~ Thursday 14th January 2010 ~

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

The Word: LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah. But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. (Psalm 3)

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. (Psalm 57:1-6)

Pointers for prayer: We believe God is calling Christians to come alongside Israel and cry out to God on Israel's behalf, to take the deep heart cry of the nation into their own hearts, to intercede against her enemies, and to believe in the promises of God for her. The inarticulate heart cry of the nation of Israel may well be that of David in Psalm 57:1-6, and we need to be able to express that cry to God with her. This is the privilege of those who intercede for Israel. As Lance Lambert once wrote, "There rests upon every true child of God a responsibility not only to stand with Israel and the Jewish people but to love them from a pure heart. Love such as this will lead to the kind of prayer that only the Holy Spirit can give, it will lead to importunate and travelling prayer." (Lance Lambert, "Battle for Israel")

Pray for God's revealed purposes: As we often mention in these Reports, the Lord has clearly outlined His purpose for Israel in His Word ~ the Bible. Israel and the Jewish people are to be a testimony to God's existence, His character and His faithfulness. They prove that His Word is true. Pray that He will bless and use Israel for His glory and His Holy Name’s sake (Ezekiel 36:22)

Pray for protection: Throughout 2010, please pray for protection for Israel from all the attempts by the enemy to destroy the plan of God by destroying His people.

Nuclear Iran, war games & Iranian scientist killed

Under the heading "Iran Launches New Nuclear Projects", news agencies last week where reporting that the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi had inaugurated several new projects at Iran's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research Centre. During one ceremony in Tehran, Salehi visited various laboratories and projects and met with the Iranian researchers and intellectuals. Of course, we all know that Iran and the West are at loggerheads over Tehran's demand of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide fuel for its research reactor in Tehran but Iran has vowed that if the West refrains from providing Iran with enriched uranium to the purity level of 20 percent for its research reactor, the country will resort to domestic plans for this aim.

Tehran insists that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and solely aimed at generating energy for a growing population whose supply of fossil fuels will eventually run out. However, with a dictator like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in charge of the country, can the west really trust Tehran's "peaceful nuclear programme"? According to Iranian news agency, the Western countries had 25 days left for the deadline Iran had set for them to supply fuel for Tehran medical research reactor. Otherwise, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make preparations to produce 20 percent uranium fuel. Following this, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have stated that Iran is going to stage a massive "war games" in the Persian Gulf later this month to test a series of new tactics and weapons. IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Morteza Safari announced on Tuesday that "the IRGC Navy's great sea manoeuvre will be held in the Strait of Hormuz".

Safari reiterated that the drills are aimed at enhancing Iran's military and defence preparedness through relying on the valuable experiences gained during the previous manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Referring to the situation of the Middle East, the Iranian commander stressed that the volatile situation in the region has made Iran always maintain its preparedness. He also pointed to the presence of "alien forces" in the Persian Gulf, and underlined that regional countries are capable of establishing security by themselves.

Last week I posed the question, "are we ready for another year of battle... for we can expect a turbulent year ahead?" I believe we need to know how to pray into this situation, and what specific intercession is needed. This week (Tuesday), a "mysterious" remote-control bomb killed a nuclear scientist in Iran, and Iran said Israel may be responsible. The government confirmed that the victim, “Massoud Ali Mohammadi was a lecturer in nuclear energy. Another news agency in the country said he was “a senior nuclear scientist." The Iranian government media stated that he was a "staunch supporter" of the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Massoud Ali Mohammadi was killed when a booby-trapped motorcycle exploded near his home. The official Iranian news agency said it was not known how many people were killed in the blast, indicating that he may not have been the only victim. The explosion follows months of protests that were met by violent riot police squads, resulting in dozens of killings and reports of hundreds of people who “disappeared.” Demonstrators have charged that last June’s results in the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were rigged.

In related news, the Israeli mobile missile and artillery defence system, dubbed Iron Dome, will soon be up and running, according to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). The system successfully intercepted and eliminated multi-pronged simulated attacks during a set of tests this week. Although this has been created to deal with a multitude of attacks simultaneously coming primarily from the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, it does seem to be a step forward in some "star wars" theme, taking down multiple incoming rockets and mortar shells in mid-air.

Watching Hezbollah

The Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has spoken out this week against Lebanon's lack of ability or desire to curb the growing threat of the Hezbollah. Ehud Barak said the Jewish state of Israel is able to see everything that is happening in Lebanon and warned that the situation could "quickly" deteriorate. "We see Hezbollah expanding inside Lebanon and its growing influence, political and otherwise," Barak said on Tuesday (12th January 2010) during a tour of the northern border to inspect Israeli troops. Barak went on to state, "We again wish to make clear to the Lebanese leadership that we see everything, and we will hold the parties who cause increased tension responsible," he said. "The borders have been quiet since 2006 but the situation can deteriorate quickly," Barak cautioned.

The relative calm along the border could be disrupted at any moment, and Ehud Barak suggested that the other side refrain from trying to change the current situation, which Israel's deterrence helped create. Barak told the IDF, "Despite the calm, you must stay alert. We do not want escalation, but if needed, we'll respond accordingly." Barak said that Israeli troops must be prepared for any change in the status quo with Hezbollah. "We need to constantly prepare for a change in the status quo, though we don't know when it will occur," he told his soldiers. "We don't want for it to happen, and it might not, but we will not be afraid to react if we have to fight back." Addressing the Hezbollah terrorists, Barak said: "...avoid entering conflict with us... If the situation deteriorates, we will hold the Lebanese government and any group which supports Hezbollah accountable," he warned.

