The Neighborhood Bully and the Strong Horse

Bob Dylan once wrote one of the most powerful and prophetic descriptions of the uneasy relationship between Israel and the nations in his song ‘Neighborhood Bully.’ Here are some selected lines from that song:

Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man. His enemies say he’s on their land. They got him outnumbered about a million to one. He got no place to escape to, no place to run. The neighborhood bully just lives to survive. He’s criticized and condemned for being alive. He’s not supposed to fight back, to have thick skin. He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in. The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land. He’s wandered the earth an exiled man. Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn. He’s always on trial for just being born. Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim that he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for him. There’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back and a license to kill him is given out to every maniac. Every empire that’s enslaved him is gone – Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon. He’s made a garden of paradise in the desert sand – In bed with nobody, under no one’s command. Now his holiest books have been trampled upon. No contract he signed was worth what it was written on – ‘Neighborhood Bully,’ words & music by Bob Dylan © 1983 by Special Rider Music

The Strong Horse

Investigative reporter Lee Smith’s penetratingly astute analysis (also see his most recent article about recent White House withholding of information from Israel regarding pending Hamas attacks) of Middle Eastern political realities ‘The Strong Horse: Power, Politics and the Clash of Arab Civilizations’ (Doubleday, 2010) draws its name from Osama Bin Laden’s dictum “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse” (CNN interview December 13 2001). This ‘strong horse’ philosophy guides the Islamic and Arab world more than Western appeals to material prosperity, technological advancement or even the allure of peace. Middle Easterners have spent the past 4,000 years perfecting their political radar regarding this dynamic. Historically speaking, survival in the Arab and Islamic world depends on spotting the rising dictator (the strong horse) and siding with him. The strong horse in the Middle East was Osama bin Laden’s jihadi philosophy and right now it is Iran and its proxies. It alone is succeeding in thumbing its nose at the world greatest superpower. It alone is stinging and goading Israel (the Middle East’s most powerful army) through Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Syria and the Yemenite Houthis. And it alone is stirring up the Shi’ite masses of Iraq and the Gulf States, where much of the West’s oil lounges in Babylonian luxury.

The West wants to eradicate Islamic terror networks, but at the same time it wants to avoid angering the very volatile Muslim world. The trick is to find a balance between keeping the oil flowing westward and removing the most bothersome terrorist dangers. This explains recent American and British declarations emphasizing that the Afghanistan, Iraq and Hamas wars are not anti-Islamic, but only anti-terror operations. The Western coalition feels that it makes better political sense to ignore the Islamic and terrorist nature of jihad, describing the Islamic faith as altogether peaceful, than to expose the violent Islamic nature of jihad and lose many testy and touchy Muslim allies – and their oil. It is of strategic importance to recognize that the world media is spreading spiritual disinformation about radical Islam under the guise of disseminating ‘politically correct’ religious opinions. Radical Islam’s goals include the destruction of America and Israel and the Islamization of the entire world. The secular West, having for the most part rejected its own Christian religious foundations, does not take radical Islam’s open agenda seriously.

The Islamic world is carefully watching the West, and especially America. It watches every faux pas – every stumble, every mumbled or misspoken comment – and concludes that America is no longer the strong horse it used to be. Iran in particular watches with patience and shrewd humor as America tries to out-haggle the Persians at the nuclear bazaar.

The Arab world remembers the unspoken belief system guiding American policy which was voiced behind closed doors by then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in his December 17, 1975 meeting with Sadun Hammadi, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris. A declassified State Department document quotes from the minutes of that meeting:

“Israel does us more harm than good in the Arab world”
“We can’t negotiate about the existence of Israel but we can reduce its size to historical proportions”
“I think in ten to fifteen years Israel will be like Lebanon – struggling for existence, with no influence in the Arab world”
“If the issue is the existence of Israel, we can’t cooperate. But if the issue is more normal borders, we can cooperate”
“I think the Palestinian identity has to be recognized in some form … (It) will be a tremendous fight … (but) no solution is possible without it”

When former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rammed through a unilateral Israeli disengagement/withdrawal from Gaza in August-September 2005, my wife Rachel then commented then it seemed the ghetto-ization of Israel had started. In a similar way to how the Nazis rounded up Jews from a large area and concentrated them into a smaller area, so Israel was succumbing to international pressure and overseeing that process by itself. It began years before, with the Camp David withdrawal from Sinai and Western Gaza in April 1982, and then the opening of the gates of the West Bank (including Jericho and Gaza) to arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat and his PLO gangs in May-July 1994. Right now, Israeli families are being evacuated by the Israeli government from their farms and towns near Gaza and from the northern border abutting Lebanon out of concern to avoid greater civilian casualties from jihadi attacks. Kissinger’s endgame dynamic is still in action. As POTUS Biden announced on Sunday October 15, 2023, “There needs to be a Palestinian authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state . . . As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution.”

Golden handcuffs

As the religious philosopher William James has said, “We tend to disbelieve all facts and theories for which we have no use.” (William James, The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, New York: Dover Publications, 1956). The New York Times masthead still repeats the famous slogan “All the news that’s fit to print,” though that newspaper has fallen from grace in recent days. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. Israel’s purchase of the F-35 I Adir has given it a qualitative edge over most fighter aircraft in the Middle East, for which Israel and its people are very thankful. Yet there are some strategic issues similar in nature to that of the American X-band radar (described in our last newsletter), as Caroline Glick points out in the Jerusalem Post:

“The F-35 is controlled by the Autonomic Logistics Information System. The ALIS is a central computer system, located in the US. All F-35s all over the world will be required to log into the ALIS system to upload computer files after each flight and to check flight readiness . . . ALIS has the capacity to prevent F-35s from taking off. ALIS can lock out pilots and ground crews if it sees danger . . . Dan Grazier . . . warned that this power renders the entire F-35 fleet vulnerable to hackers. If someone were able to convince the computer that something was wrong across the fleet, they might be able to keep all the F-35s grounded. Although the damage wouldn’t be permanent, it could continue long enough to cause the US or an ally to lose a battle or fail a mission. For Israel, this vulnerability is prohibitive even if ALIS is ever made to work. The significance of ALIS control over all F-35s worldwide is that the US – and anyone able to hack the US system – will control the Israel Air Force [IAF]. It will operate at the pleasure of the US government, and those able to hack US computers. They will be able to ground IAF planes whenever they wish. This critical problem was acknowledged obliquely by Lt.-Col. Yotam, the commander of Israel’s first F-35 or Adir squadron, in an interview with Israel Defense in April. Lt.-Col. Yotam said, ‘The maintenance concept of the Adir is based on international management and logistics in terms of spare parts and maintenance echelons.’”

Does Hamas take orders from the White House?

The White House has made some tough pronouncements in the past few days about American goals and influence in Israel and Gaza. This section looks at some of these statements and compares them to what is actually happening on the ground.

1. Humanitarian aid to not go through Hamas?

US President Joe Biden stated while on the way back from his wartime visit to Tel Aviv on Wednesday that the main reason for the whirlwind trip was to coax Israel and Egypt to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. “When we took off, my goal was multifold, but basically to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and to get as many Americans out who wanted to get out . . . as possible,” Biden told reporters during a rare visit to the press section on Air Force One . . . “We got a commitment… from the Israelis, including their unanimous vote of their war cabinet and the Prime Minister” not to block the entry of humanitarian aid.”

At an impromptu press conference at Ramstein Airbase in Germany, President Biden stated: “But . . . the point being that if . . . Hamas confiscates [the aid] or doesn’t let it get through or just confiscates it, then it’s going to end, because we’re not going to be sending any humanitarian aid to Hamas if they’re going to be confiscating it. That’s the commitment that I’ve made . . . I was very blunt [with the Israelis] about the need to support getting humanitarian aid to Gaza — get it to Gaza and do it quickly.” “If Hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we’ll be the first to condemn it. And we will work to prevent it from happening again,” declared Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Those acquainted with the situation on the ground in Gaza know based on both experience and documentation that all humanitarian aid goes directly into the hands of Hamas, which functions both as terrorist army and Islamist government: “Approximately two thirds of the money Hamas raises from international sources is spent on military buildup. Of its total budget, 55% goes to the military wing, a significant increase from 15% in 2014. Meanwhile, Hamas' civil affairs budget has decreased by nearly 50% in that same period. Hamas' financial reports further reveal that tens of millions of dollars designated for rebuilding Gaza were actually being invested in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Dubai.”

The UN and U.S.A. have no way to prevent humanitarian aid and dual-purpose materials like cement and steel piping, from remaining in Hamas hands. This has happened in Gaza after every round of hostilities. As well, the smuggling in of materials to manufacture rockets and weapons has been going on constantly, in spite of Egypt’s supposed security measures to prevent such operations.

2. The majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas’ attacks?

The President of the United States posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “We must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas' appalling attacks, and are suffering as a result of them.” On a CBS ‘60 Minutes’ interview he stated: “I think Israel understands that a significant portion of Palestinian people do not share the views of Hamas and Hezbollah.” In an interview with TIME, POTUS stated: “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas, and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people.”

Yet, according to the latest Washington Institute polling of July 2023, 57% of Gazans express a positive opinion of Hamas (as do 52% of West Bankers and 64% of East Jerusalemites). Three quarters of all Gazans express support for Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas-backed Lion’s Den. Approximately half of all Gazans view Iran as either a “friend of the country” (29%) or a security partner (28%).

Hamas came to power through democratic elections overseen by former POTUS Jimmy Carter and his Carter Center in 2006. From that point on, Hamas kidnapped, kneecapped, tortured and murdered their PLO rivals, eventually establishing an Islamist terror state bent on destroying Israel.

Though it is true that Hamas rules Gaza with an iron Islamist boot, a majority of Gazans aid and abet Islamist terror and terrorists. This includes volunteering for commando units: receiving stipends for allowing Hamas to store rocket launchers and bombs in their houses, mosques and schools; celebrating and handing out sweets and candy to celebrate the murder of Israelis.

At the same time, Hamas is holding many Gazans hostage and murdering others who are trying follow IDF instructions and move southward in the Strip, to avoid the intensive bombing which will soon destroy Hamas HQs. This would avoid civilian casualties, which is the IDF’s priority as well. Video clips of Hamas operatives massacring fleeing Gazans have been posted by Hamas on social media, warning Gazans to stay put. Egypt is not allowing Gazan civilians to escape Hamas control through the southern border crossings. The history of that country’s treatment of Gazans is a human rights disaster – from 1948 to 1967, and up to our day as well.

3. If the destruction of Hamas is a necessary requirement, any suggestions on how to accomplish that?

The POTUS has stated clearly: “Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust. And so, I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas . . . Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They're hiding behind the civilians.” “Taking out the extremists . . . is a necessary requirement,” said Biden.

Israelis appreciate that sentiment and wholeheartedly agree that it must be done. But what do these Presidential statements mean? How would such a thing be done? When Hamas hides behind human shields and fires rockets into Israeli kibbutzim and towns; when over 2,000 Hamas commandoes rape teenagers and mothers, torture and murder parents in front of children, burn children alive, kidnap innocent civilians and then film their torture and decapitation – what advice should be given to Israel? What is our ‘proportionate response’ supposed to be? Should Israel do to Gazan citizens what Hamas has done to our citizens? God forbid!

Here is Presidential pastoral advice to Israel: “But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.” This statement is a two-edged sword: on one hand, it seems that there is a denigration and partial invalidation of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, wars overseen by Biden’s political opponents. On the other hand, he morphs biblical vengeance into sinful rage. The Scriptures talk much about God taking vengeance on the enemies of Israel: Numbers 31:1-3; Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Deuteronomy 32:40-43; 2 Samuel 22:47-49; Psalm 58:9-11; Psalm 79:10; Psalm 94:1-3; Psalm 149:6-8; Isaiah 34:6-9; Isaiah 59:16-18; Isaiah 61:1-3; Isaiah 63:3-5; Jeremiah 46:10; Jeremiah 50:14-16; Jeremiah 50:27-29; Jeremiah 51:5-7; Jeremiah 51:10-12; Ezekiel 25:13-14.

