©1 August 2014 Revive Israel Ministries

Present Help

By Asher Intrater

A verse that has repeatedly come up in prayer, worship and teaching in a number of congregations in Israel during the war has been:

Psalm 46:2 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in troubles.

God is present everywhere at all times; yet there are circumstances when the presence of God is stronger and more active.  The word in Psalm 46 for troubles is communicated in New Covenant prophecies of the End Times as "tribulation."  In times of war or tribulation, God's presence is active in our midst in a special way.

Israelis are all participating in this current war. Some are soldiers, others family, others in media, and others in support.  Hamas is a terrorist, Jihadist organization, which uses women and children as human shields. Their goal is to destroy Israel, and the international media is deceived by all the carnage into supporting the terrorist goals.  Israel has no choice but to fight.
This is causing a deep work in the heart of the people of Israel, being forced to stand in a place of courage and integrity while confronting the evil, violence, lies, and hatred.  May God grant us justice, compassion and humility (Micah 6:8) to see all these bad things work out for the good (Romans 8:28)!  There is a tremendous victory at hand!

By Don Finto

(after meeting with Israeli Army officers)
We were shown actual footage of the smart bombs used to destroy weapons caches in Gaza. Before the bomb was detonated, Israel took every precaution possible to see that innocent civilians and children would be spared. They 1) sent down leaflets urging all to leave the area because the house containing the weapons was about to be destroyed, 2) made phone calls and sent text messages to warn the civilians, 3) sent out drones to see if any civilians were detected in the area, 4) dropped a small explosive on the corner of the roof to warn the people, 5) in the releasing the bomb, if civilians were seen, laser detectors were used to redirect the bomb to an open field, 6) send humanitarian aid to the civilians, and 7) provide a hospital clinic to minister to the wounded.

By Moti Cohen

Ilay in Paratrooper Division

Ilay serves as a commander in the paratroop division. (As a teenager Ilay attended our youth group at Tiferet Yeshua.) He reports that the battles in Gaza are severe, with face to face combat, and the terrorists appearing out of homes and from under the ground. This paratroop unit faces death several times a day.  Several soldiers have been wounded or killed.  In one of the fights Ilay was shot in the knee. In spite of the choking pain, he continued to give orders to the soldiers under him. Some hours later he was brought to a hospital, where he received treatment. On the next day I visited Ilay in the hospital, where the bullet that tried to kill him was hanging on a chain around his neck.  When we went to visit him a second time, he had left the hospital to return to his troops.  The children in our congregation painted pictures and wrote blessings for Ilay and his soldiers.  

Chaim in Tunnel Unit

Chaim is a Messianic believer who has been called up into the reserves and is serving with an elite unit in Gaza, with the goal of finding tunnels. His unit has only lost one solider and has seen miracles take place.  Their unit has been blessed by Christians who donated quality boots for them to wear on their mission, and were told, "May every place your feet tread upon, be given to you by God" (Josh 1:3).  Recently Revive Israel helped Chaim financially so he could complete his business studies. When he is not in the army he is the director of the Aliyah Return Center (www.aliyahreturncenter.com), based in Tiberias.

Ariel's Soldier Killed

Ariel also serves in an elite unit in the reserves as a division commander. He reported this week that one of his former soldiers was killed this week in fighting in Gaza. He went to visit the parents of the deceased in their difficult time of grief.

Israel Army reports having uncovered 32 "offensive" tunnels (crossing underground from Gaza into Israeli settlements).  However there are over 4,000 other types of tunnels in Gaza being used by Hamas. Most have their openings in private homes under the floor boards.

This week Hamas executed without trial 30 Gazans in the Shejaiya area-- merely for being suspected of having collaborated with Israel.

This week for the 3rd time UNRWA found weapons stored in one of the schools they sponsor within Gaza.

179 Gazan militants have been taken captive and are being interrogated by Israeli intelligence forces. Much of what is now known about tunnel and terror activity is coming from them.  Since the last confrontation in Gaza (Pillar of Cloud) two years ago, Hamas has built another 1,257 sites that are considered by the IDF as new military targets. Since the beginning of this conflict, another 2,423 sites have been discovered. To this point the IDF reports having destroyed 1,542 rocket launchers and 143 weapon production sites.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us. Immediately after landing in London, we drove through the city center where we passed a large protest with thousands of people shouting and raising signs with slogans like: "Stop Israeli State Terror," "End Israeli Apartheid," "Free Palestine..." We could feel the spirit of hate and anti-Semitism oozing out from the protesters. We immediately sensed that the timing of our trip was orchestrated by God. He sent us to teach from His word and bring alignment in the body concerning His heart, promises and plan for Israel and the Arab people.

We spoke seven different times and if you would like to watch a one of the messages, click HERE!