Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

I (God) say then, have they (the Jewish people) stumbled that they should never fall? Certainly NOT!" In this scripture the Apostle Paul is saying that there is NO way that God has "cut off" the Jewish people from His; "blessings, love, mercy, or His Eternal Covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob …and the land of Israel. When God sent the Jews into exile in 70 A.D., He promised that He would someday bring them back into their Land – His Land …and this happened just as God promised that He would do! On  the 14^th May, 1948 when exiles were gathered from the four corners of the earth God brought them back to their Land of Covenant that He given them …and when it happened the Prophetic Clock began to "tick loudly!" This month on the 14^th May - Israel celebrates Independence Day and 76 Years of rebirth into their Land.

Israel is God’s MIRACLE and Prophetic Timeline for all the Nations! The Prophet Amos makes it very clear that when the Jewish people return from exile, they will “NEVER be uprooted again!” God has NEVER abandoned nor has He replaced Israel! “I (God) will bring back the captives (exiled) of My (God) people Israel; They (Jews) shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They (Jews) shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They (Jews) shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.” – Amos 9:14-15. And, when Yeshua (Jesus Christ) our Jewish Messiah returns; first for His Bride the true Church at the Rapture (Harpazo) or “catching away” in the clouds - then He will return again at His Second Coming as Messiah and “King of kings” …and is going to identify with the Jewish people (who are also His Brethren) and WILL deal with the Nations on how they have treated His Nation and people Israel! Yeshua (Jesus) will introduce Himself as; “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.” - Revelation 5:5

When we put our faith in our Redeemer and Saviour who came through the Jews, …we enter into a line of those    “Righteous Among the Nations” who have trusted God according to His revealed grace and redemptive purpose and stood with His Brethren in Israel. Before Israel became a Nation Corrie Ten Boom (and her family) and Oscar Schindler …stood bravely for what was right during the Holocaust in WW11, as Nazi Germany and other parts of the world turned “a blind eye” refusing to see the “genocide of Jews” that was taking place during 1941-1945! Those that stood with the Jews by far were a minority and were acting on their own. Today, we are witnessing great persecution once more for the Jews as “anti-Semitism” and “Jew Hatred” has increased to the level not ever seen since the Holocaust!

We must always remember that which is NOT of God WILL be removed or replaced and will NEVER reappear again! Only what is of God WILL stand… Replacement Theology says; God has replaced Israel with the Church and that is absolutely wrong and totally against the Word of God! The Church at its inception on the Day of Pentecost - 2,000 Years ago in Jerusalem and was virtually entirely Jewish, and remained so until the Gospel began to spread to Antioch (Turkey) where the first Gentile congregation began the base from which the Gospel spreads into all the world. The Jews were the “first-fruit” and the “first people” (through Abraham) able to understand the Covenant God YHVH  Yahweh. They then relayed the riches of that truth to the world, and through their agency the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) came into the world.

The Word of God calls Jews “the root” and Gentiles “the branches.” We’re reminded that; “because of their unbelief, some of them (Jews) were broken off and as Christians and true believers we stand by faith …AND, are NOT to become “haughty (proud/conceited) BUT to remain humble and  to “fear God” as this could happen to us too - “the grafted-in branches;” “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.” When the fullness of the Gentiles is completed, “all Israel will be saved.”  - Romans 11:16-27. The Church partakes of the covenants and promises given to remnant Israel …and as believers MUST “identify” with permanent Israel. Messianic believers (Jews) together with Gentile believers form the; “One New Man” in Christ!

God has NOT replaced the Jewish people as we see in Revelation 7, He chooses 144,000 Jews to be witness for Him in the Tribulation… Why would God use a people if they were cast aside? The first thing our Lord will do in His Millennial Kingdom is the judgment of Nations (Matthew 25) …and the purpose for that is to punish all Nations who abuse the Jewish people. If God has cast away the Jews, then why would He judge the Nations for doing what they have done to Israel? We truly believe that as the Church of true believers rises up and stands with Israel, prays for Israel, supports Israel, and recognizes them according to God’s Word – the Bible – then they would have the anointing and power to turn entire Nations to Yahweh God!