In order to rid Germany of Nazis, in order to cause the unconditional surrender of that country, the Allies made the decision to not reveal their cracking of the ULTRA code. This meant continued British civilian casualties at Coventry, etc. But it also involved the bombing of Dresden. In order to prevent the loss of perhaps a million American deaths at the hands of the Japanese, two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ethical parallels to Hamastan in Gaza are the same. Unless Hamas is totally and absolutely destroyed, jihad will continue to massacre, rape, torture and murder Israelis – just like ISIS continues to do to Syrians and Iraqis. Hamas is continuing to massacre – even its own people. No one is stopping those massacres by Hamas in Gaza – even those who shed crocodile tears for the Gazan Palestinians.

Yet, in the same breath as calling for ‘taking out the extremists,’ Biden speaks something diametrically opposed to these words: “I think it’d be a big mistake . . . for Israel to occupy Gaza again.” If Gaza cannot be occupied, how will Hamas be eliminated? And if the majority of Gazans support Hamas, what is to be done? Egypt, as Isaiah 36:6 says, is a broken reed, and will offer no shelter to those escaping Hamas. America cannot and will not protect Gazans from Hamas. Indeed, Qatar (Hamas’ main bankroller) is very chummy with CENTCOM, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and the location of one of its main airbases in the Middle East, Al Udeid.

Years ago, the Arameans of Damascus (modern Syria) threatened the Kingdom of Israel with total military destruction: “Ben Hadad sent word to him and said, ‘May the gods do so to me and more so, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.’ Then the king of Israel replied, ‘Tell him, “He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.”’” (1Kings 20:10-11).

In that light, the following quote from President Biden at Ramstein Air Base in Germany is telling:

Question: May I ask you about – there’s a report in the Times of Israel that says “Biden officials have indicated to Israel in recent days that if Hezbollah initiates a war against Israel, the U.S. military will join the IDF in fighting the terrorist group.”

POTUS: Not true.

Question: Not true?

POTUS: That was never said.

4. The endgame

Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, explains that “Biden . . . will want to have a tough, frank conversation with Israeli leaders about their looming ground campaign – the objectives and complexities, with an eye toward getting them to think even harder about the depth, scope, and dangers of disproportionality, along with reoccupation of Gaza and civilian deaths.” The POTUS is interested in Israel’s endgame – what do they see as the solution to Hamas. Israel is not quite sure of its own endgame, since Israeli internal security issues have so often been stretched and distorted by superpower pressures. Few Israeli leaders truly believe in the Biblical teachings regarding the End of Days and the Return of Messiah, and their vision is secular and Western-oriented.

President Biden made his endgame vision very clear:

“And as I said in Israel: As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution.”
“There needs to be a Palestinian Authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.”

Biden’s endgame – dividing the Land of Israel and establishing a PLO state in its heartland – is also the endgame of nearly all other U.S. Presidents. It is the position of the U.S. State Department and its intelligence agencies. It is the goal of the American oil business.

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat [‘YHVH judges’]. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations – and they have divided up My land (Joel 3:1-2)

How should we then pray?

As tanks begin to roll, here are some bullet points to be praying about:

Pray for ‘Shock and awe’ to be successfully carried out by the IDF to thwart the years of planning that Hamas has done – tunnels, mines, commando teams whose job is to kidnap IDF soldiers, and to even make off with their dead bodies. Davidic divine strategies as in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!”

Pray for clarity of strategy, purpose and resolve for Israel’s leaders to deal a final death-blow to Hamas in Gaza – total and unconditional surrender of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and total removal from Gaza for them both

Pray for revelation to Israel’s leaders that YHVH Himself gave Gaza to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:20-47) and that this is Israel’s true biblical inheritance. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement under strong American pressure was key to leading us into this horrific situation. Here is a quote from 2005 – during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza – by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Israel that disengaging from Gaza was not enough; the entire West Bank needed to be handed over to the PLO/Hamas: “Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only” (U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, Shannon, Ireland; June 17, 2005. Press briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the traveling press en route to Shannon, Ireland June 17, 2005)

Pray for the leaders of your nation to receive a revelation of God as the Captain of the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:45): “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Pray for minimal loss of life on all sides except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Pray for revelation and clarity to be imparted by the God of Israel to the world intelligence community who have not yet understood what jihad is all about and are fogged as to how to deal with it decisively

Pray that God would hold back a regional war involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Turkey, the Yemenite Houthis and other superpowers

Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps over 200, including babies) kidnapped by Hamas

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

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BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

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Bleachers out in the sun on Highway 61

Now the rovin’ gambler he was very bored – He was tryin’ to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor

He said “I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes – I think it can be very easily done!
We’ll just put some bleachers out in the sun and have it on Highway 61!”

Bob Dylan’s phantasmagorical song from 1965 still hits home today. His references to Abraham and Isaac, a possible Third World War, and world media flocking to observe – these nuggets are uncomfortably close to present realities.

Two US aircraft Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) – the USS Gerald R Ford (the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy) and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower – are on the move, crossing the Mediterranean to anchor off the Haifa coast. A senior U.S. defense official stated: “These posture increases were intended to serve as an unequivocal demonstration in deed and not only in words of U.S. support for Israel’s defense and serve as a deterrent signal to Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and any other proxy across the region who might be considering exploiting the current situation to escalate the conflict. Those adversaries should think twice.” “There is a risk of an escalation of this conflict, the opening of a second front in the north and, of course, Iran's involvement,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on October 15, 2023. “Iran is the elephant in the room,” a US official briefed . . . Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned on Sunday his country could act, telling al Jazeera: “If the scope of the war expands, significant damages will also be inflicted upon America.”

Montana GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke (a former U.S. Navy Seal for 23 years) said: “You know, it's no secret SEAL Team Six and select [IDF] forces have had a long relationship sharing tactics, techniques, procedures and an integration of units . . . to meet the requirements.” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on October 10, 2023: “We have people on the ground that have... established contact with his operators, his special operators, and will continue to help with intelligence and planning as things go along." Anonymous defense sources have stated that these forces include the U.S. Army's Delta Force (1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta) and the Navy’s SEAL Team Six (Naval Special Warfare Development Group).

Most Israelis are very thankful for American support at this time, as the country of Israel faces an imminent threat of what is known in legalese as ‘imminent lawless action.’ Hamas’ barbaric and murderous assaults on innocent civilians is more than ‘a clear and present danger’ – they are war crimes beyond those of the Nazis and ISIS.

The God of Noah and the God of Lot

Here are some biblical perspectives which may help in considering what Israel needs to do regarding Hamas.

The God we serve is the God of Noah and of the Flood. There comes a time when YHVH says that enough is enough. The eradication of great evil is definitely one of the fearful works of the God of Jacob:

Then YHVH saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. So YHVH was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Then YHVH said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHVH (Genesis 6:5-8)

The God we serve is also the God of Lot. When evil reaches a certain point, YHVH responds to that overflowing wickedness of man – not by extending humanitarian aid, but by stretching forth His hand in judgment:

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he stood up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground . . . Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else do you have here? A son-in-law and your sons and daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before YHVH that YHVH has sent us to destroy it.” So, Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for YHVH is destroying the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be joking. When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” (Genesis 19:1, 12-15)

Goliath in the tents of Kedar

Goliath, the arch-enemy of Israel and the champion of the Philistines, spoke boastfully, saying “I have defied the ranks of Israel this day!” and he cursed David by his gods. David had a totally different perspective on the matter:

“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to defy the armies of the living God? . . . You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day YHVH will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that this entire assembly may know that YHVH does not save by sword or by spear. For the battle is YHVH’s, and He will hand you over to us!” (1 Samuel 17:4, 8-10, 43-47)

A similar blasphemous and boasting spirit, like that of Goliath, can be heard in the arrogant words of senior Hamas official Ali Baraka regarding this latest murderous jihadi attack.

The Hebrew Scriptures mention two hate-filled arch-enemies of the Jewish people – Meshech and Kedar:

The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (Genesis 10:2)
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam . . . (Genesis 25:13)

The Psalmist ties these two together in his pilgrim song of ascents, describing his own sojourn among hateful Middle Eastern enemies:

Woe to me, for I reside in Meshech – for I have settled among the tents of Kedar! Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace (Psalm 120:5-6)

These words accurately reflect much of the Jewish people’s painful exile among the nations of the Middle East. Hatred of the seed of Jacob and hatred of making peace with him still characterize much of the Islamic and Arabic-speaking world. Some of those Christians who wax eloquent about how close we are to the fulfilment of Isaiah 19 (see https://davidstent.org/the-isaiah-19-highway-prophecies-amidst-the-potholes/) need a wake-up call regarding the error of their interpretation of that passage and the timing involved. Isaiah 19 describes Egypt as an enemy of Israel who will undergo harsh defeat at the hands of the Jewish people. Only then will a godly submission and acceptance of the heart and plan of God for His Jewish people become a spiritual reality in their hearts and across the Middle East as well.

Any weapon formed against you will not prosper

The prophet Isaiah proclaims to Israel: “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed. And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of YHVH, and their vindication is from Me, declares YHVH” (Isaiah 54:17).

At 18:59 Tuesday evening, the Islamic Jihad jihadi terror group fired a barrage of approximately ten rockets from a Gazan cemetery into Israeli civilian centers. One of those ten rockets misfired, as caught on camera by Al Jazeera, Qatar’s pro-Hamas TV network. The rocket then landed onto the courtyard of the Anglican Hospital ‘al Ahli al Mahadani,’ causing many casualties – it seems some number between 20 and 200, though exact figures are not verifiable at this time due to Hamas control of reportage at the explosion area.

Al Jazeera broadcasted the live film clearly depicting the misfiring rocket. But Hamas decided to morph the event into a fake-news propaganda narrative. Al Jazeera began to trumpet that the devastation was due to a deliberate IDF bombing of the hospital. These reports were widely disseminated in virtually all major Western media stations and newspapers. All fact-checkers suddenly were out to lunch. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of a ‘horrible war massacre’ and called for three days of national mourning – something that Abbas had not done in response to Hamas’ massacre, mass rape, kidnapping and wounding of many thousands of Israelis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also called for three days of national mourning “to honor the innocent victims of the heinous attack,” and “vehemently condemned Israel's premeditated bombing.” He added that “such deliberate bombing represents a clear violation of international law and international humanitarian and legitimate principles.” El-Sisi also, like PLO leader Abbas, has not issued any specific condemnation of Hamas’ bestial murder and destruction of over 1,300 Israelis.

But there was a problem with the Hamas narrative of an Israeli bombing – actually, a few problems. One, no IDF planes were in the area at that time and no bombs were dropped by these non-existent planes. Two, there was no bomb crater, something that always happens when bombs are dropped. Three, there was no structural damage to surrounding buildings, something that always happens when bombs are dropped. Four, the explosion did not occur in the hospital but in the parking lot. Five, the explosion happened at 18:59, the exact time when the Islamic Jihad (IJ) rockets were passing over, according to Al Jazeera news footage, and on the exact angle of fire as the other rockets. And finally, six: IDF drone footage and SIGINT dove-tailed here: a live transmission was intercepted by IDF intelligence, recording two Islamic Jihad terrorists discussing the rocket misfire and describing it as an Islamic Jihad rocket failure. The IDF spokesman released these voice recordings in order to counter the Hamas fake-news blood-libel being recklessly spread around the world by the mass media.

What is astounding is that world media was far more willing to believe and disseminate Hamas propaganda – a group that was just filmed raping, decapitating, murdering and burning people alive – than to trust what the IDF was able to incontrovertibly prove through its highly accurate intelligence.

