“Through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down which smote with a rod, And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps; and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.” Isaiah 30:31-32
Dear Intercessors for Israel:
Greetings from Jerusalem. Long ago, Assyria was the most powerful nation in the world. Possessing great armies, wealth, and weapons, they ruled along with the Persians and Babylonians. The Assyrians overwhelmed their enemies, possessing thousands of chariots which were able to carry two to three warriors with weapons. Assyria was known for its skilled bowmen, (stone) slingers, and horsemen. They conquered the Northern kingdom of Israel and sent the ten tribes into exile. God then supernaturally delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrian armies. He spoke to Isaiah and promised that “I will defend this city, to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’ sake” (II Kgs. 19:34). Later that night, the Angel of the Lord attacked their camp. Overnight, the Assyrian army was decimated. King Sennacherib and the remnant of his troops seeing this, broke the siege against the city and left (II Kgs. 19:35-36). The prophet Elisha also saw the hand of the LORD push back the Syrian army, by smiting them with blindness (II Kgs 6:15-17), and later by hearing the noise of chariots, horses, and a great army (II Kgs 6:24-33, 7:1-17). Ancient Assyria occupied an area which today is roughly close to the borders of modern day Syria (Assyria), Iraq (Babylon), and Iran (Persia.), stretching into the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Mesopotamia).
Strongholds Broken
The strongholds of ancient Assyria, again have become a threat to Israel. Iran is seeking to strengthen its influence in these areas, supplying its proxy army, Hezbollah, with modern weapons. Russia also is entering into this fray, furnishing advanced air defense weapons, advisors, and military ground equipment. The remnants of the modern nation of Syria, under its President Asad, are also fighting against U.S. supported Kurdish armies. Israel is keeping a close eye on this ever-increasing threat from the North.
Sunday night, April 30th, brought news of another surprise attack against Iranian-Hezbollah-Syrian strongholds in Aleppo and Hama. These attacks generated a series of powerful blasts which registered on monitoring equipment as being equal to the force of a 2.6 magnitude earthquake. Causalities included members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Intelligence released to Israel News sources revealed that over 200 land missiles as well as shore to sea missiles were destroyed. Russia has been assisting Hezbollah with converting its missile stocks into precision GPS weapons to be used against Israel. Israel has also announced that this is a “red line” and they will not allow this threat to materialize.
Arab media reports that these bases were attacked with precision-guided surface-to-surface rockets and missiles armed with bunker-busting warheads. These kinds of missiles and rockets are used by the US Army and are produced by the Israeli military industries—Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Israeli Military Industries (www.ynetnews.com ).
Emergency Meeting of Israeli Cabinet: Nationwide Address
Following this mysterious attack against Iranian-Hezbollah-Russian arms depos, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu summoned his government Cabinet together in an emergency session. He then addressed the nation Monday night concerning Iran’s nuclear threat. Earlier Monday Iran’s nuclear chief Salehi announced that Tehran now has the technical capability to enrich its uranium to a higher degree than limiting agreements previous signed. Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State met with Prime Minister Netanyahu Sunday and said that “the United States would scrap the (nuclear) deal, if we can’t fix it” ( www.i24news.com ).
Netanyahu, during his address Monday night, revealed Iran’s secret plans to develop a covert nuclear program, which would lead to having nuclear warheads attached to missiles capable of hitting not only Tel Aviv but Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, London, and Moscow. Netanyahu then illustrated his speech with 55,000 pages of Iranian secret documents as well as photos of 183 CD’s which contain another 55,000 files obtained by Israel’s secret service: Mossad. PM Netanyahu declared that “Iran lied to the world” and Israel now has proof that “the 2015 accord is founded on Iranian deception.” Watching the Prime Minister’s presentation on T.V., former head of the IDF Military Intelligence, Amos Yadlin, called the material “conclusive proof” of Tehran’s duplicity and vindication of Israel’s claim that Iran had an ongoing nuclear weapons program (www.timesofisrael.com ).
Please Pray
Please pray against these new “Assyrian” threats against Israel. Pray as scripture suggests “with tambourine and harps and in battles of shakings” (Is. 30:32), call upon the LORD to beat down the Assyrian threats.
Declare this verse for Israel, Jerusalem, its leaders, and its citizens.: “As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it” (Is. 31:5).
Speak and proclaim of the day when there shall “be a highway out of Egypt and with Assyria,…even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance” (Is. 19:23-25).
Romanian Ministry
Marylois and I have just returned from a week in Bucharest, Romania. There we were hosted by ETH Becky Walsh at Casa Shalom, her ministry base. We spoke in a Romanian Pentecostal Church, as well as meeting and loving every day Romanians. Last Saturday, three churches assembled and met at Casa Shalom for a day together in fellowship. There were over 300 people attending, and we were able to be a part of this gathering.
Becky and her ministry team at Casa Shalom are doing a great work in this land. She has been in Romania since 1990, ministering to the poor, the orphans, the downcast, and speaking and teaching in/out of churches. She is a leader and a prayer warrior. Becky has suffered persecution, trials and buffetings, yet has found victory in many battles. She is doing a great work in Romania. Pray for her, and if you would like to help fund or assist her, then contact her at casashalom@gmail.com You will blessed immeasurably, and lay up many treasures in Heaven.
Shalom
The Hebrew word shalom is used in this land as a greeting for hello, a goodbye, and as a prayer. It means “nothing broken, nothing lacking, nothing missing.” In other words: perfect wholeness in body, mind, and in your spirt. A unity in God.
When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Speak “shalom” to this city and all who live here. In doing so, Psalm 122 promises that all who love Jerusalem shall prosper (Ps.. 122:6).
Shalom from Jerusalem,
Gene and Marylois,
House of Peace