Shalom Partner and Friend of Israel,

Ask anyone this question; "Who wants to be blessed?" Naturally, everyone WILL raise their hands …But NOW ask; "Who wants to be cursed?" NO hands will go up! God’s Promise to Abraham was and still is: "I (God) WILL bless those who bless you (Israel), I (God) and curse those who curse you (Israel)." - Genesis 12:3. Now look carefully at this verse of Scripture! What does it mean "to bless?" Approximately 4,000 years ago God made a Covenant Promise to Abraham (Genesis 11:10-26). Abraham means; "Father of a Multitude!" God made Abraham and through his seed; Isaac and Jacob …to be the father of a multitude of Nations …and God Promised Abraham, a Land, a seed, a Nation (Israel), blessings, and divine protection.

The Hebrew word "to BLESS" is "baruch," which comes from the root word "barak" and denotes; spiritual and physical enrichment, abundant in quality and/or quantity because of the posture of the heart. The word "Barak" literally means; "to kneel," giving honour, preference, deference and service to another. God WILL personally BLESS, restore individuals and/or Nations with; "fruitfulness and prosperity, spiritually and physically," …that give honour and preference to Israel, the descendants of Abraham …by offering her a helping hand, because they have conditioned their heart towards Israel’s God! Israel was and still is the Nation and PROMISE of God Himself. It has always been, it is now, and it WILL always remain so! Our choice as "grafted-in" Gentile Judea Christian believers are to either "bless or curse" Israel AND the God of Israel determines our fate, as individuals and as Nation.

What it means to “CURSE?” The Hebrew word for “curse” is “arar;” it means; to bind with a spell, to hem in with obstacles, to render powerless to resist. The word used to curse thee is “qalal;” it means; “to be small, to be lessened, to be insignificant, of small worth, execrate, and to bring a curse upon oneself!” When these thoughts are united it paints a disturbing picture. “Those who “curse you” (Israel) connote one who would; “impose a barrier, belittle, hate and call down judgment on Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob. The verse could be translated; “The one who treats you lightly, stops you from fulfilling your calling, belittles you. The words, ‘I must curse’, denotes spiritual and physical misfortunes which gives way to utter misery and despair, for God Himself is doing the judging and pronouncing the curse upon the individual and/or nation.” In summary it could be said, the one who curses Israel, God binds them in their own curses that renders them powerless to resist their own destruction that they have chosen!

God NEVER wanted the "blessing" of Israel kept a secret… The same Prophetic principle of blessing also promises "cursing" BUT God would rather bless than curse! The choice is ours! Since God NEVER goes back on His Promises …think about this for a moment – "Could the blessing of Israel or even at times the lack thereof still proves undoubtedly be KEY in God’s dealings with humanity? We are convinced without doubt it does – on every level from Nations to individuals! We honestly can say this as we have testimony after testimony over the 18 years just how God has blessed Pray4Zion and partners who love and faithfully support Israel. So how does blessing Israel relate to what God is doing on earth today in your life? Our Lord warned us in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 …that "good" and "evil" would increase as this Age draws to a close as we watch unprecedented upheaval and Kingdom conflict as we see this battle focusing more than ever before on the tiny Nation of God – Israel, involving ALL Nations! The Word of God clearly wants us

Why does Israel draw the best and the worst in us? The Jewish Nation is designed to test and expose the hearts of humanity – like a threshing floor she sifts our souls! To "Bless" OR "Curse" reveals the soul! Why are some individuals blessed, and others cursed when it comes to the subject of Israel and her God? It appears that through the course of history God has used Israel as a point of division in the souls of men "to test and expose" the inner thoughts of their heart. God’s sifting process divulges a person’s position in life, and it ultimately reveals if they stand for God or against Him - it forges one’s fate and destiny. It’s like standing at a "crossroad" and deciding which way to turn – right or left! We MUST choose God’s way and not the world’s way! You see, we are at a time of history where we will have to make decisions. We will have to choose! In the Book of Ruth, we can see that there are two decisions clearly described Prophetically through the two Moabite women: Orpah and Ruth. Though they were of Gentile origin, both had been married into the people of God through the family line of Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem in Judah. But the two sisters-in-law acted very differently.

