The Genesis 50: 20 Principle
The Hostages: Hebrews 13: 3 exhorts us to remember those who are imprisoned as though you were in prison with them.
Israel and Hamas have now reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, marking a significant turn in the ongoing conflict.
The deal reportedly includes the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip.
The first group of 50 hostages is expected to be released in phases over four days, contingent on the ceasefire's stability.
In exchange, Israel says it will release 150 Palestinian prisoners.
This agreement was reached through extensive negotiations, involving a series of difficult decisions, and according to the Israelis, the agreement does not signify interruptions in the operation. It is merely a step in efforts to redeem hostages.
The 3 to 1 ratio is believed by some to be a good deal. When Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid via tunnels near the Israeli border, Hamas held him captive for over five years until his release on 18 October 2011. His release was part of a prisoner exchange deal that involved more than one thousand Palestinians.
An Israeli friend who agonized today on Facebook about the deal posted this poignant screenshot of one of the baby hostages:
Both Jews and believers the world over have been in agony along with the families of the 240 hostages, some of them mere infants. We cannot imagine their sufferings and hardships. We have been praying night and day for their relief and rescue.
However, all of this agony and desperation is serving to send the Jewish people home!
The above email was sent by the United With Israel organization. If this headline proves to be accurate in days to come, a million new olim (immigrants) would be a significant move forward concerning the regathering of the Jewish people in the last days.
This turn of events is a perfect example of what Satan intended for evil, God will use for good.
Or to quote Genesis 50: 20, the patriarch Joseph speaking to his brothers,
“you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive. . . .”
In North America, there is now an 81% surge in the number of Jews considering making aliyah (immigrating) to Israel, while in France, the increase is even more pronounced at 149%.
Did you ever wonder what would make the comfortable Western Jews, especially American Jews, come home?
Now we know.
And they are coming home to their own land.
"HaAretz" literally means "The Land." This is a common way in Hebrew to refer to the land of Israel.
You see, Israel is not just any another land, it is “The Land.”
It is the Land God promised to Abraham and His descendants.
It’s not just any Land, and the powers of darkness know it and covet it.
Here are some verses about the Land:
Promised to Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3
Promised as an everlasting possession: Genesis 17: 8
Promise repeated to Isaac: Genesis 26:3
Promise repeated to Jacob: Genesis 28:13
Promise that the time of Israel’s regathering back to the Land will be the time of sanctification: Ezekiel 39: 27
Meanwhile, thankfully, it appears that the grip of Hamas on the people is being broken.
This week the ICEJ Global Prayer Gathering Zoom originated from a tent in the Israeli town of Shoresh where a suffering messianic congregation from the Gaza border town of Sderot has been temporarily evacuated.
Lou Engle led us in a Zoom communion service, saying, "Those who have been wounded the most have the greatest authority to forgive."
Following on the recent report of 200 Gazans receiving corporate visions of Jesus, we stepped into the dimension of releasing forgiveness, reconciliation and the harvest in the midst of war.
At Thanksgiving, I’m thankful to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) for these powerful daily Zooms allowing intercessors from all over the world to stay plugged in and connected during the war with very helpful daily briefings from ICEJ President Jürgen Bühler and ICEJ Spokesman David Parsons.
So much prayer has gone up for the release and safety of the hostages and for terrorist regimes to be completely uprooted.
We have many great precedents in the Bible to help us to believe for great miracles and many Bible promises about captives being set free. Abraham rescued his nephew Lot when he was taken captive, and angels also rescued Lot from Sodom. David rescued all the captives at Ziklag. And, of course, the apostle Peter was supernaturally released from jail by an angel in Acts 12. Verse 5 says believers were praying intensely for Peter’s release.
We praise God that He is a very present help in time of trouble.
Hebrews 13: 3 exhorts us to remember those who are imprisoned as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as though you were suffering with them. Thank you, Lord, for increasing angelic activity at this time!
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