The Jerusalem Prayer List – 13 September, 2024
by Joseph Shulam - From Jerusalem Israel // Mevaseret Zion
Ki Tetze
TORAH DEUTERONOMY 21:10-25:19
PROPHETS ISAIAH 54:1-10
GOSPEL MATTHEW 24:29-42
Reading the Torah differs significantly from reading any other part of the Bible. The Bible has many different types of literature. The Torah has a high percentage of legal (law) literature. It also contains historical literature, some poetry and songs, and prophetic material. The Torah includes the roots and seeds of the origins of the entire HIStory of our universe and the cosmogonic origins of this blue ball called Earth.
Sadly, the majority of our Christian brothers and sisters in the world ignore and neglect the study and the use of the first five books of the Bible. Christians who look down or ignore or put down the Torah are cutting their nose despite their face! I am happy that the Lord gave me 47 years ago the privilege to write this Jerusalem Prayer List weekly, bringing interesting teachings and ideas from the Torah, the Five First Books of the Bible. Dear Brothers and Sisters, ignoring the Torah is like starting any book from the middle and imagining the narrative's beginning and foundation.
This week, we are reading from the following: The name of the Torah portions almost always comes from the first word of the reading: This Shabbat all around the world in every Jewish synagogue, the reading is from Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19. The name "Ki Tetze" means "When you go out"— To War! In the Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 21:10, God instructs Moses to instruct Israel on how to behave when you must go out and fight your enemy.
Israel has been walking in the Sinai desert for 40 years. The old generation of formerly enslaved people has primarily died in the desert. The young multitudes of men and women born in the desert who have never experienced the whip of an Egyptian taskmaster on their back are now ready to cross the Jordan River across from Jericho (one of the most ancient cities in the history of the world) and fight to take the inheritance that God has given to the father and founder of the nation of Israel (and the Arabs) Abraham!
The first thing that God, the Holy Spirit, imparts to these newbie soldiers is how to behave with the women of their enemies. Here are the opening instructions from the first words of our reading on this Shabbat of September 14, 2024.
"When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and desire her and would take her for your wife, then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and mourn her father and her mother for a full month; after that, you may go into her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife." (Deuteronomy 21:10-13 NKJV).
I have read the ancient law codes of Hammurabi and Um-Namu. They all have instructions on conduct in war, but I have never seen another code of law instructing the warriors how to behave with an enemy female captive. More than that, I have never seen any law on how to behave with an enemy female captive that is even close to God's instruction for the children of Israel.
Almost a year ago, on October 7, 2023, I saw footage of a film that the Hamas Terrorists themselves published. Footage that was taken from their Go-Pro cameras of Israeli young women 18-20 years old who were gang raped and dragged into cars and motorcycles with blood behind their pants—the reports and pictures of the horrible treatment of both men and women captured by the Hamas terrorists. Here in our Torah portion, God, the Holy Spirit, is even before the war, instructing Israelites who are fighting on how they must behave and treat their female captives.
Another exciting thing in our Torah portion is the law obliging you to take care of your brother or neighbor's property if it has gone astray. Here are the words of the Law of God given to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. I want to live in a community where the following law is practiced.
"You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother. And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks it; then you shall restore it to him. You shall do the same with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment; with any lost thing of your brother's, which he has lost, and you have found, you shall do likewise; you must not hide yourself. "You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again." (Deuteronomy 22:1-4)
The next verse after this passage is also the Word of God and instructions from the Holy Spirit. But I don't want to say anything about this other than that I see God's wisdom even in today's "not politically correct" environment. I am just bringing the unfiltered Word of God. I am not judging anyone but just thinking about where I buy and acquire my wisdom. Let each person do as he wishes and raise his children as he wishes. I am not judging anyone; it is not politically correct today to say anything about subjects like this. But I am an old man and sick with four separate places with cancer in my body, and like Joshua the Son of Nun, I am obligated to state what God and the Holy Spirit instruct me – the rest is history. Big things always start with small steps. When a small child with an older sister wants to wear girls' clothes, you allow it or encourage it because you think it is cute and funny. Don't be surprised that the seed that you planted might grow.
"A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 22:5 NKJV)
Do I consider the Word of God, old and a bit worn out, as wisdom and worth my attention and obedience, or do I say to myself, "Joe, look, these are old primitive laws of people who didn't know English and didn't have computers and didn't watch TV and didn't study in the University – How could you take these old worn out words of people who walked 40 years in the wilderness."
Dear brothers and sisters, I identify myself with the following words of Joshua, the man who replaced Moses as the leader of the children of Israel and the man who helped take the land that God gave Abraham and the children of Israel as an inheritance. These are the last words of Joshua, the son of Nun, in the book of Joshua:
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;" (Joshua 24:15-16 NKJV)
I want to share some thoughts about the New Testament text we will read from Matthew 24:29-42. I have been fascinated with Matthew chapter 4 for a long time. I suggest you open your Bible to the full text from Matthew chapter 24:19-42. This chapter of Matthew is the most often misunderstood. The reason is simple – it deals with eschatology, with the end times and the return of Yeshua back to Jerusalem. End-time doctrines are always controversial because they deal with events that are still to be fulfilled in the unknown future. Here is the text from Matthew 24 that I would like to discuss with you, dear readers and prayer partners:
"Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down." (Matthew 24:1-2)
Last Thursday morning, our congregation members, members of other Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel, and I were at the southern part of the Wailing Wall. We were right near Robinson's Arch, above one of the main streets of Jerusalem, built by King Herod. It was a very wide street, and anyone could see it was a very luxurious street with shops on the west side. Today, this street is covered with huge stones that, as the Romans were destroying the Temple, were and from above, cast down on the street and crashed the street (below the street, Herod the Great engineered the drainage of the water of Jerusalem down to the Siloam valley.) Here is the picture of what we saw from our Bar-Mitzvah sight looking toward the walls of Jerusalem from the first century. Look at the image below:
Yeshua and his disciples looked at the same walls when they visited Jerusalem. The wall that you see in front shows some protruding stones. These stones belonged to Robinson's Arch, one of the main gates from the markets of Jerusalem that people could use to go up to the temple. Right below the stones of Robinson's Arch, you see the destruction of enormous stones that used to be a part of the Temple structure on top of the platform. The Romans took time and effort to dismantle the Temple in Jerusalem stone by stone and cast these big stones down on the street. In the back of the picture, right next to the wall, you see piles of these big, beautifully decorated, and weighty stones, a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Yeshua in the text above from Matthew 24:1-2. I bring this text and this picture to show you that the prophecy of Yeshua is fulfilled precisely word for word. The temple of Jerusalem was destroyed just 40 years after Yeshua said these words. It is not accidental; there is someone above who controls the times and the seasons and has prophets who speak against the popular opinions of the people on the streets. Someone has complete control of history, dear brothers and sisters.