There’s a riot in the streets

The false Hamas reports, labeling the Islamic Jihad rocket misfiring as an Israeli bombing attack, triggered violent demonstrations in various cities throughout the Islamic world, including Morocco, Tunis, the West Bank, Turkey, Baghdad, Iran and Yemen, as well as Amman, Jordan (where the Israeli Embassy was attacked) and Beirut (where the U.S. Embassy was attacked).

For behold: Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let’s wipe them out as a nation, so that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered” (Psalm 83:2-4)

Bear hugs come at a price

“Nations do not have permanent friends or enemies, only interests.” This phrase has often been attributed to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, but was originally uttered by Henry John Temple, twice British Prime Minister in the mid-1800’s.

President Biden just completed a whirlwind tour in Israel, meeting PM Netanyahu and his war cabinet – as did U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. According to crack reporter Carolyn Glick, at this meeting the Israelis were told directly that military aid to Israel would be lessened or withheld unless Israel allowed Gaza and Hamas to be supplied with humanitarian aid – but with no preconditions. The 200+ Israeli hostages (including babies, children, rape victims and soldiers) were to be left as prisoners in Hamas’ jails and torture chambers. It is well understood in Israel and in the U.S.A. that Hamas controls all incoming humanitarian aid, syphoning off the cream of that aid for its leadership and fighters. Cement and iron piping will be used to rebuild tunnels and rockets – and not houses, hospitals and schools. Biden’s heavy-handed demands reveal America’s strategic goal to prolong enemy rule over Gaza. In President Biden’s recent interview on ‘60 Minutes,’ he stated clearly: “I think it'd be a big mistake . . . It would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.” America’s group of choice to lead Gaza is none other than the PLO/Palestinian Authority, a terror group at its birth and still involved in such activities.

Caroline Glick just tweeted: “On board Air Force One leaving Israel, Biden was asked if he managed to prevent Israel from invading Gaza. He said it is a discussion taking place between military officials on both sides. The implication was clear: he is pressuring Israel not to take over Gaza, and instead treat the war as another round of a fight that will retain” the status quo.

The U.S. threat to Israeli leaders of a partial arms embargo or political punishment is a powerful tool, and Israeli students of history are well acquainted with such pressure tactics.

Writing in the Jewish News Syndicate, Troy Frizthand states:

“Moreover, many believe that in the ‘post-war’ power vacuum that will be created in Gaza if Israel does eliminate Hamas, the United States will push for the Palestinian Authority, an organization neither popular with the Palestinian population nor able to maintain security in those parts of Judea and Samaria ostensibly under its control, to take over the Strip. The P.A. is extremely hostile to Israel, and has not condemned Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians . . . It was also reported on Monday that the U.S. administration forced the IDF to stand down on a plan to preemptively strike Hezbollah in Lebanon . . . America instead offered support for Israel should Hezbollah strike, according to the reports . . . If true, this scenario is quite harrowing. If Hezbollah strikes Israel first, likely causing the death of hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians and soldiers – which is entirely possible that they will attempt to do – only then will the U.S. government deem it acceptable for the IDF to act. It is reasonable to question whether the Israeli government is seriously willing to put its soldiers’ and civilians’ lives in danger to avoid angering the United States.”

Deadly force or deadly farce? A history of betrayals

A veritable convoy of Presidents (Biden, Macron) and a Prime Minister (UK PM Rishi Sunak) are suddenly flying to Israel, whereas for at least one year they have given the Israelis the cold shoulder. Why now? Cui bono? who benefits?). Bloomberg News comments: “French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are likely to visit Israel themselves in the coming days, potentially winning a bit more time before a ground invasion of Gaza.”

“We're pushing Israel to delay any action on the ground,” said one U.S. State Department official who had been briefed on the situation. Asked directly if the U.S. was pushing Israel to delay its ground war for civilians, White House National Security Adviser Jake told NBC that “we are not interfering in [Israeli] military planning or trying to give them instructions.”

A brief historical survey of American actions which were harmful to Israel’s security interests is telling. Yet in spite of these, the U.S. remains Israel’s best friend in the jungle of the modern world.

On November 8, 1944, the Director of the War Refugee Board, John Pehle, wrote to Assistant US Secretary of War John McCloy to advocate for the bombing of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Pehle, who had just read an extensive and graphic report describing the process of arrival, selection, and gassing of victims at Auschwitz, wrote, “I strongly recommend that the War Department give serious consideration to the possibility of destroying the execution chambers and crematories in Birkenau through direct bombing action.” McCloy's response stated that the planes capable of these attacks were not in range of the camp. Moreover, the War Department was unwilling to move medium or heavy bombers into range in order to target the gas chambers or crematoria: “At the present critical stage of the war in Europe, our strategic air forces are engaged in the destruction of industrial target systems vital to the dwindling war potential of the enemy, from which they should not be diverted.”

In 1956, the Eisenhower government and Russia forced Britain, France and Israel to retreat from crushing Egypt’s imperial ambitions when they had nationalized the Suez Canal. This event drove the death spike through Britain’s superpower status. In October 1965 Eisenhower told Jewish fundraiser and Republican party supporter Max M. Fisher that he greatly regretted forcing Israel to withdraw from the Sinai peninsula; Vice-President Nixon recalled that Eisenhower expressed the same view to him on several occasions.

In the Spring of 1967, the CIA passed NSA intercepts (either through Miles Copeland or British intelligence) to Egypt, that Israel was less than one year away from producing a working prototype of an atomic bomb. This precipitated Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s decision to move forward his timetable in what later became known as the Six Day War. When Nasser blockaded the Red Sea port of Eilat (a clear violation of international law), President Johnson offered America’s sympathies to Israel but offered to provide no military assistance. This was a violation of America’s promises to Israel as a condition in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai in 1956.

In 1973, the Nixon White House ordered the NSA to withhold from Israel, intercepts of Soviet communications verifying that Egypt and Syria would attack on the afternoon of October 6, 1973. “We knew it was coming. We knew when. We knew where. We were told to shut up and let it happen” says a former NASH employee.

In 1991 the U.S. refused to let Israelis defend themselves from Saddam Hussein’s SCUD missiles on the grounds that it might offend other Arab states, halting their sham participation in the coalition war against Iraq. In 1989 President George Bush had signed top-secret National Security Directive #26 authorizing the secret transfer of weapons technology to Iraq, and this after U.S. intelligence verified that Saddam was using U.S. loan money to build atomic and chemical weapons of mass destruction.

Most American Evangelicals believe that the U.S. government has been wholeheartedly pro-Israel and that her intentions vis-à-vis Israel have always been benign and altruistic. Certainly, the U.S.A. has been the most positive and helpful country in its dealings with the Jewish state, more than nearly any other country in the world. Yet America is not monolithic. There are opposing views in government and among the people concerning Israel. Sometimes America’s dealings with Israel are sweet. At other times there can be ungodly pressure. As James explains: “From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Does a spring send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, bear olives, or a vine bear figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh” (James 3:9-12). The reason James needs to explain this, is because the point is true. And if it is true of individuals, it can certainly be true of nations.

A speckled history

For someone who has both time and interest, a study of the role played by the US in pressuring Israel during the following wars would be eye-opening. An excellent reference primer in this regard is The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People(John Loftus & Mark Aarons; 1994).

Another book, written by Israel’s former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Moshe Arens, discusses State Department interference in Israel’s internal affairs; the hindering of Israel’s efforts to defend itself against Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi missile attacks on Israel during the First Gulf War; the withholding of economic and military aid during that time until Labor defeated the Likud, and the strong push for territorial concessions in Gaza and the West Bank – which has led to 15 subsequent wars between Israel and Hamas (see https://davidstent.org/when-arrows-strike-the-ground/). The book’s name is ‘Broken Covenant: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis Between the U.S. and Israel,’

A third book is by former NSA employee who worked in the Mideast division. In his book ‘Deceit of an Ally: a Memoir of Military anti-Semitism, NSA’s secret Jew Room and Yom Kippur War Treachery’ Bruce Brill gives an eyewitness account of how the US failed to warn Israel of impending attacks in the Yom Kippur War.

Another such example comes from Jonathan Pollard, convicted by the USA of passing secrets to Israeli intelligence. Pollard had been an analyst for U.S. Navy Intelligence Command. In a March 26, 2022 interview with Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, Pollard tells this story:

“There was an incident where Israeli defense officials came through the Pentagon and asked about a certain facility in Iraq that they heard was producing poison gas during the Iran-Iraq war. The Americans told them it didn't exist. ‘We didn't have a satellite at the time;’ ‘We weren't flying, because it was a war, we weren't flying Phantoms, RFEs over Iraq at the time.’ Okay, so you trust the Americans. So I was asked to find out before the delegation left. So I found out. . . . I walked in [to the safe house], and my team was standing there, there were three people standing there. A nice big floor. I asked them to move the furniture and I started pulling out evidence at putting it down. It covered the entire floor. Yossi Yagur looked at me, I'll never forget this as long as I live, looked at me and said, ‘Jonathan, it's sometimes better to deal with reliable enemies than unreliable friends. We were told this doesn't exist.’ I said, 'Well, you were lied to.”

Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a former NSA employee who was on a visit to Israel. I told him how happy I was that the U.S. had installed their X-Band radar facilities in Israel. According to Defense Update:

Known as the Forward-Based X-band Transportable (FBX-T) radar, the AN/TPY-2 is built by Raytheon, based on the ‘Ground Based Radar’ employed with the THAAD system. The FBX-T is designed as an air, ground and rail transportable, X-band, phased array radar that uses high-powered, electronically scanning pulsed beams, to track small objects in space at high resolution. The system has been described by U.S. officials as capable of tracking an object the size of a “baseball from about 2,900 miles (4,600 km) away”.

My friend asked me quietly: “If the US soldiers manning that radar can see everything in Iran, can’t they also see the movements of every aircraft in Israel?” I had never thought of that aspect of the equation.

According to Israeli defense officials, the IDF has asked to be allowed to station its soldiers in the X-band radar station to be able to process the information received.

“The Americans have so far said no, but this could change over time,” one official explained. This setup “undercuts the notion of Israel launching a surprise attack on Iran that would also take Washington unawares. Not only does it see all traffic at Israeli air bases, it would certainly detect any large scale or other unusual patterns, including preparations for a massive air assault. Allowing the Americans that capability was a trade-off Israeli officials conceded only grudgingly, as TIME reported when the radar installation was announced in 2008. ‘It's about the United States hugging the Israelis,’ says an American missile expert outside of government . . . But the X-band radar installation offers both obvious advantages and what one Israeli official termed ‘golden handcuffs.’” “The Israeli military is keenly aware that information is power, and Washington has the right to withhold it. ‘We share a lot, but there's a valve on the pipeline, and it's a one-way valve,’ says a Western military official involved in the program”

Some in Israel are vocal in expressing concerns that the arrival of aircraft carriers, Presidents, Secretaries of State. Special Ops forces, etc., comes with a price: the binding of the IDF’s hands to decisively end Hamas’ and Islamic Jihad’s existence, and the hobbling of Israel’s deterrent power to destroy all vestiges of a terror empire in Gaza. But that should not be how friends relate to each other . . .

Yom Kippur redux – a blast from the past

Both in 1973 and in 1991 the U.S. withheld vital information from Israel, pressuring them not to do pre-emptive attacks on Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The blowback involved thousands of Israeli deaths in the Yom Kippur War, which the recent film ‘Golda’ fleshes out in cinematic detail. In 1991 the entire population of Israel was terrorized – not only be the SCUD rockets falling on the civilian population, but because all the Jewish people that America had forbidden Israel from responding and destroying the SCUD launchers.

A similar dynamic is occurring today. President Biden’s administration officials “have indicated to Israel in recent days that if Hezbollah initiates a war against Israel, the US military will join the IDF in fighting the terror group, the officials said.” But “speaking to reporters on Wednesday following his brief solidarity visit to Israel, US President Joe Biden claimed that it ‘was never said’ that the US would join in the event of a front with Hezbollah.”

