The ocean depths raise their voice, O LORD; they raise their voice and roar. The LORD rules supreme in heaven, greater than the roar of the ocean, more powerful than the waves of the sea. Your laws are eternal, LORD, and your Temple is holy indeed, forever and ever. (Psalm 93)
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD. "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. "Is not My Word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:23-29)

• Pointers for prayer: As we once again approach the Throne of grace in our intercession, may we continue to cultivate absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit. Let us again begin by entering His gates with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4). Let the high praises of God be in our mouths and a two-edged sword in our hands (Psalm 149:6).

• The enemy pounds hard but God is over all: Lance Lambert recently stated, "I believe that divinely lead and empowered intercession is the only key to this dark situation. We need to know how to hide in Christ; to have the whole armour of God... and stand within His revealed purpose. May the Lord be with you all, and give us, in His mercy and loving kindness, the victory..." As the enemy presses in, pray for those who stand with Israel, and the people of Israel themselves, that they will not fear but put their trust in God! "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish." (Isaiah 41:10-11)

• Hamas & Hezbollah's real threat: Please pray for strength and wisdom to the leaders in Israel, especially Prime Minister Netanyahu to deal with the threat from Hamas, Hezbollah & Iran. "I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counsellors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City." (Isaiah 1:26)

• As the world continues to oppose the nation of Israel, pray for a hedge of protection around Jerusalem! "'And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'" (Zechariah 2:5)

The enemy pounds hard but God is over all Living on the North East coast can often be a challenge. We may have some of the finest countryside in England with the North York Moors on our doorstep, but the weather can be rather cold with gusty winds blowing off the sea. I've often stood with my waders on fishing off our coast in rough waters, and have had to retreat to the shore to save having angry waves crash over me. In many ways, a stormy sea is how I see the attacks of the enemy... one wave after another. Indeed, in the above Psalm the writer states, “The ocean is roaring LORD! The sea is pounding hard. Its mighty waves are majestic, but you are more majestic and you rule over all.” Psalm 93:3-4. In our fight against the enemy’s schemes, we must always remember Who is really in control and Who is sovereign! If God is not sovereign, the house will be full of chaos. I need to remember this when I watch the way Israel is portrayed by the media. Tempers can flare at the slightest provocation. Sometimes, reason is justified, but how easy for bitterness to surface, and the anger of the moment may only be “the tip of the iceberg.” If God is not sovereign, it is hard to forgive.
We also need to remember that if God is not sovereign, the war Israel constantly faces would not have a framework. All events going on in the World would be "chance events", wrought by chance, propagated by chance, and the enemy would probably have their day by chance. But God’s sovereignty makes us understand that there’s an end to all of this, since He has been in control from the beginning of time. He holds the universe in His hands. While we may think about the probability of war and even Armageddon, God has long ago thought about delivering man from all that the evil of this world can possibly do. But sometimes it's hard holding on. Over these past few weeks, we have seen quite a few battles, but I have to say, compared to what Israel go through, out fight is small. Yet the battle here is still a real one... and if nothing else, one can often feel frustrated, downcast, and weary.

During the past UK tour with David Dolan, I have received a huge amount of texts of my phone and emails relating to the whole issue with Nick Griffin, the leader of the British far-right, who appeared on BBC’s Question Time. Thankfully, this was recorded for me and on returning home I have since watched it. The show, presented by David Dimbleby, had Griffin appearing alongside Justice Minister Jack Straw, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman Chris Huhne, black playwright Bonnie Greer and Baroness Warsi, the Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action, who was born in the town of Dewsbury (one of our venues) to Pakistani parents. With protests and near riots outside the BBC's headquarters on the day of the show, the invitation to Griffin was certainly a controversial one. And, although I strongly oppose what Nick Griffin's BNP stand for, what really caused me concern was to see a lady who was described as ‘Britain’s most powerful Muslim woman’, appearing on the show to oppose Nick Griffin.

Last week, we stayed in Dewsbury, where I've been informed that at least one petrol station had a sign proclaiming "whites not welcomed here", and where I'm also aware that a form of sharia law exists. I wonder what this Muslim lady would have to say about this? Sayeeda Hussain Warsi is a rising star in the Conservative Party and one of its most influential Muslim figures. Now I realise that there are many British Muslims who are a threat to no one, who want to enjoy the benefits of a secular society and human rights and are themselves potential victims of Islamic extremists and sharia law, however it was interesting to read Melanie Phillips article recently (http://www.melaniephillips.com/articles-new/?p=689) who stated: "The frenzy over the participation of BNP leader Nick Griffin on Question Time this week has been a classic case of failing to identify the real elephant in the room. By fixating on the ‘far right’ as the supremely evil force in British public life, the mainstream political class has failed to grasp that a half-baked neo-Nazi rabble is not the main issue. There is another more lethal type of fascism on the march in the form of Islamic supremacism... The Islamists, or jihadis, are intent upon snuffing out individual freedom and imposing a totalitarian regime of submission to religious dogma which erodes and then replaces British and Western values."

