©December 24, 2011 Revive Israel Ministries

Asher and S ministered at a number of churches and conferences in Bangkok and Jakarta this past week.

Christmas in Indonesia

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any nation (and the 4th largest population in the world with 258 million people, after China, India, and United States). I had the privilege to speak at the Christmas celebration at Gelora Bung Kamo stadium, the largest in Jakarta. One headline in a local paper read, "Hundreds of Thousands filled Stadium." I spoke on Jesus as the light of the world.  As you can see in the photo from the secular newspaper, those in the stadium then lit candles in His honor.

I cried, laughed, danced, and stood in awe to see 200,000 native Indonesians praising Jesus, taking communion, giving testimony of healing miracles, celebrating the birth of Messiah, and hearing the Word of God. Local organizers asked me not to print their names. (The immediate danger is not their being Christian but their connection with Jews from Israel.)  Pray for a mighty revival throughout Indonesia.

Thailand Turning Point

Rama IX, the king of Thailand (Siam), is the longest reigning monarch in the world, having taken the throne in 1946. He is sick and appears to be dying. This will be an emotional shock for many. [Note: Kim Jong II of North Korea also died this week. We hope to have a report from Korean Christians next week on the spiritual implications of this turning point as well.]

While Thailand is a Buddhist nation, Bangkok is an international city, open to tourism and freedom of religious expression.  In this nation of 65 million people, less than 2 percent are reported Christians. Yet there is an openness to spiritual things that makes the nation "ripe" and ready for a breakthrough of evangelism.

Thailand also receives 200,000 Israeli tourists a year. Pray for revival in Thailand, and that many Israelis would find salvation through Thai Christians.

The Church of the East

When Yeshua was born, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem to seek Him. Perhaps they had received prophecies passed down from Daniel and Ezekiel about the coming of a savior from the time of the Babylonian and Persian exile.

Matthew 2:2 – We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.

They saw a star or something that looked like a star in the East and came to follow it into the Holy Land. The shepherds in Bethlehem saw an angel with the glory of the Lord surrounding them (Luke 2:9). It is more likely that the wise men also saw a glorified angel rather than a star.

When Yeshua was born, glory shone all around Him, yet He Himself was without glory. He gave up His heavenly glory to come to earth as a human being (Philippians 2:10).  Yet He will return, not as a baby but as a full grown man; not without glory but with glory, surrounded by warrior angels (Matthew 25:31, Revelation 19:14).

John saw Yeshua in glory. He had fire in His eyes, a white robe and the keys of hell and death. He stood amidst seven lampstands and held seven stars in His right hand. Yeshua explained that these were not actual stars but a symbol of glorified angels.

Revelation 1:20 – The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Some angels watch over single humans, some over nations, and some over churches. These seven churches can be seen as archetypes of churches throughout the world today. In accord with the model of the lampstands and the stars, there would be seven angels over seven major population areas in the world. They work together with Yeshua to oversee the churches in their area. One of those seven areas would certainly be East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)

Revelation 7:2 – I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.

The time of the seven trumpets of tribulation starts in chapter 8. Chapter 7 describes the preparatory period right before the seven year tribulation. One of the key signs of this period is the rise of the angel of the east. This angel has great divine authority. This symbolizes the "rise" of the church of East Asia. Now is the time in history when the church of East Asia is arising. This is a sign of the times.

As the wise men of the East came to prophesy the first coming of Messiah Yeshua, so will the church of the East rise in prophecy to help usher in His second coming. 

Hanukah – Bar Mitzvah

Our Hanukah – Bar Mitzvah event was a big success. Guy did a great job with the torah reading and the message, comparing Yeshua with the high priest Yehoshua in Zechariah 3. Chaim directed the worship and ceremonies. The children did a play about the Maccabees. Naamah's not-yet-saved Israeli family attended congregation for the first time. Asher had an extended conversation with Yoni (our Israeli sound tech) about the meaning of death, life, and resurrection. Pray for salvation for all the guests.

Christmas - Netanyahu

A video from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

http://youtu.be/yFAFtxmUgNM

Attack on Grace

By Ariel Blumenthal

Last Tuesday, I was traveling with Abraham and Grace, a dear Korean couple, on the road through the Mount of Olives toward Hebrew University. Suddenly a young Arab man appeared between the buildings and hurled a chunk of concrete at the car. The block exploded the passenger seat window, hit Grace’s right shoulder, and then her face. There was glass everywhere and a lot of blood in her mouth. One tooth has been removed and several damaged. It was a very traumatic experience. The police said this was the second such incident that day—a reality here in Israel.  Please pray for Grace's full recovery.