I&CT December 2018
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INTERNATIONAL December 2018 www.c4israel.org [email protected] “Bring my sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 43:6 8 10 3 11 Highlights... Editorial Pg 2 Iran Behind Latest Gaza Crisis Pg 9 70 Years of Aliyah Pg 3 Christian Media Summit 2018 Pg 10 Christians for Israel’s Brazilian Tour Pg 4 Meals for the Poor in Jerusalem Pg 11 Israel - 70 Years of Opportunity Pg 6 First Home in the Homeland News Pg 11 4 6 Festival of Lights Pg 8 Poverty Amongst Jews in Ukraine Pg 12 Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel Editorial December 2018 02 Kislev - Tevet 5779 Prayer Points “Look at the Fig Tree” By Pieter Bénard By Andrew Tucker, International Editor, Christians for Israel International Christians for Israel Prayer “Look at the fig tree and all the Coordinator trees” (Luke 21:29) When Jesus was teaching His disciples about the signs of His coming and the ‘end of the age’, He explained that many difficult things would happen in the world and the church before He comes ISRAEL again. Amongst other things, ‘nations will Ÿ Pray for the protection of Israel’s rise against nations’ and ‘kingdoms coastline. The marine commandos are against kingdoms’. It is remarkable how responsible for security on the often Jesus refers to the nations when beaches and monitor all boats describing the last days in Luke 21 and approaching or leaving Israel. Matthew 24. It seems He wanted to Ÿ Pray for protection for the Jewish emphasise the prominent role the nations residents of Judea and Samaria. Pray will take in the last days. for talks and peace with the In Luke’s account of this conversation, in Palestinian Authority and for a Luke 21, he records that Jesus told His solution to the current impasse on disciples to “look at the fig tree and all the who can live where. Pray that the trees”. In the Old Testament, trees were Biblical promises will be fulfilled. Nauru and Samoa, and in the Middle East, clearly being set for a “strong man” to symbolic of the nations. Jesus was saying emerge, who will use these new global Ÿ Give thanks for the miracle of the that the greatest sign of His coming will Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. State of Israel’s founding and continued be the trees sprouting their leaves – Most importantly, the League of Nations structures and systems to unite the existence. The hostility is unbelievably nations coming to life and bearing fruit laid the foundation for the creation, in dominant religions and ideologies in the fierce, both visible and invisible. We can after the long winter months. 1948, of the Jewish State of Israel. In 1920, promise of establishing a new world order. see the hand of our heavenly Father in At the centre of all of this is the this miracle every day. At the end of days, the fig tree miraculous revival of the fig tree – the re- Ÿ Give thanks for the Word of God. emergence of the Jewish nation, their The return of the Jewish people to the that withered and was cursed restoration to the land and the Promised Land is like a prophetic establishment of the city of Jerusalem. stone thrown into a global river. The will come to life. ripples that it causes touch every country, reach the ends of the earth, This suggests a period in which the the nations adopted the Balfour Christians for Israel and are undeniable! nations of the world come to life and Declaration, which spoke of the become mature. reconstitution of the Jewish homeland - Mission Statement INTERCESSION AND thereby fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy about THANKSGIVING The most important tree, however, will be Our mission is to bring Biblical the fig tree. understanding in the Church and among the Ÿ Pray for the elderly Jews in Ukraine the fig tree that will become tender and nations concerning God's purposes for Israel Before that decision could be properly who often live in loneliness in small spread its leaves. The fig tree symbolised and to promote comfort of Israel through villages, especially now winter is the national identity of Israel. The fig tree executed, however, one final attempt was prayer and action. coming, and they are barely able to coming to life, therefore, represented the made to destroy the fig tree completely. It leave their houses. Give thanks that nation of Israel being restored. Jesus’ nearly succeeded, as over half the Jewish we are able to visit them and have the words no doubt reminded His disciples of population of Europe was brutally Jewish Festivals opportunity to encourage them by His prophetic act earlier in the week, extinguished in the Shoah. Sigd - Ethiopian Jewish holiday occurring 50 distributing food parcels. when he encountered a fig tree that did days after Yom Kippur After WWII, it was time to create real and Ÿ not bear fruit and declared: “May you 7 November 2018 Give thanks that we can look for lasting peace between the nations. The never bear fruit again!” (Matthew 21:19). the coming/return of the Messiah and next few years saw the birth of the United Hanukkah - The