Following this, I received an email from Lance Lambert. In the email to prayer partners Lance writes, "I have the deepest sense of spiritual darkness about the proposed Sharia demonstration in London this weekend (Oct 31st 2009). I believe it is the beginning of an attempt to influence the government and the parliament of Britain. If they are successful it will be the beginning of many more serious attempts. My experience living in the Middle East and earlier in Egypt particularly is that the Muslim community is quiet and passive until it becomes a sizeable minority. At that point it begins to be more aggressive. If it becomes a majority it becomes violent. This is the spirit of militant Islam. The demonstration this weekend for the imposition of Sharia law in areas that have a large Muslim population is solid evidence that the Muslim community feels that it can begin to throw its weight around and influence the government. With the Archbishop of Canterbury’s sympathetic support and the coverage of the BBC which has virtually become a propaganda arm for Islam, we really need to earnestly pray that God will intervene. Most British people do not realise the severity of this. The traditional view of the British for impartiality and justice in their dealings with other ethnic groups plays into the hands of extreme Islamic militants."

Lance continues, "I believe that divinely lead and empowered intercession is the only key to this dark situation. We need to know how to hide in Christ; to have the whole armour of God, which is Christ and to stand within His revealed purpose. May the Lord be with you all, and give us, in His mercy and loving kindness, the victory..." We can praise the LORD God that the demonstration of Muslim hardliners calling for sharia law to be imposed in Britain was cancelled in London over the weekend. Anjem Choudary, leader of the radical Islamic group Al Muhajiroun, said that organisers of the Islam4UK demo had cancelled the march from the Houses of Parliament to Trafalgar Square on 31st October 2009 because of security concerns. This one battle has been won, however let us not fall back to sleep... as Lance warns, the battle may only have started. However, the battle ultimately belongs to the LORD... and what does He state regarding false religion? "For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. "Is not My Word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:23-29)

Hamas & Hezbollah's real threat As I've stated, the one battle above may have been won for now, however let us not fall back to sleep... and where the nation of Israel is concerned, things are certainly "hotting up". If you attended one of the recent David Dolan engagements, you will have heard him speaking about the immanent threat once again from both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. David spoke last week on the dangers of Hamas being able to fire a missile that could actually hit Tel Aviv. Well, according to one report this week from the Israeli Defence Force's (IDF) Military Intelligence (AMAN) chief, the Hamas terrorist organization has actually test-fired one of these missiles, which as mentioned, has the ability of reaching Tel Aviv from Gaza.

Addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Tuesday, AMAN head Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin revealed the details of the successful missile test. The projectile was fired out to sea off the Gaza coast in recent days, he explained, saying that IDF observers recorded the impact 60 kilometres (37 miles) away from the launch site. The missile, produced by Iran, can thus reach the Dan region, including metropolitan Tel Aviv, bringing the major coastal city within range of attacks from Gaza. Just last year, IDF intelligence projected that Hamas would be capable of independently producing missiles with a 50-kilometre range. The Israeli assessment was based on evidence that the Iranian regime would provide the know-how and necessary supplies for the longer range projectiles. Iran, it is believed, wants to enable Hamas to endanger Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city and economic centre. Iran of course are also believed to be in the process of making nuclear weapons, and have declared their intention of wiping Israel off the face of the map.

According to the AMAN statement on Tuesday, Hamas, the Islamic jihadist group currently ruling the Gaza half of the Palestinian Authority, received the test-fired missile by way of underground smuggling tunnels. Hamas has dug and controls a network of such tunnels running under the border between Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai. It was due to Hamas' constant bombing of Israeli civilian areas that led to Israel's response of the war on Hamas in Gaza during January 2009. Israel had both a right and an obligation to take military action against Hamas in Gaza to stop Hamas’ almost incessant rocket and mortar attacks upon thousands of Israeli civilians and its other acts of terrorism. Israel was bombarded by some 12,000 rockets and mortar shells between 2000 and 2008, including nearly 3,000 rockets and mortar shells in 2008 alone.