Tragically, most Christians do NOT understand how blessed we are because of the Jewish people… as it is NOT taught in most Churches today! Many believers in Yeshua (Jesus) in the world NOT only don’t understand WHY they should stand with and support Israel …but some even openly take a stand against her and stand for and with the enemies of Israel as we clearly have seen with the Hamas in Gaza and Iran’s attack on 7 October 2023. Is this little country of Israel perfect? Of course not! But perfection was NEVER a pre-requisite for God’s love for Israel and His people. Quite the contrary! The Word of God commands us to; "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." - Psalm 122.

Pray4Zion WILL always STAND upon God’s Word! It is Biblically correct to financially bless God’s Land and people in Israel …especially more so now after the evil, cruel attacks upon His chosen people. Many have lost everything in difficult days of great "HATRED" for God’s Chosen people – the Jews! This hatred for Israel and the Jews (and Christians too) is because it reminds them of the God of Israel – YHVH the God of the Bible. Never over past 77-Years has it been worse for Israel since it’s re-birth in 1948. Israelis are today fighting a WAR against extreme darkness and EVIL …such that the world has NEVER seen in our lifetime! We are so grateful to ALL our Pray4Zion Partners for standing firm with and for Israel. Thank you for supporting needs in Israel during this time of WAR as we cannot do this without you; "May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." – Ruth 2:12.

The very first reason to ask WHY care about Israel? Is simply because the Lord God commands us to do so! And the Second reason to care about the Jewish people is because God loves them! Salvation came to everyone Yeshua (Jesus) our Jewish Mesiah …and the Church born on Pentecost through the Jewish people. You see, NOT only did Salvation come via the Jewish people …but through their rejection of the Messiah; "…what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" - Romans 11:15. The Jewish Leaders during Christ’s time had rejected their Messiah when Yeshua came to give His life for ALL our sins. Multitudes of Jews had followed Him and believed in Him BUT the authorities and religious leaders of that time, in their corruption, did NOT understand what was happening! Yet the promise of Scripture is that someday; "All Israel will be saved," - Romans 11:26. This national salvation WILL be a turning point for the ENTIRE world in a capacity NEVER seen before as Israel’s appointed destiny is "to be a light and blessing to the world!" Reason number three to stand with Israel is because the FUTURE of the world depends on it and for us, for our families, for our friends, for our Nations – Israel’s Salvation is the KEY, and the Gentiles have an instrumental role in that Salvation through the Church!

In Romans 11 Paul warns the Gentile believers about the following.

1. Do NOT be arrogant towards the Jewish people. (v.18)

2. Understand that you do NOT support the root, but the root supports you. (v. 18)

3. You have been grafted into their olive tree. (v. 24)

4. Do NOT be conceited, but fear (v. 20)

5. If God did NOT spare the Jewish people, neither will he spare you if you do NOT continue in faith. (v. 21)

6. The Jewish people will one day be grafted back into their own tree. (v. 24)

7. The Jewish people's blindness is only partial and only temporary. (v. 25)

Paul goes on to write in Romans 11:28-31 about the destiny of the Church; "As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you."

In their service, the Jewish people have a message for the world… and it is said that THEY ARE the message because their very existence speaks of a Sovereign and Faithful God …who has miraculously preserved them throughout the Centuries! A Jewish presence, like the Biblical "scapegoat" is an ongoing reminder to "the kingdoms of this world" …that NOT only does the Almighty God – YHVH (Yahweh) – God of Israel exist, but the Bible is also the true Word of God AND that God is Sovereign keeping His Eternal Promises to Israel!

If we want to know God and His ways more intimately then we must understand His Will and plan for Israel! We as believers need to understand Israel during times of "peace" and times of "war." God wants us to understand the "times and seasons" that we are living in this Last Day Generation …in relation to His Covenant people and Land! Our beloved King Yeshua (Jesus) wants to grow His Church – the Bride of Christ in preparation to His soon coming and He is doing this through His own Brethren – the Jews! Now is the time to know …and grasp hold of the Lord as the – God of Israel – is our God too!