This striking double-speak only encourages Iran and its jihadi proxies Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Yemenite jihadis the Houthis in their passion to engage and destroy the Jewish state.

Tomorrow the newsletter will deal with the issues involving humanitarian aid; the move of Gazans toward the south of Gaza in accordance with IDF instructions; America’s and Israel’s endgame;

How should we then pray?

As tanks begin to roll, here are some bullet points to be praying about:

Pray for ‘Shock and awe’ to be successfully carried out by the IDF to thwart the years of planning that Hamas has done – tunnels, mines, commando teams whose job is to kidnap IDF soldiers, and to even make off with their dead bodies. Davidic divine strategies as in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!”

Pray for clarity of strategy, purpose and resolve for Israel’s leaders to deal a final death-blow to Hamas in Gaza – total and unconditional surrender of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and total removal from Gaza for them both

Pray for revelation to Israel’s leaders that YHVH Himself gave Gaza to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:20-47) and that this is Israel’s true biblical inheritance. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement under strong American pressure was key to leading us into this horrific situation. Here is a quote from 2005 – during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza – by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Israel that disengaging from Gaza was not enough; the entire West Bank needed to be handed over to the PLO/Hamas: “Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only” (U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, Shannon, Ireland; June 17, 2005. Press briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the traveling press en route to Shannon, Ireland June 17, 2005)

Pray for the leaders of your nation to receive a revelation of God as the Captain of the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:45): “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Pray for minimal loss of life on all sides except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Pray for revelation and clarity to be imparted by the God of Israel to the world intelligence community who have not yet understood what jihad is all about and are fogged as to how to deal with it decisively

Pray that God would hold back a regional war involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Turkey, the Yemenite Houthis and other superpowers

Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps over 200, including babies) kidnapped by Hamas

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Weeping on the walls

You have broken down all [Your servants’] walls. You have brought his strongholds to ruin. All who pass along the way plunder him (Psalm 89:39-41)

Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for those slain of the daughter of my people! . . . For death has come up through our windows. It has entered our palaces to eliminate the children from the streets, the young men from the public squares (Jeremiah 9:1,7,21)

Therefore, I say, “Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.” For the Lord YHVH of armies has a day of . . . confusion in the valley of vision – a breaking down of walls and a crying to the mountain (Isaiah 22:4-5)

This is what the Lord YHVH says [regarding Israel’s enemies]: “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, who live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, to capture spoils and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins that are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who live at the center of the world” (Ezekiel 38:10-12)

YHVH God of armies – how long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and You have made them drink tears in large measure (Psalm 80:4-5)

The horrific and bestial jihadi terror attacks of Hamas have crystallized our understanding of the above passages. They are no longer simply poetry or Sunday School Bible readings. They are today’s and tomorrow’s news.

A breach in the walls

In the Hebrew Scriptures walls are not only part of a city’s defense; they are symbols of the deterrent that the country has: “By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem” (Psalm 51:8).

When defenses are breached, the Psalmist looks to God in anguished prayer: “Why have You broken down its hedges, so that all who pass that way pick its fruit?” (Psalm 80:12).

Remember the miracles and fight!

In the days when the Midianites were ravaging the land (see Judges 6:11-14), the Angel of YHVH appeared to Gideon as he was threshing wheat while hidden in his winepress lest the enemy discover him and do damage:

Then the Angel of YHVH came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “YHVH is with you, valiant warrior.”

Gideon is deeply angry at the situation in Israel, and argues with YHVH about the truth of what He had just said:

Then Gideon said to him, “O my Lord, if YHVH is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did YHVH not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now YHVH has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”

The God of Jacob then commissions Gideon, telling him that his faith in what YHVH had done in history past for the Jewish people in Egypt would give him the necessary strength to fight, to strike and to triumph over the enemies of the Jewish people – even if Israel was in a spiritual trough:

And YHVH looked at him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”

The reason God could say this, is based on His covenant love, His hesed:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me. Your builders hurry – your destroyers and devastators will leave you (Isaiah 49:15-17)

Nehemiah, in his great intercessory prayer for his people, looks back to Egypt and sees the same dynamic of God’s irrevocable covenant love (see also Romans 11:28-29):

They refused to listen, and did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them. So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. And You did not abandon them. Even when they made for themselves a calf of cast metal. And said, ‘This is your god who brought you up from Egypt,’ and committed great blasphemies. You, in Your great compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day to guide them on their way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go. (Nehemiah 9:17-19)

God’s reputation is also at stake

He who attacks Israel is attacking God, says the prophet: “For YHVH of armies says this: “After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8).

The God of Jacob does not only sympathize with Israel when terrorism strikes; He empathizes: “In all their distress He was distressed, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and in His mercy, He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).

YHVH declared to Moses that He will not ever allow Israel to be destroyed, lest their evil enemies take credit for their own barbaric acts:

I would have said [regarding Israel and her sins], “I will wipe them out! I will remove the mention of their name from humanity,” had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, that their adversaries would misjudge, that they would say, “Our hand is triumphant, and YHVH has not performed all this.” . . . How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and YHVH had given them up? (Deuteronomy 32:26-31)

And in case the leaders of Israel stumble over aspects of that message and reject what is on God’s heart, YHVH tells Jeremiah that He has made him as strong as an unbreachable wall:

“Speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to save you,” declares YHVH (Jeremiah 1:17-19)

The intercessory calling to be on Jewish walls

The walls of Isaiah 62 are not symbolic, and neither are the threats against the Jewish people. The God of Jacob has called intercessory watchmen and watchwomen to press in to YHVH, asking for His protection, watch-care and deliverance for the Jewish people at such a time as this: “On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen. All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who profess YHVH, take no rest for yourselves, and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem an object of praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7).

The victory of YHVH

A time is coming in the not too distant future when the enemies of Israel will be trampled underfoot; when Israel’s walls will be rebuilt; and when Israel’s borders will encompass everything that YHVH promised to Abraham and to his sons through Isaac and Jacob (see Genesis 12:1, 7; 13:15-17; 15:7, 18-19; 17:8; 24:7; 26:3-4; 28:4, 13; 35:12; 36:6; 48:4-5; 50:5, 24):

Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is YHVH your God?” – my eyes will look at her. At that time, she will be trampled down like mud of the streets. It will be a day for building your walls – on that day your boundary will be extended. It will be a day when they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, from Egypt even to the Euphrates River – even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain (Micah 7:10-12)

In that day, Israel’s walls will no longer be broken through, and Israel’s enemies will fall before us by the sword:

Instead, you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword (Leviticus 26:7-8)

The pressure of our enemies

China, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries including the United Nations are trying to force a ceasefire upon Israel, in order to rescue their clients (or erstwhile clients) Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the jaws of defeat.

The words of the Psalmist are very relevant here: “Give Your attention to me and answer me! I am restless in my complaint and severely distracted because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked. For they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they hold a grudge against me” (Psalm 55:2-3).

The Hebrew word for pressure is aqah, with shades of meaning touching on, pressure, constraint or oppression. This dynamic occurs every time Israel moves from victim to destroyer of the victimizer. When Israel is raped, much of the world is sympathetic; when Israel rises to remove the rapist, the world lectures Israel on being disproportionate in its response. These international responses are in cahoots with evil. Their confused words declare a moral equivalence between the firefighters of Israel and the arsonists of Hamas!

How should we then pray?

As tanks begin to roll, here are some bullet points to be praying about:

Pray for ‘Shock and awe’ to be successfully carried out by the IDF to thwart the years of planning that Hamas has done – tunnels, mines, commando teams whose job is to kidnap IDF soldiers, and to even make off with their dead bodies. Davidic divine strategies as in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!”

Pray for clarity of strategy, purpose and resolve for Israel’s leaders to deal a final death-blow to Hamas in Gaza – total and unconditional surrender of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and total removal from Gaza for them both

Pray for revelation to Israel’s leaders that YHVH Himself gave Gaza to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:20-47) and that this is Israel’s true biblical inheritance. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement under strong American pressure was key to leading us into this horrific situation. Here is a quote from 2005 – during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza – by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Israel that disengaging from Gaza was not enough; the entire West Bank needed to be handed over to the PLO/Hamas: “Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only” (U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, Shannon, Ireland; June 17, 2005. Press briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the traveling press en route to Shannon, Ireland June 17, 2005)

Pray for the leaders of your nation to receive a revelation of God as the Captain of the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:45): “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Pray for minimal loss of life on all sides except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Pray for revelation and clarity to be imparted by the God of Israel to the world intelligence community who have not yet understood what jihad is all about and are fogged as to how to deal with it decisively

Pray that God would hold back a regional war involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Turkey, the Yemenite Houthis and other superpowers

Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps over 200) who have been kidnapped

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

When arrows strike the ground

Osama bin Laden’s teacher, Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was born in 1941, in the village of Silat al-Hartiyeh near Jenin, he studied Islamic Law (Sharia) at Damascus University’s Sharia College and at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University. His slogan was “Jihad and the rifle alone: no negotiations, no conferences and no dialogues”). In the mid-1970’s he lectured at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where one of his students was Osama bin Laden. He moved to Pakistan, becoming one of the top figures in the Afghani jihad against the Russians in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia heavily funded his jihad activities at that time. In 1984 he co-founded MAK, a pre-al-Qa’eda terrorist organization, and in the late 1980’s he worked with Islamic Jihad while solidifying Hamas. He was assassinated by a car bomb in November 1989 – that event linked by rumor to his once-comradely Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Hamas was established in 1987 or 1988, and its charter proclaims that “the Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin) …the largest Islamic Movement in the modern era” (Hamas Charter, Article Two). In 1973 Gazan Sheikh Ahmed Yassin established Mujama, an Islamic dawa or social welfare charity. Israeli officials encouraged this group, hoping that it might weaken the PLO terrorists’ hold on Palestinian society. In the early 1980’s Yassin’s Mujama began to stockpile weapons in preparation for jihad activities. In 1984 Sheikh Yassin was arrested by Israel for conducting jihad activities against Israel, but was released as part of a prisoner exchange in 1985. At the outbreak of the first Arab civilian revolt or intifada in December 1987, seven Gazan Islamists gathered secretly and founded Hamas. They drew up a Charter which declared loyalty to Hassan al-Banna’s Muslim Brotherhood, to Sayyad Qutb’s definition of jihad, and to apocalyptic vison of Qur’an and Hadith (established Islamic legal teachings) calling for Israel’s subjugation and destruction.

In 1989 Yassin was re-arrested for ordering the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldiers. In October 1997 he was released from jail through Jordanian King Hussein of Jordan’s pressure. Sheikh Yassin returned to spearheading Hamas terrorist operations until he was killed in a targeted Israeli helicopter attack in March 2004.

In a public address in Nashville on February 1, 2006, President George W. Bush declared: “I made the position of this government very clear. Hamas must renounce its desire to destroy Israel, it must recognize Israel's right to exist and it must get rid of the armed wing of its party. In order for there to be democracy and in order for there to be two states living side by side with peace, you can't have the party of one state intending to destroy the other state.” Were President Bush to have studied Hamas’ Charter, he would have immediately understood that Hamas is a jihadi organization no different that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qa’eda. Hamas does not ‘have’ an armed wing. It is an armed wing!

The vision and tactics of Hamas

Here is a very brief look at some points of the Hamas Charter, which reveals that it is an Islamist, anti-Jewish and anti-Western terrorist organization:

“The Platform of The Islamic Resistance Movement (ed., Hamas): Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors . . . The Islamic Resistance Movement…join(s) its hands with those of all Jihad fighters for the purpose of liberating Palestine … Our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave…until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails” (Introduction).

“The Islamic Resistance Movement (ed., Hamas) draws its guidelines from Islam” (Article #1).

“The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin)…the largest Islamic Movement in the modern era” (Article #2).