Hamas specifically timed many of its attacks to terrorise schoolchildren in the mornings and the afternoons. These deliberate attacks caused deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage; forced businesses to close; and terrorised tens of thousands of residents into abandoning their homes. Hamas constantly worked to increase the range of its weapons and that, by late 2008, its rocket fire was capable of reaching some of Israel’s largest cities and strategic infrastructure, threatening one million Israeli civilians, including nearly 250,000 schoolchildren. Hamas also orchestrated numerous suicide bombings against Israeli civilians and amassed an extensive armed force of more than 20,000 armed operatives in Gaza. However, due to Israel deciding to defend itself by attacking the Hamas in Gaza, Israel now face the threat of "war crimes" by the ridiculously biased and inaccurate Goldstone Commission's report, allowing the document to serve as a basis for law suits against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Turning to the situation on Israel's northern border, we have learnt that the Hezbollah terror organization continues to receive weapons and supplies from Iran as well. A portion of this growing cache is in southern Lebanon. The area south of the Litani River in Lebanon is meant to be free of Hezbollah weapons, a ban ostensibly enforced by United Nations peacekeepers according to a 2006 Lebanon-Israel agreement. One week ago, a senior Lebanese army officer revealed that his soldiers identified and dismantled four rockets near the border with Israel. The source said that the rockets, three of which were ready for launching at Israel, were found in a village construction site.

Iran is not alone in supporting local jihadist elements though. Syria has become the leading factory for weaponry shipped to Iran-backed terror groups in the Middle East. According to the last report from AMAN Syria is playing a two-faced game in which it sells weapons to terrorists out the back door while presenting a moderate face to the West.

Spot the difference... This next article came from HonestReporting who reported that many media outlets have reported on the arrest of American-Israeli Ya'akov Teitel, charged with a string of domestic terrorist acts dating back to 1997. HonestReporting state that "Teitel's alleged crimes certainly warrant the use of the term "terrorism" and "terrorist." The Israeli media has not shied away from referring to Teitel as a terrorist, demonstrating a consistency that is not based on ethnic or political considerations. So why does the mainstream media continue to make this distinction? If Jews can be terrorists, shouldn't equivalent acts of violence by Palestinians also be referred to as terrorism?"

We might not like the fact that a Jewish person could be labelled a terrorist, let alone actually carry out acts of terrorism. But here's the difference: Yaakov Teitel will be judged in an Israeli court and, if convicted, spend a good part of the remainder of his life behind bars. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu isn't asking for this Jewish terrorist Yaakov Teitel to be freed. There are no Israeli security forces planning to capture Palestinians to trade for Yaakov Teitel's release. The Israeli school system isn't teaching that Yaakov Teitel is a hero. There are no, nor will there ever be summer camps sponsored by a leading Israeli political parties to be named after Yaakov Teitel. And Yaakov Teitel's family isn't going to get a monthly stipend from the Government of Israel as a sign of thanks for his actions. Now compare this case to that of the many thousands of Arab Palestinian terrorists whose supporters, such as Hamas, PA/PLO do the complete opposite to that of the Israeli government!

In his 29th October speech to the special Knesset session in memory of the late Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed remarks at this case and the possibility that there might be a few others like it: "I believe that the lesson of tolerance and restraint has been internalised by a decisive majority of all sections of the public. But there still exist among us a few who are not prepared to accept either democratic decisions or the rule of law. They do not represent a majority of the nation in all its sections. They constitute a small, marginal minority. But we have already seen the power and damage of one assassin. We must re-condemn any use of violence and use the full weight of the law and of law-enforcement authorities against any attempt to use violence." Netanyahu commends the Israel Security Agency, the Israel Police and all security and law-enforcement authorities for their determined activity against those elements who choose the path of violence and who take the law into their own hands.

In loving memory The word of God assures us that "precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15). During the recent tour with David Dolan, I received a phone call from Jennifer Neville that the Lord had called Carol Edwards, our CFI Rep from Stoke, home. Although Carol was told she had cancer and has been in a hospice the last couple of weeks before she died, the suddenness of her death did come as a huge shock. I have known Carol Edwards for many years, and since taking on the role as CFI's Liaison Officer, I had been in regular contact with Carol.

Grieving is of course a natural process, but of course Carol is now in the presence of the Lord, and is "more alive" than ever before. And we can praise God for Carol's life, and know and be comforted that God is faithful, and calls us to a much better place. Yet in the midst of this comforting truth, there is the sense of loss for those who mourn her passing ~ of whom I am one. I personally want to give thanks to the LORD God for Carol Edwards’s life, and her faithfulness to the ministry of Christian Friends of Israel. Carol's funeral is to take place on Wednesday 11th November at 3.00 p.m. If you are able to attend, I'll see you there.

David Soakell

Sources: Unless otherwise stated: Personal sources throughout Israel along with The Jerusalem Post, BBC News, Arutz-7 News, Israeli Embassy London, Independent Media Review and Analysis & Israel National Radio