"Your people WILL be My people!" The Biblical story of Ruth is much more than the beautiful love story of King David’s great-grandparents… Ruth is a symbol of every Gentile (non-Jewish) who has ever come to faith through Israel’s God. The words of this Moabitess to her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi; "Your People WILL be my people and your God my God" - Ruth 1:16 …are still ringing in the hearts of every non-Jew who believes in Boaz and Ruth’s promised Son, Messiah – who would come down their linage. Every Gentile believer has come from the land of famine to the spiritual realm of abundance in that Name – Yeshua (Jesus). Even our Lord’s reference to Himself as "the bread of Life" leans back to this ancient story to say nothing of the fact that Yeshua was born in the shadow of the very fields where Ruth was gleaning just outside Beth-Lehem (House of Bread).

As the Church understands the Prophetic times in which we are living in, we WILL become better partners with God in hastening the fulfilment! There is no future or destiny for the Church apart from Israel! Ruth saw this Prophetically! She had received the Word of God from Naomi and through FAITH she understood that God would be faithful to fulfil ALL His Promises to Naomi's people even though Naomi herself could not believe it anymore. Life had been hard for Naomi and her trials so severe that she changes her name to “Mara” (meaning bitter in Hebrew) Orpah, who started out with the same faith as Ruth, acted in unbelief and selfishness and is never heard of again! Non the less the story overflows with “revived” Prophetic unction through Ruth. This Gentile who believes in Israel’s God YHVH will NOT let go of the Jewish people, NO matter how embittered they seem. Ruth was not dissuaded as something tells her it is through and with the Jewish people that “blessing” will be hers! “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” – Ruth 2:12.

From the beginning the Gentiles received the Gospel from the Jewish people, and in the End-times the Jewish people will once again be the key to the Church's final reformation and restoration to become the Bride prepared for the Messiah… We confess personally and on behalf of the Church for Centuries of persecution of Jewish people, the Lord’s Brethren and become ardent intercessors on their behalf …looking for every opportunity "to bless" and NOT "curse" them. As true believers from every Nation foreshadowed in Ruth who was the non-Jewish great grandmother of King David. Though she did not come from the seed of Judah, she came fully into the heritage of Israel. BUT unlike the Church she did not bring her Gentile ways with her. She left her people (the world) and covenanted herself to Naomi’s people – the Jews …and committed herself to live and to die with Naomi people whose promises from Israel’s God became her promises too!

In our Generation the Spirit of God is blowing Israel back to her land and breathing new life into the Jewish hearts as they open to the good news of their Messiah who had come 2,000 years ago and is soon returning just as the Holy Spirit is connecting Judea-Christian believers to the Messianic Congregations in Israel more than ever before together as "One New Man" in Christ.  Yes, today Christians are Israel’s true friends from throughout the world.  We have come from "famine and have found "bread" in the house of our "Kinsman-Redeemer Boaz – Yeshua (Jesus Christ)!

Who Is Israel? It's time to remember that Jerusalem is NOT an imaginary City - BUT it is the Eternal Capital of Israel… both the ancient past …AND in our lifetime the Modern State of Israel. Jerusalem is referred to as the; “City of the Great King,” - Psalm 48:2, Matthew 5:35 …and it is where Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah is soon returning to reign from Jerusalem! Israel is NOT just a Nation on “a map” like the rest of the Nations of the World.  When we read the Word of God – the Bible, we learn that Israel is a people and Nation who is in Covenant with YHWH – God. Jacob, whose name was changed to ISRAEL after wrestling with YHWH - God, had 12 sons. (Genesis 32:25-33) and from his 12 sons came the 12 Tribes of Israel,(from Jewish people)

BUT through disobedience to YHWH, God - the 12 Tribes divided …the Northern 10 tribes became known as "Ephraim" or "Israel" and were scattered among the Nations AND the Southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin, "the Levites" were known as "Judah." The Prophecy of the two sticks joined together is found specifically in; Ezekiel 37:15-28. This Scripture passage is a significant component of Ezekiel's Prophecies concerning the restoration and reunification of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

The vision of the two sticks serves as a powerful symbol of hope and “divine” promise for the people of God… Furthermore, the vision of the two sticks is seen as a foreshadowing of the unity of the Church, composed of both Jews and Gentiles (One New Man), under the Lordship of Christ. This unity is a central theme in the New Testament, as expressed in Ephesians 2:14-16 where Paul speaks of Christ breaking down “the dividing wall” of hostility and creating one NEW man of Jew and Gentile believers. So, the Prophecy of the two sticks joined together in Ezekiel 37 is a profound testament to “God's Redemptive Plan” for His people. It serves as a reminder of the hope and restoration that God offers through His Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), ultimately pointing to the fulfillment of His Kingdom.

