Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

The Talmud (Jewish writings) say; “If you have enjoyed something without saying a blessing it’s as if you stole it!”

“Blessing and Cursing” When someone sneezes, we instinctively say; “bless you!” There is an Irish blessing that states “May you be in heaven thirty minutes before the devil knows you are dead!” Even Boaz (Ruth 2:12) in the Old Testament greeted his reapers with a blessing, “The Lord be with you!” There are many ways that we desire to extend blessings upon others. These kinds of blessings may seek favour upon someone or something – however, they are not examples of the God-ordained; “Priestly Blessing” nor are they the impartation of the “Prophetic Blessing” in the Bible; The Word of God.

The Book of Numbers is often referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer of the Old Testament.” The Lord commanded Moses to; bless the children of Israel by placing His Name upon them. Aaron and his sons comprised the priesthood of Israel, and therefore Numbers 6:22-27 is referred to as the “Priestly Blessing.”

The “Priestly Blessing” belongs to God; its words can never be altered in any way… as declared in Proverbs 30:6.

This “Priestly Blessing” was NOT just for Moses, Aaron and the tribe of Levi… it was intended for every person on the face of the earth!

The verb “to bless” in Hebrew is related to the noun “knee” and can mean “to adore on a bended knee” (Psalm 95:6) or to present something of value to another. Nearly every Hebrew blessing begins with this word, for God deserves all of man’s praise and adoration (Psalm 113:2). Through the “Priestly Blessing” God is bestowing His Favour on His Creation – mortal man.  How humbling! This is the purest expression of His mercy and grace. God blesses His children by giving us life and provision and we bless Him through praise and by living our lives to the fullest.

The God of Israel… In portion of the “Priestly Blessing” the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons to invoke His Name on the children of Israel so that God Himself could sanctify Israel with the holiness that is embodied by “The Name” “HaShem!” Only then would the people be worthy of His blessing. This was a reminder that even though the priests pronounced the words… only God can bless.

"The Name (HaShem)" reveals the one true God. He is the One who Was, Is, and Is to Come. He is the God through whom all things have their existence (1 Corinthians 8:6). Therefore by placing His Name on His children, God reminds us all who He is, which defines His character; of what He has done, which declares His mighty works; and of what He promises to do, which proclaims His Covenant. Ultimately, this decree proclaims that God alone is the source of all blessing.

The "Priestly Blessing" is God’s direct proclamation over man whilst the "Prophetic Blessing" is the spoken declaration by God’s "spiritual authority" concerning the life of every individual. Once the "Priestly Blessing" is spoken over someone then the "Prophetic Blessing" follows. Unlike the "Priestly Blessing" the "Prophetic Blessing" is unique to every person imparting it as well as to the one receiving it; "And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing" Genesis 49:28. The Scriptural reference to the word blessing has several meanings in the Hebrew language. When God blesses man, it is to bestow good health, abundant success and prosperity, both materially and spiritually. When man blesses God it is presented in the forms of thanksgiving, reverence, obedience, praise, and worship. When a man blesses his fellow believer, he recites the "Priestly Blessing" of Numbers 6:22-27 and then proclaims the Holy Spirit – inspired "Prophetic Blessing."

God Spoke the "Prophetic Blessing" over His creation and He wants parents to speak it over their children as well…

God knows every child before he or she is conceived in the womb. God has called children to a divine work and has sanctified them for that work while they were in their mother’s wombs. Remember, John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb because he was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). God ordained Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations of the world. This destine destiny was determined before he breathed his first breath outside his mother’s body (Jeremiah 1:4-5). God also knew Esau and Jacob whilst in their mother’s womb (Genesis 25:23). God the Father knew Jacob’s destiny and He called it forth as He spoke a "Prophetic Blessing" over him;

‘And, God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Padam-Aram, and blessed him. And, God said to him: your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob any more, but Israel shall be your name! So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him… "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."’ Genesis 35:9 -12

When Abram (before his name was changed to Abraham) heard that Lot, his nephew, was taken captive in the battle for Sodom by four kings who had already destroyed twelve nations, he with faith in God, executed a commander raid… with only 318 servants that had been born in his house – this could have been the first "IDF" commander raid in Israel’s history!

