News update for April 2025 24-04-25
Dear Friends,
We have just emerged from a weeklong celebration of the Jewish Passover / Pesach and afterwards, the Christian feasts of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, which demonstrate the fulfilment of the prophetic Pesach Seder meal in the Communion, which was instituted at Yeshua’s last Seder. Everyone already knows that Pesach commemorates the exodus of the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, after God brought plagues on the Egyptians to judge the gods of Egypt by showing them up to be false idols and helpless to save (Exodus 12:12). See 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf (rice.edu)
We also remember Yeshua’s victories during this Passover feast: His victory on the Cross over sin and death, as well as over the fear of death in Gethsemane. The latter is Satan’s strongest hold on humans as we read in Hebrews 2:14-15, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He (Yeshua) also shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him [Satan] who holds the power of death and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”.
Yet, there are still 24 live hostages and 35 bodies held in captivity in Gaza and we pray daily for their release and the IDF soldiers’ safety. Many regular and reservist soldiers are exhausted but, since there is a lack of manpower, need to do several tours of duty not only in Gaza, but also in south Lebanon, the Syrian border and in Judea and Samaria. Many are embittered by the exemption of Orthodox young men from army service when there is such a great need to share the burden of defense. At regular demonstrations the nation as well as some ministers in the government are clamoring for an end to the war (to return hostages) while others push to destroy Hamas with stronger military action.
These are some of the reasons for the continuing divisions in the land and in the government, a struggle reminiscent of the 160 yearlong divide between the ten tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah. Incurring God’s wrath, both groups were eventually dispersed, Israel by the Assyrians and Judah 160 years later by the Babylonians. What does this portend for us today?
However, we have the Lord’s assurance that He will bring about a return and re-unification of all the tribes in the end time. We read in Hosea 1:11, “the people of Judah and of Israel will be reunited and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land for great will be the day of Jezreel.” In biblical times, the prophet Hosea lived in the area of the ten Israelite tribes, which was composed of Jezreel Valley, Samaria and part of the Galilee. We understand this to be the reason why we, living here in Jezreel Valley, are taxed with interceding for this envisioned re-unification and for removing spiritual obstacles to the spread of the knowledge of our Lord. The word ‘yezreel’ means either ‘to scatter’ or ‘to sow’, so we are praying for the scattering of demonic forces entrenched here since the times of King Ahab and Jezebel (according to the biblical history in I Kings chapters 18 to 22) and for the sowing of the seed of the Gospel.
The spiritual importance of this area was brought home to us when a group of intercessors from mainly Australia and New Zealand including some from other nations, headed by pastor Glenn Rowbothom, was called to intercede monthly on a Zoom meeting called the ‘Megiddo Call’. Glenn and Coralie, his wife, who have established a prayer center on Mount Carmel, are now looking to found a second house of prayer in the Valley. At Megiddo prison a mosaic floor from the 3rd century CE had been discovered with the oldest Christian inscription in the world referring to Yeshua / Jesus as God (see megiddo mosaic discovery – Search (bing.com) megiddo mosaic discovery – Search (bing.com) This seems to confirm that God desires to have a prayer center re-established in its close vicinity. And do not forget that the battle of Armageddon (Har Megiddo) is foretold to take place here in the Valley where Yeshua will triumph over a vast international army of all His enemies gathered together. Our small home group has joined in this prayer initiative to contribute revelations as the Holy Spirit imparts to each.
One of the revelations we have had was that historical events leave a spiritual ‘footprint’: demons reside where wicked events took place, but victory is assured where it had been won before. Thus we want to reiterate the prophet Elijah’s victory over the Baal prophets on Mount Carmel and their subsequent slaughter in the Kishon Valley (I Kings 18). Simultaneously, we pray to cleanse the territory of Ahab and Jezebel’s winter palace at the ancient city of Jezreel where the queen killed the Lord’s prophets as well as Naboth in order to steal his vineyard. We perceive that this covetousness still prevails today with the perpetual conflict over land between the Palestinians and Jewish settlers in Samaria (area C which is under Israeli jurisdiction). Idol worship still continues with the Islamic prayer calls five times a day, but we pray for the residents of the Arab/Muslim villages in the Valley to be released from the brainwashing and deception of the moon god Allah’s worship.
In modern history during the First World War, in 1918 General Allenby (a devout Christian) commanded a combined force of troops mainly from Australia, New Zealand and Britain, called ANZAC, who fought throughout Israel, relieved Beersheba, drove the Ottoman Turks out of Gaza as well as out of Jezreel Valley. The cities of Nazareth, Afula and Beit Shean are specifically mentioned as being freed from Islamic Ottoman occupation. Therefore, we feel confident that the Lord will move against the Islamic spirit as well, as we invoke the victory of Christianity over Islam that left a spiritual ‘footprint’ here. Hopefully we may live up to the mandate of the tribe of Issachar, who received Yezreel Valley as an inheritance, as is written in I Chronicles 12:32, that the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do”. May this be our mandate from the Lord, too. We appreciate your support as we try to be faithful to the spiritual responsibility we have been given for the area where we reside.
Prayer points:
- Protection for our Prime Minister, the military leaders and IDF soldiers still involved in war.
- As always, only divine wisdom and resilience can give our government and military the means to solve the impossible situations of the ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Judea-Samaria. It also needs God’s special grace for all to stand strong and not faint in these days.
- Pray for the Muslim citizens of Gaza, of the Arab villages in Jezreel Valley and elsewhere to be released from the deception of their religion and to come to the truth.
- Pray for the believers in Israel (Yeshua’s Body), to unite and stand fast in our spiritual battles.
- Pray for the nation of Israel, where more or less everyone is traumatized by now by our news.
- Pray for your own nations and the Body world-wide to remain faithful to Yeshua until the end.
It is true that we need the prayer support of our overseas Brothers and Sisters in faith to be able to fulfill God’s purpose for this land and for the world. We deeply appreciate you love and prayers.
Many blessings in Yeshua,
Hanna (for Jezreel Valley House Fellowship)
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of Prayer for Israel.
