©May 3, 2013 Revive Israel Ministries

Ascension Day

By Asher Intrater

There are amazing parallels between gospel events and Jewish history. Yeshua was crucified on Passover, and raised on the same morning that the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea (John 20:1; Exodus 14:27). The Holy Spirit was poured out on the feast of Shavuot. The gift-language of tongues was lost to the Church for many centuries, during the same time that Hebrew was lost as a spoken tongue to the Jewish people; then, starting about 120 years ago, they were both restored.

Another significant parallel is that the ascension of Yeshua to heavenly Jerusalem and the Israeli recapture of Jerusalem in 1967 happened on the same day.  Yeshua taught His disciples about the kingdom of God for approximately 40 days after being resurrected on the third day after Passover(Acts 1:3). The recapture of Jerusalem also occurred on day 43 of the counting of the Omer. This year that date falls on May 8.

The word for ascension in Hebrew is "aliyah," which is the same as the songs of ascent (Psalms 120-134), the ascension of Yeshua, immigration to Israel, and going up to Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Yeshua rose into heavenly Jerusalem to acquire spiritual authority for the Church (Ephesians 1:19-23; 2:6; 4:10).  He will return to earthly Jerusalem to restore governmental authority for Israel (II Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 2:6; Acts 1:11; Isaiah 2).

In the end, heavenly and earthly Jerusalem will be united, the Church with Israel, and God's name and authority will be one (Zechariah 14:9). That's why Yeshua's ascent to heaven and the recapture of Jerusalem are united on the same day.

By Mike Bickle, excerpt from Charisma Magazine

The most powerful and liberating message ever given to the human race is the gospel of grace. This wonderful truth emphasizes what Christ did for us on the cross and what the Holy Spirit does in us in our daily lives. Paul's dramatic declaration that we have become new creations in Christ has vast implications (II Corinthians 5:17-21).

The new creation is our spirit man. We possess the very righteousness of God (v. 21). This describes our new position in Christ—how God sees and relates to us. The old things that passed away under this legal shift include no longer being under the penalty of sin nor being dominated by the power of sin.
So what’s the problem? Unfortunately, man's natural tendency to distort truth gets in the way.  When it comes to a truth as fundamental and crucial as grace, that distortion has far-reaching implications. It can become the central crisis of an entire generation.

The apostle Jude confronted this crisis in his day when he exhorted believers to contend earnestly for the “faith” or for the message of grace originally delivered to them through the first apostles (Jude 3-4). Think about this: Within one generation after Jesus’ resurrection, it was already necessary to contend for the true grace message. That’s how key this battle over the true grace message is and always has been.

Jude warned of certain men who turned the message of grace into a message of lewdness or one that affirmed various compromises, even sexual immorality. These men with persuasive teaching abilities twisted what the Bible said about grace, thus empowering many to confidently continue in sinful activities without feeling any urgency to repent.

For full article, click here.

Tensions in Syria continue.  Rebel forces reported that Israeli planes bombed one of the chemical weapons reserves. The Israeli government refused to respond. Knesset member Ben-Eliezer stated that chemical weapons have already begun to be transferred into the hands of Hezbollah.  A committee report in the Knesset concluded that there was no difference in the attitude toward Israel between the Assad regime and the rebel forces.  However, most Israelis are concerned over the disaster happening to the Syrian people. 

New elections for president of Iran to replace Ahmadinejad are scheduled in just two weeks.  Pray for freedom of speech and religious expression.  The failing economy due to international sanctions has become a major election issue.

The Arab league has made a new proposal for peace, which includes an openness to limited exchange of land areas, along with the demand to return to 1967 borders. This is a significant change from Israel's diplomatic view. Netanyahu said this week that a two-state solution would be better than one bi-national state. International pressure is mounting.  Pope Francis promised President Peres that he would come to Israel soon to help the "peace" process.    

Our dear friend Paul Wilbur was appointed last month as the new Executive Director of the International Messianic Jewish Alliance.  Paul is a world-renowned worship recording artist with Integrity Music and has been a leader in the Messianic Jewish movement worldwide for over 30 years.  Paul is taking this challenging position on a volunteer basis.   Paul writes that he intends for the IMJA to be a "servant voice to the nations."  Let us pray for him to bring new vision, life, growth and unity to the Messianic community around the world.  

Dan Juster recently reported a difficult marital counseling situation. The wife said, "We're getting divorced over a theological disagreement."  Dan asked, "How could that be?" The wife replied, "My husband thinks he is God, and I disagree."

The link to the live stream for all-night prayer and fasting on Pentecost (Shavuot) is   here.

The website for the prayer topics and praise watches is here.

We look forward to your joining us with one heart in one accord (Acts 1:14) for 12 hours from 10:00 PM to 10:00 AM (Israeli time), May 14-15. We will be interceding for the fulfillment of the promise for a worldwide revival in the end times (Acts 2:17) with the same fire that came upon the early disciples (Acts 2:1-4). Please pass these links on to friends and prayer groups.