“The Islamic Resistance Movement…strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine” (Article #6).

“Hamas has been looking forward to implement Allah’s promise whatever time it might take. The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: ‘The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him! This will not apply to the gharqad, which is a Jewish tree’” (Article #7).

“Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief (ed. this is also the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood)” (Article #8 – The Slogan of the Hamas).

“There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. The initiatives, proposals and International Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility” (Article #13).

“In order to face the usurpation of Palestine by the Jews, we have no escape from raising the banner of Jihad … We must imprint on the minds of generations of Muslims that the Palestinian problem is a religious one, to be dealt with on this premise. ‘I swear by that who holds in His Hands the Soul of Muhammad! I indeed wish to go to war for the sake of Allah! I will assault and kill, assault and kill, assault and kill’” (Article #15).

“The Muslim women have a no lesser role than that of men in the war of liberation; they manufacture men” (Article #17).

“The Arab states surrounding Israel are required to open their borders to the Jihad fighters … The other Arab and Islamic states are required, at the very least, to facilitate the movement of the Jihad fighters from and to them … Israel, by virtue of its being Jewish and of having a Jewish population, defies Islam and the Muslims” (Article #28).

“Within the circle of the conflict with world Zionism, the Hamas regards itself the spearhead and the avant-garde … (M)ore steps need to be taken by the Arab and Islamic peoples and Islamic associations throughout the Arab and Islamic world in order to make possible the next round with the Jews, the merchants of war” (Article #32).

“The current Zionist invasion had been preceded by a Crusader invasion from the West; and another one, the Tatars, from the East. And exactly as the Muslims had faced those invasions and planned their removal and defeat, they are able to face the Zionist invasion and defeat it” (Article #35).

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night (January 31, 2006), President Bush said the “leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace.” Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk rejected this call and insisted that “Hamas changes neither its skin nor its principles and it will deal with the West on this basis.”

In light of Hamas’ Charter and history (facts well known to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi), al-Sisi is guilty of flat-out lying when he justified Hamas atrocities quite recently: “The existence of a state of hatred and anger [among Palestinians] . . . has accumulated over 40 years because there was no prospect for a solution of the Palestinian question that will give Palestinians hope.” But, of course, when Egypt ruled Gaza with an iron fist between 1948 and 1967, they made no attempt to establish a Palestinian state.

Decapitation is an honored Islamist war tactic

One of Mohammed’s closest generals and most brilliant military commanders was Khalid bin al-Walid, also known as Sayf Allāh al-Maslūl (or the drawn sword of Allah). Between 629-636 AD/CE he was responsible for over one hundred military victories, including the conquests of Arabia, Persian Mesopotamia, Roman Syria, Yarmouk, Damascus and Jerusalem. During the Battle of Mu’tah, al-Walid broke nine swords in hand-to-hand combat. At the Battle of Ullais it is recorded that he oversaw the decapitation of 70,000 Persian soldiers. Hamas’ decapitation of Jewish babies, women and soldiers on Kibbutz Kfar Aza is in keeping with this ancient tradition. It should come as no surprise that jihadis take the Quran literally in their conquest of the Middle East: “When you meet the unbelievers (in battle), strike off their heads; then when you have made wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives. Afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates” (Quran; Surah 47:4). “I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Therefore, strike off their heads and strike off every one of their fingertips . . . Strike terror (into the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies” (Surah 8:12, 60).

Here we go round the mulberry bush

Part of recent Israeli history involves Hamas terror attacks on Israeli citizens, followed by IDF military responses of the jihadi group. Here is a list of 15 such military clashes since 2004:

Keshet Ba’anan (Operation Rainbow) – May 18–23, 2004
Yimei Tshuva (Operation Days of Repentance) – September 29 – October 16, 2004
Gishmei Kayitz (Operation Summer Rains) – June 28–November 26, 2006
Makat Barak (Operation Lightning Strike) – September 3–7, 2006
Horef Ham (Operation Hot Winter) – February 28–March 3, 2008
Oferet Yetzuka (Operation Cast Lead) – December 27, 2008 – January 18, 2009
Amud Anan (Operation Pillar of Cloud/Defense) – November 14–21, 2012
Tzuk Eitan (Operation Protective Edge) – July 8–August 26, 2014
Gan Sagur (Operation Sealed Garden) – May 3–6, 2019
Hagora Shchora (Operation Black Belt) – November 12–14, 2019
Shomer Hachomot (Operation Guardian of the Walls) – May 6–21, 2021
Shover Galim (Operation Breakwater) – March 31–April 4, 2022
Alot Hashachar (Operation Breaking Dawn) – August 5 -7, 2022
Magen Vachetz (Operation Shield and Arrow) – May 19–13, 2023
Milchemet Harvot Barzel (Swords of Iron War) – started October 7, 2023

These mini-wars have broken out every two years on the average, and sometimes twice a year. They have all been triggered by Hamas jihadi terror attacks against civilian Israeli targets. The IDF and IAF then damage Hamas or Islamic Jihad infrastructure, occasionally entering Gaza with tanks and infantry, and then withdraw – leaving Hamas and Islamic Jihad in charge to re-arm, re-strategize and renew the attack against Israel at another soon-upcoming date.

The majority of Israelis have been so shocked by Hamas’ latest massacre on October 7, 2023 – involving mass murder (including babies and decapitations), mass rape, mass kidnapping, mass burning of live victims, etc. – that many voices are calling for a decisive and final destruction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and all people and structures connected with their terror rule in Gaza. Some people in the world may be willing to bow their heads in honor of Israeli victims. But immediately after, the trend will be to insist that Israel is not allowed to decisively defeat its mortal enemies.

The vengeance of YHVH

The Western world has embraced a pacifist tradition, and many Christians have done so as well. King David is celebrated as a poet and a psalmist, but not as a warrior – even though David’s thankfulness to the God of Jacob for training his hands for battle is clearly written in the Psalms. But YHVH is a warrior, says Moses in Exodus 15:3. Perhaps we need to get re-acquainted with the God of the Bible:

So YHVH said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him seven times as much” (Genesis 4:15)

“If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Leviticus 26:18)

“And return to our neighbors seven times as much into their lap [for] their taunts with which they have taunted You, Lord!” (Psalm 79:12)

When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow.” And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And he said, “The arrow of victory for YHVH, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have put an end to them.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. Then the man of God became angry at him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times” (2 Kings 13:14-19)

Then Joash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hatzael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel (2 Kings 13:25)

The God of Jacob knows how to fight, and how to destroy His enemies. The drowning of Pharaoh’s armies is not a footnote in Scripture, as Exodus 15 clearly reveals:

Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to YHVH, saying: “I will sing to YHVH, for He is highly exalted: The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea . . . Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea, and the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The waters cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, YHVH, is majestic in power. Your right hand, YHVH, destroys the enemy. And in the greatness of Your excellence, You overthrow those who rise up against You. You send out Your burning anger, and it consumes them like chaff . . . Who is like You among the gods, YHVH? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?”

The nations who shed fast-food tears for the slain of Zion and then threaten Israel when we prepare to destroy our enemies – rightly did the God of Jacob prophesy their destruction in Jeremiah:

Therefore, all who devour you will be devoured! And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity. And those who plunder you will become plunder, and all who plunder you I will turn into plunder. For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds, declares YHVH – because they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; no one cares for her!” This is what YHVH says: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings. And the city [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt on its ruins, and the palace [of the Davidic dynasty] will stand on its rightful place (Jeremiah 30:16-18)

How should we then pray?

As tanks begin to roll, here are some bullet points to be praying about:

Pray for ‘Shock and awe’ to be successfully carried out by the IDF to thwart the years of planning that Hamas has done – tunnels, mines, commando teams whose job is to kidnap IDF soldiers, and to even make off with their dead bodies. Davidic divine strategies as in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!”

Pray for clarity of strategy, purpose and resolve for Israel’s leaders to deal a final death-blow to Hamas in Gaza – total and unconditional surrender of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and total removal from Gaza for them both

Pray for revelation to Israel’s leaders that YHVH Himself gave Gaza to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:20-47) and that this is Israel’s true biblical inheritance. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement under strong American pressure was key to leading us into this horrific situation. Here is a quote from 2005 – during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza – by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Israel that disengaging from Gaza was not enough; the entire West Bank needed to be handed over to the PLO/Hamas: “Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only” (U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, Shannon, Ireland; June 17, 2005. Press briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the traveling press en route to Shannon, Ireland June 17, 2005)

Pray for the leaders of your nation to receive a revelation of God as the Captain of the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:45): “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Pray for minimal loss of life on all sides except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Pray for revelation and clarity to be imparted by the God of Israel to the world intelligence community who have not yet understood what jihad is all about and are fogged as to how to deal with it decisively

Pray that God would hold back a regional war involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Turkey, the Yemenite Houthis and other superpowers

Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps 165) who have been kidnapped

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Beit Arbel and the Day of Battle

The prophet Hosea makes reference to a horrific time in Israel’s history when Shalmaneser invaded Israel from the North, massacring Jewish people in Beit Arbel, a Galilean village near Capernaum: “All your fortresses will be destroyed – as Shalman destroyed Beit Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were slaughtered with their children” (Hosea 10:14).

The world has been seeing videos and photos of the massacres of kibbutzim, moshavim and towns in Israel’s western Negev. Though President Biden got his specifics slightly off, 40 babies were slaughtered, many of them also decapitated. Pregnant mothers had their bellies ripped open, and young children with hands bound were stacked on piles of tires and burned to death. Teenagers were raped between corpses of their friends, and 250 young Israelis attending a music festival were shot down in cold blood.

The prophet Micah knew what he was saying about such enemies: “Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail . . . Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, ‘Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.’ But they know not the thoughts of YHVH, neither do they understand His counsel. For He shall gather them as the sheaves into the [threshing] floor” (Micah 4:10-12). These cruel and bestial enemies are being gathered by YHVH to the threshing floor, to be thrashed and threshed and burnt. Messiah Yeshua speaks of the dynamics of this process: “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17).

The prophet Ezekiel spoke of such things in his chapter 25:

And the word of YHVH came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against the sons of Ammon and prophesy against them . . . : “Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and have rejoiced with all the malice in your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I have reached out with My hand against you and I will give you as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and eliminate you from the lands. I will exterminate you. So you will know that I am the Lord” . . . YHVH God says this: “Because Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred great guilt, and avenged themselves upon them,” therefore this is what YHVH God says: “I will also reach out with My hand against Edom and eliminate human and animal life from it. And I will turn it into ruins; from Teman even to Dedan they will fall by the sword. And I will inflict My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom in accordance with My anger and My wrath. So they will know My vengeance,” declares YHVH God.

The psalmist Asaph adds his prayer to this:

God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance. Thy holy temple have they defiled. They have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them . . . Pour out Thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known Thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place . . . Wherefore should the heathen say, ‘Where is their God?’ Let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of Thy servants which is shed. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die. And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached Thee, O Lord. So we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth Thy praise to all generations (Psalm 79)

Take note that the God of Israel is not calling for proportionate response against His enemies:

In Psalm 79 sevenfold vengeance is called for

In Ezekiel the total destruction of God’s (and Israel’s enemies) is called for in prophecy.

The dragon’s attack on the chosen seed

What God has chosen to love, Satan has chosen to hate, kill and destroy, beginning with Pharaoh:

Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah. And he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live” . . . Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, you are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.” (Exodus 1:15-22)

The attempt to destroy Abraham’s and Jacob’s seed runs throughout history – past arch-enemies like Haman, Antiochus IV, the original jihadi terrorists, Bogdan Chmielnicki, Hitler, Stalin and now Hamas. This anti-Jewish genocidal plan will continue until the very end: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Messiah Yeshua” (Revelation 12:17).

