What Do Israel and Salmon Have in Common?

29 03 2023

Depositphotos_61604747_l-2015-migrating-salmon-jumping-fish-ladder-at-Issaquah-Hatchery

It is so exciting to plan this year’s Israel tour. I have always felt that a visit to Israel is like a salmon returning to it spawning grounds. The Bible clearly declares that “this one and that one were born in her”. You really feel like you were born there:

“HIS foundation is in the holy mountains. Yehovah loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God!      Selah

“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:

‘This one was born there.'” And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her;

And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” Yehovah will record, When He registers the peoples:

“This one was born there.”      Selah

Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”  Psalm 87

You are literally returning “to the rock from which you were hewn:”

“LISTEN to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek Yehovah: Look to the rock from which you were hewn,

And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you;

For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”

For Yehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of Yehovah; Joy and gladness will be found in it, 

Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”  Isaiah 51:1-3

As a non-Jewish believer in Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, I am so humbled to be included in the patriarchal blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. Much remains to be fulfilled in the future, but I rejoice now in the covenant promises fulfilled in Jesus. The restoration of the land and the regathering of the people is a miracle before our eyes. I stand with Israel as they celebrate 75 years as a modern nation this May.

God has turned the page from judgement to restoration, blessing, and favor for Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and wisdom for her leaders, especially Prime Minister Netanyahu. Pray that he can steer the ship of state through the rocky waters of internal politics at this time. Also, please continue to pray for rain for the land that the promise will be fulfilled that “the desert will blossom as a rose.”

This year in Jerusalem! September 5-15

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                      (Read more)


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Forget All That

21 03 2023

The Exodus and deliverance of Israel from Egypt was one of the greatest acts of God in history. Yet, He says to “Forget all that. It is nothing compared to what I am going to do!” The Exodus was nothing by contrast? Wow! Something great is happening with Israel.

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.”  Isaiah 43:18-21 NLT

Isaiah 43 is revealing Yehovah God’s promise and plan to restore His people in the end and forgive their sins. This is the restoration of Israel that we have seen for the last 75 years. His plan is that they will honor Him before the whole world. They have become one of the most powerful nations on earth. They have recently been recognized as the fourth happiest people on the planet! They were 12th two years ago, 9th last year, and fourth this year!

Of course this means that they will experience a great returning, not just to the land, but to Yehovah. They will come to see that Yeshua really is the Messiah and Son of Yehovah. Today, many in Israel are extremely secular, immoral, and many in unbelief. But this will change as God turns their hearts to Him. I pray for them and I pray for us as well. The refreshing of the Lord’s presence comes from repentance.

“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”  Isaiah 43:25 NLT

“But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,whom heaven must receive until the times of RESTORATION of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”  Acts 3:18-21

We are indeed living in the time of restoration. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for waters in the desert, and for rivers in the dry wasteland.

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                    (Read more)


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Lowest Point On Earth

14 03 2023

Float-in-the-Dead-Sea

Did you know the lowest place on earth is in Israel? Here is a brief description from my friend Barry Perez. I am excited to take a tour group in September and we will have a chance to float in the Dead Sea!

The Dead Sea is both the lowest point on earth at over 1,400 ft. below sea level, and the deepest hypersaline lake in the world at a depth of 2,600 ft. below sea level. It is also one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth, with a salinity of about 37%. It is twice as salty as the Great Salt Lake in Utah and 8.6 times as salty as the Atlantic Ocean. The high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms such as fish and aquatic plants from living in it.

Ezekiel prophesied that the Dead Sea would one day be teaming with life. There are recent reports of fish swimming in sinkholes of fresh water which have formed on the shores of the sea. These large freshwater sinkholes were discovered in 2011, are a result of dropping water levels. The Sinkholes are caused by fresh water running under the ground from nearby mountains are meeting the sediment layers and melting them. As a result, the sinkholes are teaming with fish and algae. The water has a salinity level less than 1.5% and is water you could drink. This is the beginning of the FULFILLMENT of Ezekiel’s PROPHECY:

“There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.”  Ezekiel 47:9-10 NLT

We will also visit En-gedi, where David hid from Saul in the caves near the waterfalls! Yehovah God is restoring both the land and the people of Israel.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and rains in season.

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists               (Read more)


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No Preconditions!