Many times, Abram and his descendants would trust God to lead them to victory against overwhelming odds in their future battle for their national survival. The God who defended the land and the people then is the same God who defends the land of Israel and the Jewish people to this day and for all time… He is the defender of Israel who "shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4). Enemies of Israel must recognize that there is a "spy in the sky" and would use His unlimited righteous might to ensure that the "Abrahamic Blessing" endures through the ages until His Son, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, rules from Jerusalem as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." 

The nation of Israel was preserved and nurtured in Egypt… but the people experienced the full force of darkness again as their hands were shackled and their lives were lived out in forced labour. Through His servant Moses, God rescued the people. He showed the power of light over darkness as Pharaoh was destroyed in the waters of the sea.

Gideon trusted God to intervene on his behalf and was able to subdue the siege of Midianite and Amalekite oppression with ‘only three hundred faithful men’ armed with broken pitchers, trumpets and torches (Judges 7).

The people were claimed by God. The promise was renewed. He made a covenant with them. God lived among His people and cherished their worship, praise and service. He would lead them out of the wilderness into the land which He had promised Abraham. In the midst of their own doubt and rebellion, they saw the victories of God. Through the Lord—their mighty warrior—they occupied the land of the Canaanites. The LIGHT of God went before them.

The Lord continues His miraculous defence of Israel to this day. God’s supernatural protection of Israel did not end with the war in 1948; nor did it end with the 6^th Day War of 1967; the Yom Kippur War of 1973… or all the battles in-between. And, it will NOT end when the enemies of Israel rise up against her in the future, as prophesied by the Psalmist, “They have taken crafty council against Your people, and consulted against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘come and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.’” Psalm 83:3 – 4.

The Prophet Ezekiel named the armies and nations that will attack Israel in the near future in an effort to wipe Israel off the map.

This military assembly of nations against Israel will be so massive and overwhelming that the nations of the world will consider Israel utterly defeated before the war even starts.  There is, however, a problem with the evil plan of Israel’s enemy, God Almighty the defender of Israel, is sitting in the heavens and will become so enraged, “that My fury will show in My face” (Ezekiel 38:18). As soon as the feet of the invading army of millions touches the soil of Israel, God will release His fury and annihilate the enemies of Israel, as described by the prophet Ezekiel.

The Omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will allow confusion to control those armies as they fire their weapons of destruction against one another (Ezekiel 38:21). God has promised to “rain down flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, brimstone” on the invading armies (Ezekiel 38:22). Why will God do this? “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord” Ezekiel 38:23.  Abraham not only trusted God to deliver him and his men from vast armies, as do the modern armies of Israel, but he also made certain that all the glory be given to Him. God was pleased with Abraham’s faithfulness for He said; “Do not be afraid, Abraham, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Genesis 15:1

God promised the Land and so much more to Abraham and his seed. He promised that Abraham’s descendents would be a blessing to the world… How can this be from a people who wandered the wilderness for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land? How can this be from a people who were eventually dispersed to the nations of the world? How can this be from a people who were nearly annihilated through Pogroms and the Holocaust? Because, God promised to take them; “to a land that I will show you” Genesis 12:1. 

In Hebrew, the term “to show” refers to “the land” but can also mean; “to make known your nature to yourself and to the world.” In His infinite plan, God not only took Abraham’s descendents to the land but also revealed who they were destined to become as a people.

The Jewish people would never have known their nature of shown it to the world… until they were in the covenant land of Israel! The God of the Bible is a God of covenant… No one reaches his or her divine destiny without walking with God in covenant. Every flower that blossoms in the sacred Scripture is planted in the soil of covenant.

God does NOT make mistakes; He does NOT lie and what comes from His mouth comes to pass. God does NOT break covenant. (Numbers 23:19 – 21) IF, God has broken covenant with the Jewish people… what confidence do we have that He will NOT break covenant with the Gentiles?

The definition of “eternal” is “to last forever” – continual and always the same. The word “covenant” means to enter into “a pledge, a promise, a pact and/or bond.” And, the word “blessing” means “to consecrate, to set apart and to make holy.” God has made an eternal covenant with Israel. It is not too difficult to understand; God has set apart the Jewish people through His “blessing and promise” which will NOT change and will last forever (Genesis 12:3).