One biblical surprise that is hidden from most believers is the fact that the God of Jacob has plans of His own to use the Jewish people in crushing their enemies à la Ezekiel 37:9-11 and Zechariah 12:1-9. In Jeremiah YHVH declares: “You are My war-club, My weapon of war! And with you I shatter nations, and with you I destroy kingdoms.” (Jeremiah 51:20). And in Ezekiel 25, the God of Jacob repeats it: “And I will inflict My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel.”

These prophesies bring to fulfilment the words spoken over Rebekah in Syria-Turkey, in Padan Aram, many years ago as her family laid hands on her. They spoke a prophetic blessing over her and she went off to marry Isaac and join in Abraham’s family tree: “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her: ‘Thou art our sister. Be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them” (Genesis 24:60).

How should we then pray?

As tanks begin to roll, here are some bullet points to be praying about:

Pray for ‘Shock and awe’ to be successfully carried out by the IDF to thwart the years of planning that Hamas has done – tunnels, mines, commando teams whose job is to kidnap IDF soldiers, and to even make off with their dead bodies. Davidic divine strategies as in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle!”

Pray for clarity of strategy, purpose and resolve for Israel’s leaders to deal a final death-blow to Hamas in Gaza – total and unconditional surrender of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and total removal from Gaza for them both

Pray for revelation to Israel’s leaders that YHVH Himself gave Gaza to the tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:20-47) and that this is Israel’s true biblical inheritance. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement under strong American pressure was key to leading us into this horrific situation. Here is a quote from 2005 – during the Israeli disengagement from Gaza – by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Israel that disengaging from Gaza was not enough; the entire West Bank needed to be handed over to the PLO/Hamas: “Because the real point about Gaza is not to stop with Gaza. The President has been clear, we’ve been clear with the Israelis that it cannot be Gaza only” (U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, Shannon, Ireland; June 17, 2005. Press briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the traveling press en route to Shannon, Ireland June 17, 2005)

Pray for the leaders of your nation to receive a revelation of God as the Captain of the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:45): “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of YHVH of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Pray for minimal loss of life on all sides except for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Pray for revelation and clarity to be imparted by the God of Israel to the world intelligence community who have not yet understood what jihad is all about and are fogged as to how to deal with it decisively

Pray that God would hold back a regional war involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, Turkey, the Yemenite Houthis and other superpowers

Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps 165) who have been kidnapped

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Remember well what YHVH your God did

The God of Jacob wants the Jewish people to remember. Moses instructed Israel:

If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ – you are not to be afraid of them. You shall remember well what YHVH your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders, and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which YHVH your God brought you out. YHVH your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid (Deuteronomy 7:17-19)

YHVH tells His people to remember how in the past God gave them military victory over their enemies, in order that the whole nation would be encouraged in faith as they move in to defeat their present enemies.

God, we have heard with our ears – our fathers have told us – the work that You did in their days, in the days of old. You with Your own hand drove out the nations. Then You planted them. You afflicted the peoples; then You let them go free. For by their own sword they did not possess the land, and their own arm did not save them – but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for You favored them. You are my King, God! Command victories for Jacob! Through You we will push back our adversaries. Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our adversaries, and You have put to shame those who hate us (Psalm 44:1-7)

Remembering in the key to redemption

Remembrance is the key to moving in exploits of faith. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov once said that “Forgetfulness leads to exile, but remembering is the key to redemption.” This principle is fleshed out by the German philosopher G.W. Hegel: “What experience and history teach is this – that nations and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted upon any lessons they might have drawn from it” (Georg Wilhelm Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of History, 1832).

Yeshua exhorted His own disciples to remember and learn from events they themselves had seen and experienced: “And Yeshua . . . said to them . . . ‘Do you not yet comprehend or understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?’” (Mark 8:17-19)

The Apostle Peter adds his ‘amen’ to the discussion: “I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, to remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets” (1 Peter 3:1-2).

What are we supposed to remember at this time?

“So that the name of Israel will be no longer remembered”

The prophetic Psalm 83 reflects ancient hatred, both against the God of Israel and the people of Jacob. There are clear genocidal goals of these nations, which include:

Edom [Palestinians and southern Jordan]

Ishmael [Saudi Arabia]

Moab [central Jordan]

the Hagrites [Arabs]

Gebal [Lebanon]

Ammon [also central Jordan]

Amalek (here they appear again!]

Philistia [includes the territory of Gaza]

Tyre [Lebanon]

Assyria [northern Iraq]

For behold: Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let’s wipe them out as a nation, so that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.” For they have conspired together with one mind; they make a covenant against You: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined them. They have become a help to the children of Lot. Selah (Psalm 83:4-8)

People in the Middle East often have long memories; their history requires them to remember past hatreds and slaughters. And so it is in our day as well.

Remembering our shrewd enemies

The news cycle moves so quickly, often with coverage that does not give the reader tools to understand events. Here are three newsletters from the past years which give essential background, history and goals of Hamas, Qatar and Saudi Arabia:

The February 4, 2006 newsletter reveals the origins of Hamas; what they believe and their jihadi strategy in their own words; and how both Iran and Qatar are their main supporters: https://davidstent.org/hurtling-through-the-fog-of-war-a-messianic-perspective-on-the-new-hamastan/

The December 5, 2022 newsletter shines a spotlight on the darkness surrounding the Gulf state of Qatar – America’s supposed ‘ally’ while it remains the main bankroller of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, the Taliban, Al-Jazeera TV [a propaganda front for Hamas], etc.: https://davidstent.org/strong-horses-and-lion-cubs/

The September 14, 2020 newsletter uncovering Saudi Arabia’s machinations to weaken and dismember Israel; American willingness to speed that process along, and the connection between that and the 9/11 Islamist jihadi terror attacks in America: https://davidstent.org/saudis-rose-gardens-and-genesis-123-an-update-on-9-11/

We encourage you to read these newsletters in order to get a crystal clear understanding of what the threats are, what they will develop into, and how we can pray about these matters.

The commission of the God of Jacob

YHVH addressed Moses (starting in Deuteronomy 10) and gave him and Israel a holy charge:

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt, how he confronted you on the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. So it shall come about, when YHVH your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies in the land which YHVH your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall wipe out the mention of the name Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)

The God of Jacob takes the planning and violent deeds of Israel’s enemies very seriously. According to Genesis 12:3 these enemies are subject to the divine curse (see also Numbers 22:12; 23:7-8, 19-24), and their end will come at the hands of the army of Israel:

Behold, a people rises like a lioness and like a lion it raises itself. It will not lie down until it devours the prey (Numbers 23:24)

And I will inflict My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom in accordance with My anger and My wrath. So, they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord YHVH (Ezekiel 25:14)

Today’s events

The total number of Israelis murdered by Hamas has increased as bodies are discovered and identified. It now stands at just under 1,350 babies, children, teenagers, women, men and pensioners. The total number of Israeli wounded in the ‘einsatzgruppen’ Nazi-like jihadi terror attacks stands at over 3,400.

A handful of Hamas terror squads were interdicted and eliminated near the Gaza Strip, within Israel proper. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the firing of an anti-tank missile from Lebanon into Israel, killing an Israeli soldier, Staff Sgt. (res.) Matanya Elster, 22, of the 221st Battalion of the Carmeli Brigade.

A war government has been formed, bringing together Netanyahu’s coalition and Benny Gantz’s National Unity party. With three generals on board (present or former Chiefs of General Staff) on board, this move has found favor with the majority of Israelis as they prepare for the critical fast-approaching campaign – the ground invasion of Gaza and the total destruction of the jihadi terror group known as Hamas (as well as the second largest terror group in Gaza – Islamic Jihad).

How should we then pray?

Pray for the complete destruction of Islamist terrorist invaders either on Israeli soil or in all of Gaza
Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis (perhaps 165) who have been kidnapped
Pray for divine wisdom and decisive strategy to be given to Israel’s leaders in every area of planning
Pray that Lebanon’s leaders will be able to restrain Hezbollah from making moves which would be suicidal to that country
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Breaking the jaws of the wicked

Over the past two days, Israel has been eliminating the remaining dregs of Hamas terrorists – the jihadi squads of over a thousand who crossed into Israel on the Sabbath to rape, murder, kidnap and torture. Going house to house and building to building, IDF soldiers have taken down or captured nearly a thousand terrorists. Israel’s army has also discovered bestial savagery of these jihadi ravagers, in the corpses discovered as the kibbutzim, moshavim, towns and fields have been combed.

In Kfar Aza, barely a few hundred meters from Gaza, the bodies of 40 slaughtered babies were discovered, many of them decapitated. Whole families were gunned down sleeping in their beds, or roughly hauled out to be executed while laughing terrorists filmed the events. A few kilometers from there, at a music festival, Hamas terrorists murdered 250 young people and went on to rape young women between the dead bodies of those slaughtered. Over 150 Israelis were brutally kidnapped to Gaza. Hamas has posted videos without any hesitation, showing mass rapes of young Israeli women, torture of children and decapitations of Israeli soldiers. Another photograph, verified by Israeli intelligence, shows many Israel babies and toddlers locked up in chicken pens which are stacked one on top of the other. These abominable acts are being applauded by those participating and witnessing in these videos. These images have gone viral in social media throughout the Arab world.

The heart of David

King David gives the anguished cry of our heart a biblical expression:

“Look at my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with violent hatred” (Psalm 25:19)
“Do I not hate those who hate You, YHVH? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred. They have become my enemies” (Psalm 139:21-22)

The wisdom of Solomon

David’s son Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, added his footnote here: “One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous – both of them alike are an abomination to YHVH” (Proverbs 17:15). Hamas supporters have been marching in New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney, chanting “Kill the Jews! F*** the Jews!”

In the Bible YHVH speaks highly of Job: “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8). This God-fearing man addressed his prayer to God, asking Him to bring swift justice to such bestial people: “Look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him, and trample down the wicked where they stand!” (Job 40:12; see also Job 29:17).

The decree of the God of Jacob

The majority of today’s Palestinians are descendants of Esau, also known as Edom. See my book ‘Jews, Arabs and the Middle East: a Messianic perspective’ for a detailed biblical and historical study of this (available at www.davidstent.org).

The prophets Obadiah and Ezekiel speak prophetic promises over Edom, the preeminent Last Days enemy of the Jewish people in the prophetic Scriptures:

“Will I not on that day, declares YHVH, eliminate wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountain of Esau . . . so that everyone will be eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder. Because of violence to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be eliminated forever” (Obadiah 8-10)

The Lord YHVH says this: Because Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred great guilt, and avenged themselves upon them, therefore this is what the Lord YHVH says: “I will also reach out with My hand against Edom and eliminate human and animal life from it. And I will turn it into ruins; from Teman even to Dedan they will fall by the sword. And I will inflict My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom in accordance with My anger and My wrath. So they will know My vengeance,” declares the Lord YHVH (Ezekiel 25:12-14).

The God of Jacob directly and specifically commands Samuel what the Jewish people are to do with those enemies of Israel who seek her destruction: “Thus saith YHVH of armies, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not” (1 Samuel 15:2-3). Do we know this God?

King David gives us guidance on how to pray here: “Arise, YHVH; save me, my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek. You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to YHVH! May Your blessing be upon Your people!” (Psalm 3:7-8).

Many followers of Messiah Yeshua are not deeply acquainted with the God of the Bible. They are comfortable with the image of a gentle Jesus, but appalled at the God of Moses, Joshua and Samuel. Isaiah’s vision of lion and lamb is ‘in,’ but YHVH coming to destroy Israel’s enemies is ‘out’ and make some believers distinctly ill at ease. But as the writer of the Epistle to the Messianic Jews (Hebrews) points out, “Messiah Yeshua is the same yesterday and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Are we willing to acknowledge and worship the One about whom Moses declared: “YHVH is a warrior – YHVH is His name . . . Your right hand, YHVH, is majestic in power! Your right hand, YHVH, destroys the enemies” (Exodus 15:3, 6).