Jewish festival of all that goes along with it together At the end of days, the fig tree that rededication (Festival of Lights) Nations, and the emergence of many new with the Jewish people (Isaiah 2:1-5, withered and was cursed, will come to life. 3-10 December 2018 nations from the colonial regimes of the Revelation 22:1-5). We are living in the generation that sees European powers in Africa, Asia and the Rosh Chodesh - Beginning of new Hebrew Ÿ Pray for the Christian the nations coming to life. It is exactly 100 Americas. There were 51 member states of month of Kislev 8 December 2018 denominations in all of their diversity years since World War I ended - a war in the UN on its founding in 1945; the vast for perspective when it comes to which millions of young soldiers were majority of the current 193 member states Asara B'Tevet - Fast commemorating the Israel. Pray that the Church will killed in the trenches in Europe and the of the United Nations were created siege of Jerusalem understand that although the 18 December 2018 Middle East. Many more were injured, and during the last 70 years. Holocaust sped things up, the State of societies were destroyed. In many ways Israel came into being as the These nations are organised as sovereign WWI was a watershed, that ushered in a fulfilment of God’s prophetic Word states under international law. The new and bloody era in world history. But CHRISTIANS FOR ISRAEL modern nation-state, however, was it also laid the foundations for the modern essentially a European idea intended to Ÿ Please pray for the staff and community of nations as we know them, achieve the balance of powers between volunteers of Christians for Israel as well as the revival of the fig tree. around the world. ‘Whatever you do, competing kingdoms in the 17th and 18th News Team | Contact Details work at it with all your heart, as The Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, centuries. It is not necessarily the most Italy, United States and Japan) had taken appropriate way of organising infant INTERNATIONAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF working for the Lord, not for human Andrew Tucker | [email protected] masters, since you know that you will over control of the whole of the Middle nations. Many states today are marked by receive an inheritance from the Lord East, southern Europe and northern a lack of democratic institutions, as well MANAGING EDITOR as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you Cathy Coldicutt Africa following the collapse of the as internal chaos and external conflicts Ph: +64 21 277 9198 | [email protected] are serving.’ (Colossians 3:23,24). Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Turkish with their neighbours. Over recent Ÿ Ottoman Empires. At the Paris Peace decades certain religions and ideologies INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL TEAM Please pray for the bi-monthly Andrew Tucker, Cathy Coldicutt, Ian Worby, newspaper ‘Israel and Christians Today’ Conference, they decided to establish the have sought to impose their ideological or Bryce Turner, Marloes van Westing, Rita Quartel, and the websites of Christians for Israel. League of Nations, and help the nations military will on the minority. Many are Marijke Terlouw and Marie-Louise Weissenböck Pray that news about Israel will be that had been under foreign occupation to now rejecting the notions of sovereignty INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER clearly explained in the context of the achieve self-determination. This resulted and nationalism as outdated, to be Marloes van Westing | [email protected] Bible and vice versa: the Bible explained ultimately in the creation during the replaced by multilateral structures in the Scripture references: THE HOLY BIBLE, in the context of current events. course of the 20th century of modern hope that this will lead to peace and NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® For daily Prayer Points, go to our states in Africa such as Rwanda and security. This is of course an illusion, for it Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® website: www.c4israel.org Cameroon, in the Pacific Islands such as ignores man’s fallen nature. The stage is Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. December 2018 Israel 70 Years 03 Kislev - Tevet 5779 70 Years of Aliyah Short News By Danielle Mor, Vice President, Israel and Global Philanthropy. The Jewish Agency for Israel Tourism Judea and The rows in the auditorium built with Ÿ 50 leaders of Christians for Israel, a Jewish Agency dedicated emissaries on the Samaria is Growing Jerusalem stone, slowly began filling worldwide Christian organisation ground serving with the Christians for If there is one thing that cannot be with guests, their excited faces and representing over 100,000 Christians who Israel team in Ukraine, we are able to care argued is the growth of tourism in hushed voices demonstrating that to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and give for those people so desperately in need of Judea and Samaria (West Bank).