Israel has NOT been replaced by the church NOR cast aside by the God who called Abraham to be the “father of many nations” through the Abrahamic blessing. The Jewish people are loved of God for the “fathers’ sake (Romans 11:28). Who are the fathers? Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

The Talmud (Jewish writings) state; “Whosoever saves one life is as though he has saved an entire world.”

Consider the two Pharaoh’s…The Pharaoh who blessed Joseph (Genesis 41: 40 – 44) and his family by giving them the rich land of Goshen in Egypt. These were the most fertile farm lands in the realm of the kingdom where a family of Jews became a great nation over the next 430 years. Joseph, through God’s revelation knowledge saved Egypt and his family from starvation by interpreting Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph foretold the coming of seven years of abundance and seven years of famine. This revelation changed the destiny of Egypt. To reward Joseph for his wisdom Pharaoh blessed Joseph’s family and ultimately his own country by appointing Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt. As a result of his kindness to God’s chosen people, Pharaoh became the wealthiest and most powerful leader on earth. Because of the blessing of God, Egypt’s highest glory was reached during the time the Jewish people dwelt there…  But, consider the Pharaoh that cursed Joseph; (Exodus 1:8) but, there arose a Pharaoh "who did not know Joseph." 

This new Pharaoh persecuted the Jewish people. He had Jewish male babies drowned in the Nile River as a form of population control and he made the Jewish people’s lives exceedingly grievous. God’s promise became truth: I will CURSE those who curse you... Egypt was smitten by 10 plagues that destroyed their crops, killed their cattle, and turned the mighty Nile into a bloody river. Death and pestilence reeked throughout the land. When Pharaoh killed the Jewish children, God killed the first-born of every Egyptian household that did not have the supernatural protection of the sacrificial lamb’s blood over the door.

Thus the Pharaoh who blessed the Jewish people became the richest most powerful man on the face of the earth… But, the Pharaoh who tormented the Jewish people brought about the destruction of Egypt.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said; "Silence in the face of evil is evil itself; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak … is to speak! Not to act… is to act!" Our generation has mastered the art of looking the other way when evil presents its face of terror and death. The prophet Obadiah clearly describes the consequences of any adverse treatment of Israel (Obadiah 1:15 -16).

We have a reminder in our day of the "two Pharaohs of Egypt (Genesis 41: 40 – 44; "the Pharaoh that knew Joseph and Egypt was blessed" Exodus 1:8 compared to the Pharaoh that knew not Joseph and Egypt was cursed by God with 10 plagues." In the same way we can compare this as we are witnessing God’s Word come true with Egypt’s President Mubarak who honoured the peace treaty with Israel for 30 years and Egypt was blessed and peaceful BUTtoday we see the opposite taking place with great unrest through President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, who want to see Israel’s destruction and only God knows the outcome of this. God says those who bless Israel WILL be blessed and those who curse Israel WILL be cursed. God says I have set before you, "life and death… blessings and cursing… choose life; Exodus 30:19!"

David Ben Gurion Israel’s first Prime Minister said about the Torah (Bible); "For thousands of years we safeguarded ‘The Book,’ and it has kept us safe!"

Few modern-day Christians are aware of the horror inflicted upon the Jewish people over the centuries following the crucifixion of Christ.  Listed below are a few examples:

AD70: the Roman army under the leadership of Titus surrounded the city of Jerusalem. The writings of the historian, Josephus – tell us about these terrible conditions… where there was such a severe starvation causing 1 million Jewish people to die. After the siege of Jerusalem, 70,000 Jewish men were taken as slaves to Italy to build the Roman Colosseum, where Christians would later be martyred. 

Then followed; the anti-Semite John Chrysostom, leader of the Roman Church in the 4^th Century who wrote eight sermons that incited hatred toward the Jews by labelling them "Christ killers." This evil brand has followed the Jewish people ever since.

Then came; the nine campaigns, known as the Crusades that span the years 1096 through 1272. The Crusaders on their way through Europe to liberate the Holy Land from the "infidels" slaughtered entire Jewish communities numbering tens of thousands.