When Messiah comes

Balaam prophesied by the Holy Spirit regarding one of the works that Messiah Son of David will perform at His return: “I shall see Him, but not now. I shall behold Him, but not nigh. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth” (Numbers 24:17). Moab is in central Jordan today, and Sheth is a parallel term for the people of Moab (Shutu) found in ancient Egyptian documents.

The principle behind these prophesies is crystallized in Zechariah’s Last Days declaration: “And this shall be the plague wherewith YHVH will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:12). Evidently the God of Jacob is still highly agitated about those who take up weapons against Israel.

“For YHVH of armies says this: ‘After glory He has sent Me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). Would that more Christians today would grasp this huge emphasis straight from the heart and eyes of God.

Ezekiel speaks of one of the main motivators and catalysts that will move Messiah Yeshua to return to Jerusalem:

Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of YHVH. This is what the Lord YHVH says: “Since the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting heights have become our possession,’ therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord YHVH says: “For good reason they have made you desolate and harassed you from every side, so that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations; and you have been taken up in the talk and the rumor of the people.”’” Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord YHVH. This is what the Lord YHVH says to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities which have become plunder and an object of ridicule to the rest of the nations which are all around— therefore the Lord YHVH says this: “Certainly in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with contempt of soul, in order to make its pastureland plunder.” Therefore, prophesy in regard to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’ Therefore, the Lord YHVH says this: ‘I have sworn that the nations that are around you will certainly endure their insults themselves’ (Ezekiel 36:1-7)

It is because of Hamas’ bestial barbarism (as well as that of Hezbollah, Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc.) and its cancerous increase in days to come, that the return of the Captain of the armies of YHVH will be triggered.

Isaiah’s Jewish vision of Messiah’s Second Coming

One of the most powerful descriptions of Messiah’s return is found in Isaiah 56, and quoted by Paul as the capstone of Romans 11. The God of Isaac expresses astonishment that the nations of the world couldn’t care less about the plight of the Jewish people. He is also astounded that most intercessors are not interceding for Israel’s protection, victory and salvation. In anger He abruptly stands up from His throne, puts on His body armor, and heads out to crush those who are doing Israel harm:

Now YHVH saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede. Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head. And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will He repay: wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; to the coastlands He will deal retribution. So they will fear the name of YHVH from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of YHVH drives. A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from wrongdoing, declares YHVH (Isaiah 59:15-20)

And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked (Isaiah 11:4)

These prophecies and the principles behind them are key to understanding why Satan hates the Jewish people so much, and why he is digging his own fiery grave by activating his demonized disciples to confront the living God and His armies. As David the shepherd teenager said, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 7:16).

Mopping up and mowing the grass

The IDF is still finding and eliminating squads of Hamas terrorists. In the past few hours, as I was typing up this newsletter, news flashes explained how various jihadi groups were discovered and destroyed in Ashkelon, Sderot, Zikim Beach, and two kibbutzim. Only when that operation is successfully completed will the ground war against the jihadi terrorist rat’s nest in Gaza begin.

How should we then pray?

Pray for the complete destruction of Islamist terrorist invaders still on Israeli soil
Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis who have been kidnapped
Pray for divine wisdom and decisive strategy to be given to Israel’s leaders in every area here
Pray that Lebanon’s leaders will be able to restrain Hezbollah from making moves which would be suicidal to that country
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Blind watchmen, mute dogs and prophets

The surprise invasion by Islamist jihadi group Hamas has so far resulted in over 700 Israelis murdered, over 2,000 wounded, and an unknown number of Israeli citizens kidnapped to the terror enclave of Gaza (this includes retirees, fathers and mothers, children and babies). This is a terror attack of proportions heretofore unknown in Israel; the casualties are more in line with full-scale war. Prime Minister Netanyahu has indeed labeled this a war and not simply a military operation.

One question that many in Israel are asking, is this: how could the most technologically advanced power in the Middle East, constantly under attack by its neighbors and well-defended with the latest in military alarms and protection systems, be overwhelmed and totally surprised by fairly low-tech forces? How could an IDF network of tripwire observation posts and CCTV monitors have been completely overwhelmed? Why were there glaringly insufficient boots on the ground, and why did it take an average of between five to twelve hours for IDF forces to show up (whether by land or by air) to rescue Jews held hostage by kidnappers and terrorists?

Some of the answers to these questions are known and they are technically based. Other answers will only be discovered by digging more deeply. The most telling answers come from consulting biblical principles and they are spiritual in nature. This newsletter considers these various factors.

Blinding eyes through subterfuge

The motto of Israel’s Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations) is taken from Proverbs 24:6: “For by stratagems you will wage war, and victory comes from much planning.” Israel’s top-notch secret service has won grudging respect world-wide for its bold and inventive operations, one of the latest being the smuggling of much of Iran’s secret nuclear bomb archives out of downtown Tehran. Yet in this latest terror incursion by Hamas, it seems that the Islamist terror group also made use of strategic deception, and planning which made use of low technology.

The massive launching of rockets at 0630 hours on what was both a Shabbat and a Jewish holiday was also a strategic diversion. With the IDF focusing its attention on Iron Dome defense, it did not pick up the fact that Hamas simultaneously was launching an entire fleet of motorized ultra-light hang-gliders with no radar footprint, which manually dropped bombs on many of the Israeli lookout positions. As soon as the lookouts were blinded, Hamas terror squads raced to 20 pre-arranged points along the fence, where up to 1,000 jihadi terrorists were waiting. Pre-positioned bulldozers razed IDF fences, and many white pickup trucks loaded with Islamist terrorists sped into Israel to wreak murder and mayhem, destruction and kidnapping. The IDF had never had the experience of facing an invasion by many squads of Hamas operatives. Similarly, many groups of naval commandos broke into Israel by way of the sea near IDF’s Zikim base – a departure from Hamas’ usual tactics of sending over only one or two Zodiac boats.

Between 12 to 24 IDF battalions which normally would have been present in Gaza were serving in counter-terrorist operations (again from Hamas) in the West Bank. The IDF reserves framework has recently been weakened as a result of the boiling internal debates in Israel over the judicial overhaul, and the Israeli Police were similarly weakened due to being used to guard anti-overhaul demonstrators instead of more pressing security needs. The Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah also distracted Israelis over this past weekend – all in all, the ingredients for a perfect storm.

In a recent interrogation of a Hamas terrorist captured by Israel, he noted a few points: Hamas had planned this coordinated attack for over one year; the anti-government demonstrations in Israel (which divided, distracted and weakened the nation) were a great encouragement to them; they broke through into Israel and were free to murder and kidnap for 5 hours before the IDF responded to them; 1,000 Hamas terrorists participated in the operation; they made 15 holes in the security fence; the Hamas forces were astounded that IDF forces were not there at the fence to confront the jihadi forces.

Politically correct gatekeepers

In 2012 an Israeli film was released entitled ‘The Gatekeepers.’ Interviews with six former heads (‘gatekeepers’) of Israel’s security agencies Mossad and Shin Bet (GSS) discussed their history of combatting Islamist terrorism. Amazingly enough, nearly all of them exhibited a strange sympathy for the terrorists, a stunning example of what is known as the Stockholm Syndrome.

Swedish criminologist and psychologist Nils Bejerot coined that term to describe that puzzling phenomenon, where a hostage actually buys in to the oppressor’s or captor’s perspective, and then finds his own soul overwhelmed by his captors’ lies. The Stockholm Syndrome should be understood first and foremost as a survival mechanism for cornered victims. Typical behavior of those suffering from this syndrome includes focusing on the abuser’s positive side and denying his violence; seeing the abuser as only a victim; believing that one deserves the abuser’s violence; hating that part of ones’ self which the abuser said caused the attack.

The Stockholm Syndrome has specific significance for Israelis in the Middle East. Nearly a hundred years of Islamic Arab war, hostilities and terrorism have triggered Stockholm Syndrome attitudes within many Israeli hearts: we have begun to defend our enemies, to ignore their murderous goals and to blame ourselves for their hateful attacks. The world has encouraged our syndrome through slanted media and through political and economic pressure. As a result, many in Israel have bought into an attitude of accepting the necessity of retreat from portions of our ancestral homeland, of needing to shrink Israel’s borders in order to be accepted in the Middle East, of hiding behind anti-terror walls, and of “shutting ourselves in and hoping for the best” in the words of a March 23, 2006 article in The Economist. Two of the three main parties on Israel’s election rolls state that retreating from and surrendering our land to our mortal enemies offer us the best chance for peace.

Approximately one year ago Rachel and I went out to buy shawarma at a popular food stand in one of Jerusalem’s outlying suburbs. I immediately recognized a former head of Israel’s Shabak/GSS who came in to order take-out. For many years I had hoped that I would be afforded an opportunity to ask this man a few questions related to the ‘Gatekeepers’ film. I introduced myself to him, letting him know that I was familiar with both his security history and the film. One of the questions I asked him was this: is it possible that the General Security Services and the Mossad underestimated the spiritual dynamic of jihadi Islam, and could that underestimating have hampered the security services from being more effective in dealing with these people. He agreed that this was a possibility, and also that most of his fellow gatekeepers were now advocating for a Palestinian state. He did not want to talk more deeply about the subject.

The Gatekeepers interviewed in the film nearly to a man, believed that it is possible to work with the PLO and that a Palestinian state is something with which Israel can co-exist. They see the problems as solvable – if Israel makes it financially worthwhile and stays out of Gaza’s way. This was also Ariel Sharon’s perspective when he marched Israel out of Gaza in 2005 – and Hamas happily obliged to fill the gap.

One huge reason that these gatekeepers have been blinded is because of their secular worldview, which ignores or mocks the biblical reality of Satan and the demonic. For them, Islam is simply one of the three great monotheistic faiths, and the murderous anti-Jewish teachings of Islam’s source documents should be dismissed out of hand as ‘bad form.’ See my book ‘Jews, Arabs and the Middle East: a Messianic perspective’ for much more source background, available at www.davidstent.org.

The threats that jihad poses to Israel are all too real, yet they are being ignored by a secular Jewish country more in tune with McDonald’s than with Messiah Yeshua. The gatekeepers are no longer guarding the gates, and 1,000 jihadis just flooded in. These gatekeepers are not only in the security services; they are also Israeli politicians and diplomats, professors and oligarchs. Instead of warning Israel and preparing for the clash with international jihad, these gatekeepers have become ‘partners in peace’ with our mortal enemies. They have fallen asleep on the job.

Gatekeepers, watchmen and prophets

The Hebrew word for watchtower observer is tatzpetanit, related to the Hebrew root tsaphah. That word is the root used for ‘watchman’ or ‘tsopheh.’ YHVH’s commission to Ezekiel focuses on this word: “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the House of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). A watchman is someone who observes what the God of Jacob is saying, and then speaks it out in obedience in the right circumstance.

Hosea puts some meat on the bones here, explaining that a watchman speaks out for God; therefore, he is a prophet: “Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet” (Hosea 9:8). To be a gatekeeping watchman is a prophetic calling.

The serious responsibility of being a watchman is laid out in Ezekiel chapter 33:2-6:

Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, “If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the horn and warns the people, then someone who hears the sound of the horn but does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.”

In that light, Isaiah’s warning chills the blood: Israel’s watchmen, gatekeepers and prophets are sometimes asleep at the wheel, dumb dogs who have forgotten how to bark and to warn: “His watchmen are blind; all of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark – dreamers lying down, who love to slumber” (Isaiah 56:10-11).

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, warns us all: “Unless YHVH builds a house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless YHVH guards a city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Israel’s leadership needs a spiritual visitation and revival. We are unprepared for the severe challenges facing us.