Jerusalem United

Meanwhile, the religious and political battle over Jerusalem continues. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday this week issued a statement declaring that Israel would never surrender the eastern half of Jerusalem to the Arab Palestinians, nor would it return to the pre-1967 borders. Netanyahu was responding to remarks by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in which he told visiting Mediterranean foreign ministers that the Israeli leader had relaxed his positions.
According to Gheit, Netanyahu told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak when the two met last week that Israel was ready to let eastern Jerusalem become the capital of "Palestine" and to surrender 100 percent of the so-called "West Bank".

Netanyahu's statement was also seen as a line in the sand for US President Barack Obama, who according to reports is preparing letters to send to both Israel and the Palestinians outlining the terms of renewed peace negotiations.

Israel to help Haiti earthquake victims

As you may have seen on national news, an earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, was the worst to hit the area of Haiti in more than 200 years and the biggest quake ever to strike the impoverished island nation. It caused the National Palace to collapse and destroyed the local headquarters for United Nations peacekeepers as well as a hospital. Many U.N. employees are listed as missing, officials said. A number of aftershocks followed the initial earthquake and many more are still expected. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Centre, the depth of the earthquake was about six miles.

Following the earthquake, a team of Israelis has left for Haiti to assess what type of aid is most needed by the tragedy-struck nation after it was hit by the massive earthquake late Tuesday afternoon. The delegation, comprised of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IDF Home Front Command and IDF Medical Corps Personnel departed at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Among the team members are experts in the fields of engineering, medical, logistics and rescue and recovery. Medical supplies, a field hospital, food and other humanitarian aid are among the types of assistance being considered for the desperately impoverished nation, sources said.

Sad farewell to brave Miep

The very brave and heroic lady who stood firmly against the wrath of the Nazis to feed, clothe and hide Anne Frank and her family during the Holocaust has died at the age of 100. An office secretary in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II, Miep Gies also saved Anne Frank’s diary and papers, locking them in a drawer to hold them safe until her hoped-for return after the war. Miep Gies died on Tuesday after a brief illness. The report was confirmed by the Anne Frank Museum.

Miep Gies was named a “Righteous Gentile” by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, and has also been honoured by the Dutch monarchy, the government of Germany and numerous educational institutions. Anne Frank’s diary was handed over to Anne's father Otto by Miep Gies on his return from the concentration camp. Otto was the soul survivor of his family. My eyes were opened to the horrors of the Holocaust through those wonderful daily writings of Anne Frank. I have loved this young girl since my youth, when I first read her Diary. Her short life is engraved in my soul. Anne's words in her diary, which she called "Kitty," allow people, both young and old, to identify with her feelings of fear, confusion, and hope, and reflect on her short life and that of the many other Jewish children who perished during the Holocaust.

In the diary, there are certain passages that describe Anne's desire to become a writer and the need she felt to record her experiences for posterity. Had Anne survived the war, she would have been 80 years old now. Sadly, she didn’t survive, yet her story has lived on. And in many ways, I have ‘heard her voice’ through the many survivors I have spoken to on my visits. Indeed, to spend the few years with one survivor whom I visited regularly near my home town, and to hear this survivor speak of knowing Anne Frank in the Camps was such a privilege and caused me to realise that Anne’s wish, for her writings to be known, hadn’t been ‘just a dream’. Anne does in deed, live on…

Although millions were silenced by the holocaust, the words of Anne Frank continue to educate generations about the tragic events of a time that should never be forgotten. In fact, her diary is available in 66 languages and more than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide. Anne’s Diary is important in many ways ~ historians often regard her Diary as an important historical document of the period. And teachers use Anne’s words to talk about feelings, about growing up and family relationships because Anne wrote about all of these things. Anne’s Diary is still an inspiration to people today because even though she knew what was happening to her Jewish friends and neighbours, and though she was trapped in her hiding place, Anne always believed in the true goodness of people. The words and ideals of this young girl remind me that we need to respect each other and appreciate and understand each other's differences.

Precious few Gentiles helped Anne’s desperate family – her parents, sister and four other Jews -- who were fleeing the Nazis. Miep Gies was the last of those who supplied human compassion and physical sustenance to the refugees before the Gestapo discovered the location of the secret annex behind the canal warehouse in which they hid. When the Nazis began arresting Dutch Jews, Otto Frank asked Gies to help hide his family in the annex above the company’s warehouse along the canal on Prinsengracht 263, and to bring them supplies. She agreed, and together with her husband and four other company workers, sustained the family until the Nazis captured them.

As stated, Miep Gies, who refused to read Anne's diary out of respect for her privacy – which she said was “sacred” – gave the diary and papers to Anne’s father Otto, the family’s sole survivor of the war. He later published the diary as a book in 1947, titled simply, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Gies resumed working for Otto Frank as he edited the diary, and then devoted the rest of her life responding to mail about the war and refuting the claims of Holocaust deniers. Otto Frank died in 1980, and Gies’s husband Jan died in 1993.

In a world that has so much proof of the Holocaust, it still amazes me that certain people will deny that it actually happened. Other choose to forget. Yet this is something we must never forget. So let's make a stand! How will you remember and honour Holocaust Memorial Day this year? As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day 2010, event organisers from across the UK are adding details of their websites. Many events are open to the general public and free to attend. To find out more on how you can make a stand click here: http://www.hmd.org.uk/

David Soakell
(CFI Church Liaison Officer (UK)
CFI Area Representative (U.K. North East)
& Writer & Producer of the CFI News Report & Prayer Update)

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

CFI is a non-denominational Christian organization, seeking to lift up the Name of Jesus in all we do to bless His Jewish brethren and share the message of His love both for Israel and the Church. If you would like to receive our regular bi-monthly 'In Touch' Newsletter and Monthly Watchman's prayer letters through the post, please enter your details by going to http://www.cfi.org.uk/contactus.php All information is for our records only and is stored in line with the Data Protection Act.

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