The Spanish inquisition in 1480, where thousands of Jews were burnt alive and manuals printed to assist the Spanish people in identifying Jewish families in order to drive them out of Spain. In 1492 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella issued the edict of expulsion of ALL the Jews!

God’s Word says clearly in… Genesis 12:3, "I will BLESS those who bless you (Israel) and CURSE those who curse you (Israel)!

Ironically, a recent publication of the Jerusalem Centre of Public Affairs released a quote from Al Qaeda, "the next goal is to "liberate" Spain from the "infidels." Islamists sees anyone who is NOT Muslim as "infidels."

A similar outcome has appeared in the British Empire… The British were hailed at its peak (1922) with a quote that "the sun never sets on the British!"

In Hebrew the word "British" means "Brit = covenant and "ish" = man, so combined: "covenant man." God entrusted the British in 1947 - 48 with His Covenant of promise to restore to the Jewish people their Biblical homeland, as the British mandate gave the British power over what was then called Palestine. Britain opposed and attempted to thwart the rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation with her own state. At first the British plan was for a large portion of the land of Palestine for the Jewish people… but then under pressure from Arab States they decided to re-divided the proposed land to appease the Arab’s… and out of this the land of Jordan was born (Transjordan). Considering the fact that there was NEVER a land called Palestine in the Bible. And, there never was a West Bank; God calls it Judea and Samaria. God’s Biblical land for Israel was the complete land of Palestine and much more.

Let’s look at a statement from the late Derek Prince who lived in Israel… "From that very moment in history, the British Empire underwent a process of decline and disintegration so RAPID and TOTAL that it cannot be accounted for by the relevant political, military or economic factors. Today less than a generation later Britain – like Spain - is a struggling second rate power!

The pages of world history bear witness to this fact: every nation or empire that has persecuted or tried to destroy the Jewish people or attempted to take the land of Israel has been CURSED by God Almighty.

Jews LOVE Jerusalem - Arab’s WANT Jerusalem! It is true that King David took Jerusalem to unite the nation religiously (2 Samuel 5:1-9; 1 Chronicles 11:1-9)… but what happened when the great empires marched over "little" Israel as a footpath when they were waging war on each other and other opponents? Assyria, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Romans treated Israel as a side issue on the world stage, as they fought for global domination. In all that time, Jews remained in the land, and for a short while under Roman occupation the Jews were exiled from Jerusalem… But back they came.

Why do not the northern Iraqis (ancient Assyrians) wish to immigrate to Israel today, in order to "reclaim" an ancient land? Why do not the Egyptians today immigrate to Israel? Why not southern Iraqis (ancient Babylonians)? Greeks? Italians? During all the long history of the holy city and land, Jews alone returned, while others remained… the remnant. The Palestinians have a "mystical" claim on Jerusalem… But, if any people have a claim on Jerusalem, it is Jews - it is theirs "Biblically!" 

After an assortment of Islamic dynasties fought with each other and the Byzantines, eventually Israel became a mere outlying province (not an independent state or nation) of Turkey for centuries, until this Islamic country fought on the wrong side in World War I. They forfeited their ownership to the victors – the British. Then in 1948 the ancient land of Israel became an independent Jewish nation with UN approval, thus restoring the land to its historical owners. Again the Jews returned to their land and city, though some had never left … the remnant.

What is left of these nations? Where are Pharaoh and his mighty army? Where are the Babylonians? Where are the Assyrians? Where is the Ottoman Empire? Where are Adolph Hitler and his Nazi regime? They are as though they have never been – buried in the grave-yard of history!

Where are Israel and the Jewish people? They are alive and well, thriving and prospering in their covenant land just as God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in His prophetic blessing, written and recorded for all eternity in the Book of Genesis.