7 03 2023

This year Israel celebrates 75 years as a sovereign, democratic nation. For 75 years they have consistently professed the willingness to negotiate with the Palestinians with no preconditions. However, the Palestinians just as consistently demand preconditions before they will negotiate, such as Israeli concessions prior to even sitting down to talk. This pattern is not contested. But, now there is an internal debate in Israel about judicial reforms and the left wing opposition (Lapid and Gantz pictured above) are borrowing from the Palestinian playbook. As the reforms are proceeding through the Knesset, they demand talks and negotiations about the various reforms. Netanyahu’s government agrees to talks with no preconditions, but the left refuses to meet unless the Knesset freezes the process during the talks. They seem to forget that Israel just held an election where the right had a resounding victory by the democratic vote of the people and the left lost. They do not get to set conditions. Netanyahu won. They lost.

Lapid & Gantz: Israel stands at brink of emergency and Netanyahu presses on – Opposition leaders respond to President’s call for dialogue by saying they will only agree to talk if the judicial reform bills are frozen.

This is the same pattern not only of the Palestinians and the Israeli left, but we have seen the same pressure tactics for years in the United States. Don’t be deceived by the rhetoric. This is a spiritual war. You can never satisfy a demanding spirit. If you start giving in to the demands they only demand more. As we remember Esther and Mordecai this Purim, I see the spirit of Haman in the demanding spirit of the left wing protestors.

“Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.”  Proverbs 27:20 NLT

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”  1 Corinthians  2:13 

We seek Yehovah God and His righteousness. Only His truth will stand. When the enemy perverts the will of God, destruction follows. Pray for wisdom from above for Prime Minister Netanyahu, and pray for a steady hand as he steers his nation through this crisis. I believe God has restored him to power for “such a time as this.” Today is Purim in Israel so we pray for Esthers and Mordecais to be raised up in Israel to stand for the eternal purpose of God against all the evil demands of the spirit of Haman and Amelek.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and rain in season.

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                   (Read more)


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U.S. Not Involved, But…

1 03 2023

Arrogance is one of the most frustrating contradictions Israel faces. The Biden administration views Israel as a vassal state subject to the direction of the all wise U.S. State Department. After 3,000 years of history (about 2,750 more than America), who do we think we are to order Israel to conform to our demands? Israel is an independent and sovereign nation raised from the dead by the miraculous faithfulness of Yehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is now rising among the sea of nations by His almighty hand. As we look at these recent headlines, consider the arrogance of the Biden position.

US Ambassador Nides: We aren’t getting involved but Netanyahu has to slow things down – US Ambassador Thomas Nides discussed Israel’s judicial reform bill saying the only thing that connects Israel and the US is democracy.

First, he is wrong about democracy being the only connection. Far more critical is our mutual Judeo-Christian moral values derived from the Bible. Second, he is wrong to oppose Israeli government directives regarding court reform and settlements. That is Israel’s internal business.

EU blasts Shechem operation: Use of force must be in full respect of international law – EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs calls on both sides to restore calm following IDF counterterrorism operation in Shechem.

First, Israel’s ongoing battle against terrorism is defending Israel’s very existence. The terrorists sware to kill all the Jews and drive Israel into the sea. Israel’s response is not subject to “international law,” when life and death issues are at stake. Second, he uses the ridiculous charge that “both sides” should restore calm. This suggests that both are equally to blame. Remember the famous quote from the late Golda Meir – Israel’s prime minister 49 years ago – who famously said, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.” JPost

Israel constantly faces the temptation to be “a nation like the other nations,” but God has made them unique, with a sovereign purpose in the earth. Again and again Israel fell to the temptation. One major mistake was demanding a king like other nations that led to the disaster of King Saul who was removed by God. The fact was that they already had a king, Yehovah God Himself! Samuel pleaded with them to no avail.

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”  1 Samuel 8:19-20

I often say that Saul was not the first king of Israel, God was! Once God allowed a king, He showed the character difference by following Saul with King David. What was the difference? When Saul was king, man was king. When David was king, Yehovah God was king. Saul did what he wanted. David always checked with God to do His will and God honored David.

“He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus.”  Acts 13:22-23

Pray that Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu will not give in to ungodly demands of the U.S., the EU, the UN, or any other nation.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, seasonal rains. and the rain of the Holy Spirit especially on the youth!

Les Lawrence, a voice of Christian Zionists                      (Read more)

 

 

 


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