Mopping up, moving out, moving in

There are still pockets of deadly Hamas terrorist gangs roaming the Western Negev. The IDF is finding them one-by-one and two-by-two, and dispatching them. Today saw an organized evacuation of all Jewish kibbutzim and moshavim which border the Gaza Strip, as well as an evacuation of seven kibbutzim and towns bordering Lebanon in the north of Israel. As soon as these moves are completed, probably in less than 24 hours, the IDF’s entrance into the jihadi terrorist strongholds of Gaza will commence, probably preceded by the softening up of Hamas fortresses through artillery barrages, tank fire and pinpoint smart-bombs. Since Hamas strategically locates its rocket pads, command and control centers, and weapons depots in civilian areas, next to hospitals, tunneling under mosques and UN schools, one can be sure that world opinion (now sympathetic to Israel’s war aims) will swiftly pivot and turn against the Jewish state and her army.

How should we then pray?

Pray for the defeat and destruction of Islamist terrorist invaders on Israeli soil
Pray for the physical rescue of the many Israelis under siege, those who are kidnapped, and those who are wounded
Pray for divine wisdom and decisive strategy to be given to Israel’s leaders in every area required here
Pray that Lebanon’s leaders will be able to restrain Hezbollah from making moves which are suicidal to that country
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Lest the sons of the Philistines rejoice

King Saul and his son Jonathan died defending the people of Israel on the mountains of Gilboa. Jonathan was killed in the battle, while Saul took his own life, falling on his sword. David son of Jesse, the soon-coming king, led the tribe of Judah in a public lament known as ‘the mourning song of the bow.’

Then David sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan, and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow. Behold, it is written in the Book of Yashar: “Your beauty, Israel, is slaughtered on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the Philistine daughters rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised celebrate” (2 Samuel 1:17-20)

The surprise attack on the morning of October 7 by Islamist terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad has brought forth its demonic fruit – the slaughter of at least 250 Israelis, the wounding of over a thousand Jewish people, and the kidnapping to Gazan underground tunnels and prisons of hundreds more citizens of the Jewish state. These crimes were met with rejoicing among the bestial mobs of Gaza. Golden-ager Jewish women were shot at point blank range by jihadi terror squads, as were their daughters and grandchildren. Bodies of young women and soldiers were dragged across public squares and stomped on by mobs screaming out ‘Allahu akbar’ – ‘Allah is greater.’ Teenaged girls were hauled by their hair past violent crowds, while candies and sweet pastries were distributed to the Gazan bystanders in celebration of this ‘uncircumcised victory.’

What has happened here? What is about to happen? How did these events catch the Israel Defense Forces seemingly by surprise? How can we pray into these matters?

“They make shrewd plans against Your people”

On Friday September 1 and Saturday September 2, 2023, two fateful meetings were held in Beirut. At the first meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah to discuss the upcoming October attacks on Israel. On the next day, they were joined by Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to work on “the importance of coordination between the resistance movements, especially in Palestine and Lebanon, on all political, security and military developments.”

The words of Asaph the psalmist carry enormous prophetic weight here:

God, do not remain quiet! Do not be silent and, God, do not be still! For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let’s wipe them out as a nation, so that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.” For they have conspired together with one mind; they make a covenant against You: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre (Psalm 83:1-7)

The date chosen was fifty years plus one day after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, which happened on October 6, 1973. The symbolism here is also reflected in the attacks on the US diplomatic compound and CIA annex in Libya on September 11, 2012, the anniversary of al Qa’eda’s World Trade Center jihadi terror attack of September 11, 2001. In the Egyptian narrative, the Yom Kippur War is seen as an Arab victory against the Jewish state.

“They make shrewd plans against Your people”

In a sober parallel to how Israeli military intelligence was unprepared for the Yom Kippur war, so it seems that the Israel Defense Forces were painfully taken by surprise by the Hamas terror incursion into the sovereign State of Israel. The prophet Isaiah saw something similar in his own day: “His watchmen are blind! All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark – dreamers lying down, who love to slumber” (Isaiah 56:10).

Intelligence failures do happen. Pearl Harbor, 9/11, Vietnam, Afghanistan (for British, Russian and American armies) – all indicate that such things are not foreign to military history. In 1973 Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Dayan as well as some in AMAN (Military Intelligence Directorate) were guilty of hubris (hutzpah in Hebrew) in underestimating the enemy and in overestimating the IDF’s battle readiness. After the shooting stops in Israel and the smoke clears after this round, the commission looking into these blunders will have its work cut out for it.

How did the incursion happen?

Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets aimed at civilian targets at 06:30 am, Saturday October 7, 2023. Kibbutzim, moshavim, towns, cities and military posts were attacked. Simultaneously, parachuting terrorists on ultra-light single-place powered vehicles glided onto Israeli territory next to kibbutzim (communal farms). Zodiac rubber boats crossed the short distance between Gaza and Israel, unloading heavily armed jihadis. Hamas engineers cut through the border fences, allowing at least ten pickup trucks armed with sub-machine gun and RPG-toting terrorists to break through and head to at least 21 different locations. Their goals: to murder Israeli men, women and children; to take hostages and spirit the captives back to Gaza or, in worse case scenarios, to engage in negotiations with the IDF for the release of Hamas terrorist jailed in Israel; to strike terror into the hearts of Israelis; and most probably to feint with a strategic diversion, drawing down IDF forces from the Lebanese border so that Hezbollah would have greater freedom of movement in attacking Israel.

All of these goals were successful.

Approximately 21 kibbutzim, moshavim, towns and cities were assaulted by Hamas terrorists. It took the IDF many hours to arrive, organize and counter-attack. Though in the end they have achieved some mastery of the areas involved, many civilians were murdered or kidnapped to Gaza in the meantime. Our personal friends had their home broken into while they hid. The Hamas terrorists staked out the living room and were there for some hours before IDF special forces broke in and freed our friends. Our friends’ son had some of his best friends captured and dragged off to Gaza in a jihadi kidnapping. Many others on that kibbutz were also kidnapped.

Over 250 Israelis have been murdered by the jihadis and over 1,100 have been wounded, many severely. Hundreds are presumed kidnapped. Hamas is presently firing rockets into civilian areas in the Greater Tel Aviv area, and they are firing those rockets from civilian neighborhoods in Gaza. This is a double war-crime.

Where do we go from here?

The IDF’s immediate military goals are twofold: to destroy any and all Hamas/Islamic Jihad rocket fire through the Israeli Iron Dome mobile air-defense system; to wipe out any Hamas terror squads that are still operating freely in Israel. One example is at Kibbutz Be’eri adjoining the Gaza Strip, where approximately 50 kibbutz members are being held hostage in the communal dining hall. There seem to be at least seven centers of terror activities, though there originally were 21 earlier this afternoon. A general call-up of reserves has been taking place this afternoon, and normal Israelis in all walks of life (including many Messianic Jews) have headed out to the front lines, preparing for a land incursion into the Gaza Strip.

When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to withdraw all Israeli civilians and military from Gaza, he was applauded by many of the left of center – including by one or two well-known Israeli Messianic leaders. Gaza quickly fell to Hamas in the only free elections it ever had in 2006. The USA contributed USD $2.3 million through USAID to help, and former president Jimmy Carter’s Carter Center reported “a professional and impartial performance of election officials.” As soon as Hamas won the election, it proceeded to knee-cap, torture and murder Arafat’s PLO cadres. Within a short time Gaza became a jihadi terror base aimed at destroying Israel. Sharon’s legacy has blossomed into an ongoing terror campaign funded and overseen by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Gaza Strip is honeycombed with terror tunnels – far more than those faced by US forces in Vietnam. Hamas has hidden kidnap victims in these tunnels, which are heavily mined. Hamas’ high command HQ is situated under Shifa Hospital, raising ethical dilemmas for Israel’s warrior strategists. In order to ‘crush the head of the serpent,’ the battle must be prosecuted on land and underground as well. Hamas has spent much time preparing for these clashes, and will attempt to exact a high price in dead, wounded and kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah on the move

Israel’s doyen of military commentators Ehud Yaari has reported today that Hezbollah forces in Lebanon have raised their level of military preparedness to standby for their long-stated goal of invading Israel and unleashing their arsenal of 150,000 GPS-guided rockets. The UN UNIFIL observer forces have been moving into their comfortable military bases to get out of the way, as was once done in Sinai prior to the Six Day War on May 19, 1967. Time will soon tell, but it is highly likely that Hezbollah will enter the theater of combat in the very short future.

Israel has clearly warned Lebanon over the past decade that Hezbollah’s use of its rocket arsenal would force Israel “to return Lebanon back to the Stone Age . . . We will not hesitate to use all our power,” said Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

If this long-discussed battle breaks out, with Lebanon attacking Israel through tunnels, hang gliders, commando incursions and rockets, the Middle East may be facing one of the most intense periods of war that it has ever seen.

How should we then pray?

Pray for the defeat and destruction of Islamist terrorist invaders
Pray for the physical rescue of Israelis under siege, those who are kidnapped, those who are wounded
Pray for divine wisdom and decisive strategy to be given to Israel’s leaders in every area
Pray that Lebanon’s leaders will be able to restrain Hezbollah from making moves which are suicidal to that country
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Hamas surprise attack

At approximately 06:30 am Israeli time, on a quiet Shabbat morning, we were awakened by the repeating wailing of air raid sirens. For the past four hours the Islamist terror group Hamas has been firing rockets across southern Israel (Beersheva, Arad, Dimona, Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, etc.) and also at the Greater Tel Aviv area and at the outlying suburbs of Jerusalem.

Though the Iron Dome anti-rocket defenses have managed to stop most of the rockets, some of landed. A 60 year old woman was murdered by a direct hit; some are moderately wounded.

Simultaneously, at least ten white pickup trucks driven by Hamas suicide squad jihadis crossed into Israel (as well as some on ultra-light single-place powered parachutists) and attacked approximately 21 sites, including kibbutzim and moshavim (farms), small towns (including police stations). They have been slaughtering civilians, including mothers and children, breaking into houses and indiscriminately killing the inhabitants. We have friends who have terrorists in their house as I write.

At least five IDF soldiers have been kidnapped and spirited away to Gaza. A Hummer armored vehicle most likely belonging to them has been paraded in the streets of Gaza – shades of 2 Samuel 1:20: “Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, The daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.” There are sketchy details of at least 35 others kidnapped. Scores of IDF soldiers have been murdered. Over 80 casualties have been brought to Beersheva’s Soroka hospital, and other figures quote 150 wounded. The situation of the ground is quite fluid.

At the moment of this writing, there are still many active sites of military confrontation between terrorist gangs and Israeli citizens/the IDF – 21 sites was the figure Israel’s Chief of Police mentioned thirty minutes ago. Islamic Jihad has joined in the hostilities against Israel in the last hour.

Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif issued a false-flag declaration that these attacks are being done by Muslims outraged at Israel’s defiling of the Temple Mount. This false charge has been repeated many times since 1929, and has always led to Islamist attacks on Jewish civilians. See previous newsletters which give a historical overview here, here and here. A vudeo was posted of terrorist chiefs rejoicing and then giving thanks to Islam’s spiritual leader in prayer.

The probable spark for this conflict has little to do with the Temple Mount, and everything to do with Iran. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are Iranian client proxies. Iran is catalyzing terror attacks against Israeli civilians to threaten Israel, Saudi Arabia and the USA about the warming of military ties between the Saudis and Israel. This is a warning shot across the bows.

Israel has issued a broad call-up of reserves and has called this campaign Operations Iron Swords.

The broad nature of this surprise attack, the civilian and military casualties and kidnappings from Israeli cities and kibbutzim – these will of necessity require a very strong Israeli response. There have been deaths so far today, and there will undoubtedly be many more.

Please pray as the Psalmist did: “Arise, YHVH, confront him, make him bow down! Save my soul from the wicked with Your sword” (Psalm 17:13).

How should we then pray?

Pray for the defeat and destruction of Islamist terrorist invaders
Pray for the physical rescue of Israelis under siege, those who are kidnapped, those who are wounded
Pray for divine wisdom and decisive strategy to be given to Israel’s leaders in every area
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

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