We are so very grateful to all our precious, Partners at Pray4Zion who unconditionally love, pray for, stand with us to support Israel during this difficult time of WAR and great need. Israelis are facing attacks from all direction and they still have to attend to their families. Pray4Zion for the past 17-Years is a great blessing to Messianic Congregation, School, Creche, IDF Soldiers, Widows and Orphans, Holocaust Survivors …and simply help families meeting daily needs of survival.

The Bible is divided into three areas; Israel, the Church, and the Nations and they are separately dealt with. When God removed “Sodom and Gomorrah” …it has never been relocated and is believed to be at the bottom of the Dead Sea! Israel is the ONLY Nation that was created by the Sovereign act of Almighty God, with clear boundaries and recorded in God’s Word – The Bible! God created Israel and God defends Israel! Look at the “miracle” that just recently happened on the 14^th April, 2024  Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of deadly missiles, suicide drones and rockets that were spear-headed towards Israel! ALL were intercepted but one fell at the Dead Sea in Israel and caused NO injuries. History records the Nations that have fought against Israel and are no longer; i.e. Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Crusaders, Ottoman Empire, etc.

All Nations who try to destroy God’s Land, Israel or “divide Jerusalem” WILL be judged by God (Obadiah 1:15; Joel 3:1-2). This is a DIRE warning for ALL …especially the ANC Government and their delegation …and Islamic cohorts whom they sent to ICJ Court on the 26^th January, 2024 …and in fact for the Nations who had joined South Africa with their so-called “genocide” case against Israel! This hatred against Israel was an attack against God, Himself! They went against Israel for merely defending its people against Hamas terrorist heinous attack of the 07^th October, 2023. Israel did NOT start this WAR against Hamas in Gaza! The terrorists came into Israel from Gaza together with recruited Gazan civilians, UNWRA, …and what they did was Satanic and so cruel to innocent Israeli citizens, they attacked the very innocent babies, children, youth, families, and the elderly …ALL unable to defend themselves. Israel is today still defending God’s Land and its people from being “wiped out” and sadly the world has just like in the time of the Holocaust of WW11 turned their backs upon Israel and instead march in protests agreeing with the Hamas terrorists!

It is NO wonder that South Africa before 1994 was a blessed Nation as its governments all supported God’s Land, Israel! South Africa was prosperous and bordering 1^st World Nation and had the best infrastructure, army, police, hospitals, airports, railway, roads, and low unemployment, etc., BUT, after the ANC took control, they immediately turned from Israel! We believe the land began to mourn with Israel …and fall into utter deterioration! South Africa today become a haven for illegals, Islam, thieves, crime, murder, rape, unsafe, and clearly …we see God’s Hand of blessing removed! (Zechariah 2:8; Gensis 12:3; Deuteronomy 30:7; Jeremiah 30:20)

Did you know that South Africans even went to help the first (IAF) Air Force in Israel? In 1948, when the newly founded Nation of Israel came under siege from a coalition of Arab states, a band of volunteer airmen from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and South Africa arrived to help. They were a small group, fewer than 150. Many were World War II veterans; most of them knowingly violated their Nations’ embargoes on the shipment of arms and aircraft to Israel. The airmen risked everything; careers, citizenship, and lives to fight for Israel! You see their heroic actions just like what Corrie ten Boom and Oscar Schindler did for God’s people will always be remembered. God truly will bless those who bless Israel even when their government does not! We must remain Biblically correct …and NOT be politically correct! We will all be judged for our own deeds!

