“Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying: This month shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you” (Ex. 12:1–2)
The field is wasted, the land mourns; For the grain is ruined, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. Be ashamed, you farmers, wail you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine is dried up…. Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men (Joel 1:10–12).

Dear Intercessors for Israel:
“Greetings from Jerusalem!” Oh, how we have desired to say these words. Now
we can shout it from the housetop. Marylois and I are once again in the city we
love, Jerusalem! After two years and four months’ the LORD has brought us back
to be His “watchman on the walls.” He is faithful to his promises and to His
Word. Over and over again during this pandemic, we have heard the LORD
whisper to us, “I will bring you back.” And now, it has come to pass! “Our feet are
standing within your gates, Jerusalem” and there is much rejoicing in the House of
Peace.
Happy New Year!
Israel as a Jewish States celebrates two major New Years. The first one occurs in
the Fall and is called, Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year) and marks the change
of the calendar year. This current year on the Hebrew Calendar is 5782. The
Spring New Year occurs on the 1st of Nissan (March or April) and is noted as the
Biblical New Year. It was set by God’s decree whereas He spoke to Moses and
Aaron and told them “This month shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the
first month of the year to you” Why? Because Nissan was when the Hebrew
children were delivered from Pharaoh’s bondage. They were loosed from slavery
and started their journey to the promised land. Passover occurs in Nissan. The
blood of the lamb was applied in Nissan, keeping the death angel away. The
Rabbis note in the Mishnah that “In Nissan we were redeemed from the past, and
in the future, we are destined to be redeemed again” (Exodus Rabbah 15:2). It is
one of the three biblically named, “Pilgrimage Festivals,” where every Jewish male
was required to travel to Jerusalem and appear before God who dwelt in the holy
Temple.
Nissan speaks to the body of Christ. It is the month of the death and resurrection
of our Lord, who as the sacrificial lamb was crucified for our sakes and then was
resurrected on the feast of “First Fruits.” Nissan speaks of our Messiah’s return.

As the angels decreed, we also affirm: “This same Jesus, who was taken up to you
in heaven, will so come in like manner” (Acts 1:11).
Israel Produce Destroyed
The ongoing war between Russia and the Ukraine, is greatly affecting Israel and
its agricultural exports. Normal supply contracts to ship produce to these affected
countries, have become void, shipping companies now want to be paid in advance,
and international sanctions have caused Israeli farmers to suddenly be without a
place to market their goods. As a result, thousands of tons of carrots, celery,
potatoes, radishes and other produce are either rotting in warehouses or being left
unharvested in the fields by Israeli farmers. Charitable groups are looking for ways
to distribute some of these surplus vegetables to the elderly. Please pray that
Israel’s agricultural produce will not go to waste.
Israel is on High Alert
The nation of Israel has experienced in the last month numerous terror attacks by
Islamic radicals leading to the loss of eleven of its citizens and police. The Muslim
“holy’ month of Ramadan has inflamed many Islamists, who have been told by ISIS
and other radical groups to go out and “kill Jews”. There have been nightly riots at
the Damascus gate in Jerusalem. In a special address to the nation, Prime
Minister Bennet urged citizens to be vigilant, saying “Keep an eye open, whoever
has a gun license, it is time to carry a gun.” (jpost). The nation as a whole is on
“edge” with the major holidays of Passover, Resurrection Sunday and Ramadan all
converging. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that terrorists who are planning
these attacks may be caught before they happen.
U.S. funding Anti–Israeli groups
The Biden Administration recently disbursed some one million in grants and
assistance to Palestinian and Israeli NGO’s such as “Peace Now” that actively
oppose the State of Israel and the expansion of Israeli Communities in Judea and
Samaria (West Bank). Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined these
moves in an article he recently wrote:
“As the Biden Administration continues its negotiations in Vienna toward a nuclear
deal with Iran, which would directly imperil Israel’s security, it is also taking steps
within the State Department to undermine Israel’s democratic legitimacy,” Pompeo
wrote. He pointed at a new State Department grant opportunity, with potential
funding of up to $1 million, to “strengthen accountability and human rights in Israel
and the West Bank and Gaza.” “As innocuous as that sounds, the reality is the
State Department is going to use your taxpayer dollars to support work which
slanders Israel and falsely paints it as an apartheid state,” Pompeo also listed
numerous Biden appointees who have overt anti–Israel biases, including
advocating for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement
(Israel365news.com)
The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), a conservative Christian–based
social activist organization, filed two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits
demanding records from the Biden State Department to determine whether the
administration has been channeling funds to delegitimize Israel.

Palestinian Pastor Imprisoned
Pastor Johnny Shahwan, an Evangelical Christian Arab from the Bethlehem area,
was arrested by the Palestinian Authority (PA) almost one month ago. His crime
was meeting with Rabbi Yehudah Glick, a former member of the Knesset. On
March 1, Rabbi Glick arrived at Beit Al–Liqa with a group of about 50 German
Christian tourists. Pastor Shahwan runs the Beit Al–Liqa (House of Encounter) in
the town of Beit Jala, which has a guest house and a child daycare center.
Pastor Shahwan was arrested and charged with the crime of “undermining the
national sentiments [of Palestinians], stirring up sectarian strife and insulting the
prestige of the [non–existent Palestinian] State.” If convicted, he could face a
lengthy term in prison with hard labor.
The Christian community of Bethlehem has appealed for his release to no avail.
The case has gone largely unreported in the media, most likely because the victim
is Christian (and not Muslim). The story reveals humanitarian abuse carried out
by the PA (and not by Israel). (Israel365news.com)
Last Tuesday, All Arab News published an open letter to PA President Abbas
appealing for the Pastor’s release, noting that no formal charges have been filed
against him. “The fact is that Rev. Shahwan has done nothing illegal or immoral,”
the letter read: “A devout Christian and a loyal Palestinian, he has been unfairly
accused. Yet he remains in prison, and now a Palestinian judge has extended the
pastor’s incarceration at least until May 23. This is wrong – it is a violation of this
Palestinian man’s human rights, civil rights, and religious freedom. The pastor is
suffering. So is his wife, Marlene, and their family.”
The Palestinian Authority despite its popularity with the Biden Administration, the
E.U. the U.N. and a plethora of leftist groups and educational institutions is a
dictatorship/police state. There are no basic constitutional rights in this
land. Freedom of religion, of worship, of the press, and of assembly do not
exist. Neither does the rule of law. Its leaders accuse Israel of being ‘Occupiers’
when the reverse is true. Palestine is the occupier. It, not Israel is an apartheid
state. No Jew is allowed to settle or be in the Palestinian Authority. To do so is to
risk one’s life. Pray for Pastor Shahwan that he be released without
consequences. Pray for the Christians in Palestine.
Israel launches an Astronaut into Space
This Friday, an Israeli astronaut will soar into space on a private Space X rocket
called “Dragon 2.” Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot, is due to take off for a
ten–day mission on the International Space Station. Israeli President Reuven
Rivlin stated: “This is a day of national joy, and great pride. An Israeli pilot with
a blue–and–white flag embroidered on his shoulder will prove once again, as we
have been showing here for 72 years, that even the sky isn’t our limit.”
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem,
Gene and Marylois/House of Peace