The 12-Tribes later inherited the Promised Land, which came to be known as Israel - GIVEN by God Himself to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 15:18-21). God tells the Israelites; “See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants after them.” - Deuteronomy 1:8. From this, it is unmistakably clear that the Land of Israel was divinely allocated to the Jewish people. They were the first organised Nation to settle and form a structured kingdom in that region.

Today Israel has become a major source of conflict in the Middle East, and particularly since 1948…. However, when history is examined objectively and traced back to the very roots and confirmed Biblically, it becomes clear …that the Jewish people ARE the original and rightful owners of the land …NOT their later foreign conquerors. You see, when the Romans eventually took control and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 BC and exiled most Jews then came the Romans, the Byzantines, the Muslims under various Islamic Caliphates, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks and finally the British who ALL held sway over the land until 1948 when God gave it back to the rightful owner – the Jews!

This clearly shows that the rebirth of Israel on 14 May 1948 was NOT “a political accident,” but it was the FULFILLMENT of “divine Prophecy and to the closing of “the times for the Gentile”Nations... The Jews have lived in the land of Israel in ancient times even though the majority of them left the land due to conquering powers leaving a “remnant” behind which sadly made way for the others to inhabit the land. Nevertheless, the Jews were given their land back, and so the Israel that is found in the Bible is the same Israel today!

The Bible foretold in Ezekiel 37 …the vision of “dry bones coming back to life,” and an exceedingly strong army which clearly speaks of today and symbolises the “restoration” of Israel so even Isaiah marveled: “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?” - Isaiah 66:8. The answer came in this “fig tree generation that began on May 14, 1948, when the State of Israel was proclaimed after 2,000 years! The “fig tree” has blossomed!

The Jews have indeed suffered greatly throughout history, perhaps NO more grievously than during the Holocaust, when 6-million were exterminated under Nazi Germany… Despite this pain, the Jewish people have remained resilient and faithful. Yet hatred toward them persists. It is time for the world to understand, through the Bible and Quran alike, that between the two main groups, the Jews were the first occupants of the land of Israel. Denying this is historically inaccurate. Through Messiah Yeshua, “the lost tribes” of Israel (Northern Kingdom) after dispersion (Jeremiah 31:20; Hosea 11:8-9) are being called “home” (aliyah – to Israel) from the Nations of the world! “Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.” - Ezekiel 11:17 

“If we Gentile Judeo-Christian believers belong to our Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) …then we too are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” “At that time, you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise... But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near.” – Ephesians 2:12-13. One flock - One Shepherd - One Covenant. One Torah (Bible). As the Book of Ezekiel says: two sticks coming together. So when we come to Yeshua (Jesus) and repent …and return to His ways, we are NOT joining a new religion. We are returning to our identity and we are grafted into Israel (Romans 11). We are part of a people chosen NOT by bloodline …but by God’s Covenant faithfulness! This is the GOOD news!

Yes, the Jews were once a scattered people across the Nations BUT in this Last Day Generation are being regathered ALL according to God’s Eternal Promise back to their Homeland - Israel…. Hardly anyone in the Generations of believers before 1948 could even imagine how and when God would bring the Jews would be back to ISRAEL according to His Eternal Biblical Promise! We are a privileged generation CALLED for “a time such as this” to be a part of what God is doing – to bless His people - Israel, financially support and pray for Jerusalem …and to stand with Israel even in the most difficult times. We are that Generation chosen by God and as His Church of Judea-Christian believers that WILL BLESS 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 August 2025

This can be done SECURELY through PAYPAL by clicking on "Make A Donation" LINK above or by visiting our Donations page where you will find the list of ministries where you can be a blessing to. Thank you for your love and support for God's chosen people (Ruth 2:12).

John Bunyan once said, "You have never lived successfully until you have done something for someone who can NEVER repay you!"