Israel is the Lord’s Land, and it belongs to Him so He can assign it whom He wants  …and dispose of it - if He so chooses …NO man has any right : “The land shall NOT be sold permanently, for the land is Mine (God speaking)” - Leviticus 25:23. The land of Israel does NOT belong to Palestinians NOR is to be “divided” by any Nation! The Land belongs to God and He has given it to the Jewish people as long as there are; seasons, a sun, a moon, or stars in the Heavens! Those who say Israel should be “divided” are actually at WAR with God. The general attitude of the world today regards Arabs called; Palestinians as “the underdog,”

To stand with Israel is NOT to oppose Arab peoples as an entity NOR to oppose the rights of Arabs living in Israel who want to live a peaceful, politically secure, and prosperous life… There are Palestinian Arabs who don’t agree with their leaders or Hamas or any other radical terrorist groups. Did you also know that there are Palestinian Arabs who are believers in Yeshua (Jesus Christ) in Israel (we personally know this) and some even fight alongside the IDF against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian terrorists. BUT these Arab believers are small in number in comparison to the Radical Islamists that infiltrated the Westbank (Judea and Samaria), East Jerusalem and in; Bethlehem, Shechem (Ramallah), Hebron, Jericho, and Nazareth! God has no bias against anyone! Standing for Israel doesn’t require us to anti-Arab. Radical Islam is a pagan religion that is anti-God, anti-Israel, anti-Christian, and anti-Bible! Islam started in Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia, during the time of their prophet Muhammad and only in 610 A.D.

Israel is under attack from its enemies and is defending the LAND Covenanted to them by YHVH Yahweh, God… Israel’s rebirth began way back in 1897 - 1917 and finally established by the United Nations Assembly in 1948. Israel was born in ONE day just as God said it would happen; “Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, her children will be born." - Isaiah 66:7-8. Israel was born in one day on May 14, 1948. NO other country can claim this! A people usually fight wars and then become a Nation but Israel became a Nation and has had to fight wars to protect their Nation …and still continues to do so!  “Lord, You have been favourable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.“ – Psalm 85:1-2.

The “Palestinian goal” is NOT to secure a homeland but to drive Israel out altogether! For they believe that if Israel did NOT exist then the “Jewish Messiah” (our Messiah – Yeshua) will NOT be able to return to Jerusalem. And, also because of mounting public opinion coming against Israel. The surrounding, well-resourced Arab Nations have NEVER offered any refuge to Palestinians …even though most originate from Arab Nations sharing the same Islamic religion and beliefs. The majority of the world doesn’t know this, as NOT many are even bothering to tell this truth. Why?  Because of “sympathies” for “so-called Palestinian refugees” are so overridden by their hatred for Jews. Palestinians are merely “pawns” used by their leaders for “financial gain” from the Western World and so their lives are less important to them than the financial donations! And so today we can see this clearly in Gaza where they have had always to rely on Israel for work, food, electricity etc. They keep saying that they hate Jews because of “settlements” and that Jews stole their land …so WHY were Muslims massacring Jews BEFORE 1948 when the State of Israel was created?

Why should we stand with Israel today? We are living in a sobering moment time in history that calls us, as Judeo-Christian believers in Yeshua (Jesus Christ), to take a stand with Israel. We are living in End-times and are possibly the people of the Last hour. We are NOT to be passive in the face of Israel’s role in Prophecy, as we are called to pray with passion, intercede for Israel. This is NOT about politics; this is all about the Bible - the Word of God even more so  now in these times of extremely difficulty. Scripture declares there WILL come a time when ALL the nations of the world WILL turn against Israel including Israel’s best ally America.

Could we now be seeing it happening with this MAJOR war that Israel is facing …the worst since 1948? Time will Tell! It’s so highly conceivable this could be us true Judeo-Christian believers who love the God of Israel, His Land and His people (the Jews); called to speak up, stand with and support Israel! It is critical to outline WHY we should stand with Israel today as it separates those who do and those who don’t! Have you every wondered WHY does Israel draw out the best and the worst in the Nations? We believe that God has it exactly that way. Israel - the Jewish Nation, is designed “to test and expose” the hearts of mankind just like “a threshing floor” she sifts our souls!