The antiquity of the Jewish people… Israel is one of the oldest countries in the world, and, paradoxically, also one of the youngest! It is the only country to have been reborn out of antiquity, revived after a struggle as dramatic as any recorded in the Old Testament. The Jews are the only people to have been scattered throughout the world, bitterly persecuted by most powers for over 2,000 years, and yet gathered together into a nation once again. Israel's language (Hebrew) is the only speech to have been resurrected from a dead language to a living, virile, modern one. The nation exists on a strip of land so narrow that on most maps its name must be printed outside its borders. Yet it possesses more historic and religious sites of significance to the world than any other country. Compressed into those narrow borders is a microcosm of the whole world, for the average Israeli, or his parent, have migrated from any of more than a hundred different lands. To live in Israel is like living in a pressure-cooker; it is always under tension. Yet the nation continues to expand and develop more rapidly than other larger countries… and yet is safe under God’s protection. It is a nation where the almost miraculous becomes the normal!

God’s Word is alive… When the Lord brought the children of Israel into the land, He told them that He was bringing them into a "good land" and He chose the location of Israel. He is watching to see how the nations and how we are treating His people that He has brought back to the land. Are we going to side with the enemies of Israel which are also the enemies of Israel? Or will we as Christians be obedient and trust Him… and believe the Bible, the true and only Word of God?

If God promised the Jewish people that after a time He would bring them back… we must unconditionally stand with them even if it is not politically correct to do so, as we would much rather be Biblically correct… and please God Almighty who knows the final outcome of Israel and all of us too.

We are a privileged generation…The olive tree with its gnarled roots inviting Christians to be grafted in. Things, about which our parents and grandparents could only dream about, read about or pray about… we get to do!

First and foremost we get to fulfill the Biblical injunction that says; "Get you up unto the land, and walk the length and breadth of it!"

Today in the 21^st Century, every pilgrim can come to the Holy Land and walk the length and breadth of it and to wander, and to pray at the very sites wherein the BIBLE unfolded. So also are we today able to study the life and times of Yeshua (Jesus) on location, from the shores of the Sea of Galilee where echoes of history rise as a lacy cloud in the air to the amazing atmosphere of the Holy City of Jerusalem and where faint words of prayer hang in the air around the Western Wall and the ancient olive trees of the Garden of Gethsemane. Time simply is frozen!

King David commanded all believers in… Psalm 122: 6–7 "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem; ‘May they proper who love you. Peace be within your walls; prosperity within your palaces.’" Look at the blessings that come to the Christian who honours this command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Here again the Word of God thunders, "May they prosper who love you." That prosperity is a personal prosperity, just as Abraham received. The blessing is personal! God mandates us to bless the Jewish people and promises personal blessings to those who obey Him.

The power of the Prophetic Blessing concludes with "Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces." This is the Scriptural pathway to prosperity – not merely in a financial or material sense… but an abiding assurance of God’s favour, provision, and protection.

Again, let us quote Derek Prince who was a lover and defender of Israel; "A challenging, Scriptural pattern of this kind of praying is provided by Daniel, who set himself to pray three times a day with his window open toward Jerusalem. Daniel’s prayers so disturbed Satan and threatened his kingdom that he used the jealousy of evil men to bring a change in the laws of the Persian Empire that would make Daniel’s prayers illegal.

On the other hand, praying for Jerusalem meant so much to Daniel that he preferred to be cast into the lion’s den rather than give up his prayer for the peace of Jerusalem." (Daniel 6:10)

It is a matter of historical record that if Jerusalem is at peace the world is at peace. If Jerusalem is at war, then the world is at war. (Isaiah 62:1) Today the winds of war are blowing over the Middle East. If Iran is allowed to become a nuclear nation, Israel will be at war, and that war will engulf the earth. When we are praying for the peace of Jerusalem we are praying for peace in South Africa, Europe, America and entire world. In fact when we are praying for the "peace of Jerusalem" we are also praying for the Second Coming of the Lord as there will never be peace until the Prince of Peace returns!

Have peace in knowing that the God who keeps Israel never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121) and know that the Lord will fight for you too… the Lord’s ways are NOT our ways but in the end, He WILL bless you in such a manner that only He can get the glory, for all will know that He is the Lord that blesses you.

We hope that you enjoy and become more informed by our work. We serve an awesome God and we are humbled by this opportunity to bring you this information. With Shalom to you and your family always,

Alf & Julie Saunders

15^th February, 2013

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