Every believer is charged to make Israel and the Jews a priority in their value system because God has selected a people by selecting a man named Abraham. The Lord said that; “through the seed of Abraham” (in relationship with his wife, Sarah, giving birth to the promised child, Isaac) ALL the Nations of the Earth will be blessed…every human being having access to the “divine blessing” of Almighty God. And, this relates NOT only to “a people” (the Jews), but it also relates to “a land” (Israel).The Lord chose them for purposes: “…who are the Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” - Romans 9:4.

Scripture speaks to us very clearly that we are dealing with “the roots” of everything that has to do with the Revelation of God to humankind... The proof of this is in the very existence of the Jews as a people and the fact that they’ve been recovered as a Nation. Today the struggle is over Jerusalem, over Israel, and over the presence of Jews and their right to have a land. There are few Nations willing to make an abiding commitment to stand by the Jews and Israel! The Bible says God will honour those who do! God will also honour EVERYONE who stands with Israel even us as individuals who do so when our government doesn’t …or even when putting restrictions on us for doing so! Pray4Zion WILL continue alongside our Partners to be a blessing…and especially in these Last Days when it has become so difficult to even say so!

There are so many examples in the Bible of God blessing, protecting, and providing for ALL who stand with His people and His Land Israel… Remember this very important fact; the Jewish people do NOT occupy the LAND of Israel – they OWN it (Genesis 15:18-21, 17:7-8). When God made a pledge to the Jewish people that; “He (God) that keepeth (keeps) Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep!” – Psalm 121:4. “Keepeth” is a military term meaning “to defend or protect!” There are major battles in the Bible to do with God defending the Jewish people wo are the “…the apple of His eye.” – Zechariah 2:8. Any Nation or group of people, or Nations that tried to eliminate Israel was “wiped out” by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the God of Israel!

In the Book of Esther, we read that when Haman plotted to kill the Jews in Persia (Modern day - Iran), he and his sons were hung from the same gallows that they had built to hang the Jews and Mordecai. God was watching! Many of the Jews in the world today at this point in history lived in Persia. For them to have been annihilated would have hindered the purposes of God. You see, God saw to it that Haman - the architect of this evil scheme would die exactly the way he planned for the Jews. Today we have another “Haman” in the form of “Hamas” …and Radical Islam! They want to annihilate the Jews entirely BUT won’t be able to do so!

The same spirit driving these hostilities are equally opposed to Christians as to Jews …and in time WILL eventually bring persecution to both! Just as Scripture states there are “two witnesses” that will be put to death in Jerusalem at the very END of time (Revelation 11), …there have been “two witnesses” that have stood for the God of the Bible throughout history and they are “Jews and Christians!” The dislike and opposition are just as levelled at believers in Yeshua (Jesus Christ) as they are at Jews and  Israel, Why? Because there is a “spirit of Antichrist” in the world that is against all that is of Yahweh - God and everything about His Holy Word - the Bible. Today, the “showdown” that we face …is so close to being the Nations of the Earth against Israel …and whoever is left that stands with them!

God will allow Israel to serve as a strategic point of division in these Last Days! Long ago, God picked a spot-on earth to put His Name FOREVER (2 Chronicles 33:7; 1 Kings 9:5) …and that place is Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah (today inhabited by Muslim Mosque) which served for Centuries as a “threshing floor.” A threshing floor is a place where ‘wheat is sifted” from chaff by repeatedly tossing both in the air to separate the wheat from the chaff! Later King David purchased the “threshing floor” and “built an altar” on it (2 Samuel 24:15-25) and on this precise plot of “real estate” where God put His Name on in Jerusalem is where David’s son King Solomon constructed Israel’s 1^st  Holy Temple. This is today known as the “Temple Mount!”

Is this Temple Mount in Jerusalem any less a “threshing floor” in our day than when David bought it 3,000 years ago? This dry and dusty hilltop “sifts” Nations through their contest over control. And, little wonder …for here is where our Lord Yeshua (Jesus) WILL return in splendour to Rule and Reign …something His enemies are scrambling to prevent! This tiny piece of land – the Temple Mount will prove the ultimate testing ground, the place where our Messiah, Yeshua …and the Antichrist  …and followers of BOTH will someday very soon be exposed. This same site should be called “a Spiritual testing ground” – “ground zero” rendering Jerusalem and the rest of Israel a “test zone” for all who will come against Israel and surround her! Yes, for believers it’s “a test” that God wants us to pass, because it’s “a test of love” for His land and people! You see, Israel is ALL about God and if we know Him as the God of Israel, our hearts beat with Him for His people (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

God’s timeless, Prophetic Word on Israel pulsates with this 21^st Century timelines. We cannot say that we love the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) and NOT support His Brethren! Sadly, today even some Churches are being deceived and mis-representing the Jewish people through the Liberal Media and sympathetic speeches for suffering “Palestinians” …except the sufferings are caused by their own leaders and not Israel. They do NOT share the truth and most have NEVER set foot in Israel where things are not what is seen on Western television. Antisemitism is a sin as it invokes murder!

God takes NO delight in the suffering of His people NOR the death of humanity and despite everything WAR is eminent for Israel... The WARS Israel has already fought began immediately when Israel became a Nation again in: 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 and currently fighting in 2024 is another MAJOR sign! Could Psalm 83 war of surrounding Nations be ahead – some say it has been fought already? Definitely Isaiah 17 lies ahead as Iran controlling Syria in the North of Israel …and someday soon Damascus will be “a ruinous heap” …according to Biblical Prophecy. The War of Ezekiel 38/39 lies ahead for Israel as well as Jacob’s Trouble. In these End-time Days, God is in control and will punish those who come against Jerusalem! (Zechariah 12:9)

The 3^rd Temple will indeed be rebuilt as the Jews aim to construct it on its original – Biblical site. It is presently holding Islamic shrines …BUT the Temple Mount is soon going to become an Inrernational target of control and controversy. And, it must be so, for the Temple Mount is an ALTAR, a place of “sacrifice” and an “altar” …on which the world would eventually “sacrifice” Israel!

Richard Bonhoeffer once wrote; “When Christ calls a man – He bids him come and die!” Blessing the Jewish Nation and people in our day may come at a cost. For some the cost may be great – even martyrdom. Jim Elliott a Missionary Martyr said; “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose!” Truly, we have learnt that the more a sacrifice costs …the more blessing it tends to release! The more Pray4Zion supports Israel the more we see God’s amazing blessing to us - NO matter what the government says or does! The more we give ourselves to the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) the more He gives Himself to us …and we discover that whatever was loss for the sake of being obedient is profit for the work of God’s Kingdom!

Our Messiah is coming for a “spotless” Bride whose love for Him is stronger than death! We in the Western Nations have experienced little serious persecution for our faith BUT things are changing! Israel knows suffering, persecution of Jews and true hardship even when it doesn’t look like it to the world! As the Messiah’s return draws closer Israel has more wars to face and the warfare will only escalate! Evil and righteousness are maturing together until “the harvest” just as Yeshua (Jesus) said in Matthew 13:30. In these times of great persecution, many may die for their faith (as we see in Israel) and for others – the Lord stays the hand of torturers and executioners. “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.” – Isaiah 66:10. Unspeakable delights wait for us as we “weep into Heaven’s tear bottle” - over Jerusalem, Israel!

We most sincerely believe that God WILL bless you for your faithfulness and love for His land and chosen people. God’s Word is true! He IS watching to see how the Nations are treating His people. God will have mercy on Israel through Gentile believers acting as mediators towards them. This is one of the most amazing revelations ever given to the Church – an opportunity to do something that carries the highest priority in the heart of God. Yet, sadly, so few have seen the potential and the rewards of serving God in this manner - as agents of mercy to Israel and the Jewish people! Israel was and still is despised today and a despised Nation continually turning away from God …BUT nothing ever altered the purpose of God for that Nation. The "despised element" is always a noticeable element in the purpose of God. When the Saviour of the world came, He came of that "despised Nation" (and just like Israel) He Himself was "…despised and rejected by men." And there is that despised element; "…things that are despised God has chosen," - 1 Corinthians 1:28.

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

01st May, 2024

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