The fact that Jews are returning to the land of Israel after 2000 years of being spread around the entire world is not accidental, and it is not thanks to the wisdom and intelligence of the Jews in the world. No! It is because God spoke, and His Story is being fulfilled with more accuracy than a choreographic Swiss watch that costs 200,000 dollars.
Christians are preoccupied with what is called "The Great Tribulation!" I am not going to deal with this issue now because it is such a big issue, and most Christians who don't know the Jewish texts that deal with such a tribulation connected to the Messianic teachings argue and argue aimlessly, mostly without having the background and often divide the church for ignorance sake. I confess that I am not a great expert on the issue of tribulation because, as a disciple of Yeshua the Messiah, I have experienced my tribulations with several attempts on my life and persecution that even ended in the involvement of the office of the president in the White House. When my fellow Lipscomb student Mike Adams was a congressional aide, Howard Baker was the chief of staff of the White House.
What I want to share with you from the reading of Matthew 24 is to be calm and careful not to presume things and believe and argue and split the church with things that no one here on Earth knows much about.
You see, dear brothers and sisters, a high percentage of the divisions and splits and fights among evangelical Christians are based on vain arguments between people who know very little but have very lofty false pride and even higher ignorance. The New Testament was not written in English. It was not written by Baptists or Pentecostals, nor by quasi-messianic Jews educated in some Christian seminary in Dallas or Milwaukee. It was written by first-century Pharisaic Jews who walked with Yeshua through the hills of Galilee and the valleys and mountains of Samaria. Yeshua now gives these disciples the last instructions before He returns to the Father to sit on the Father's right hand. For me, these words of Yeshua in this context are the most important:
"But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then, two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch, therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." (Matthew 24:36-42 NKJV)
These words of our Lord Yeshua are the most relevant and important for our days.
Point 1) No one knows the day and the hour, not even the angels that roam the halls of heaven and bring cold orange juice for Yeshua's health and vitamin C levels.
Point 2) God alone, Yeshua's Father, is the only one who knows the exact schedule of Yeshua's return to Zion.
Point 3) The return of Yeshua to Zion will surprise everyone, and people can't do anything physically to prepare for the day and time of the Messiah's return to Zion. It will be a surprise for all: Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and also atheists will be surprised and filled with fear, with nothing else to do. Too Late! Sorry!
Point 4) The world, the economy, the job market, and Wall Street will all be working, and women will be cooking dinner for their families. No one will know who is ascending with Yeshua to Heaven and who is boarding a roller coaster downward to Hell.
We must remember that according to this text, even Yeshua doesn't know the exact day and time when the Father will call him and say, "Son, you don't need to take a suitcase, but you do need to hurry. All the impatient Jews and my faithful Gentiles are waiting for you long enough. Put on your Royal robes and take your crown, and you will get there just in time before that world ends, and the New Jerusalem will descend on the new earth!"
Why do I say above that the JEWS are waiting? I don't say some Jews, I don't say Messianic Jews, I say all the Jews because the promise of God is in the New Testament in Paul's letter to the Romans says this:
"For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." (Romans 11:25-27 NKJV)
Here are some points to remember:
1. God is not slack according to his promises. He keeps every promise He makes, and we in Israel are living one of the ancient promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dozens of times to the prophets of Israel. Read Ezekiel 39:21 down to the end of the chapter. You can also add Jeremiah 31:31 -37. You might have read the same chapter before but stopped in verse 34. No, continue to find out who the witnesses will testify of God's faithfulness to the Jewish nation.
2. Don't fight and split churches with fake eschatological (end-time calculations). I don't know much about it and don't have a calendar, but Helen White is probably going to Hell for teaching false doctrines and fake times of the Lord's return. I am sure that Russell will be with her all the way.
3. Remember that even Yeshua doesn't know the exact day and time of His return, but I am sure His bags are packed, and He is ready to go!
4. Remember that God fulfilled His promises to Israel of the destruction of Jerusalem and exile from the land He gave as an inheritance to Abraham and his seed. There is no promise to Ishmael or Esau that this land is theirs and will be called Palestine!
5. The Apostle Paul is not the only one who promised that all Israel would be saved. The prophets of Israel made similar promises at least another dozen times. You can bank on God's word to be accurate; every promise will be fulfilled to the "T."
Conclusion:
Invest now in Israel and the Jewish Disciples of Yeshua who are sharing their lives, time, and energy to ensure that Israel knows The One who loves her alongside our Heavenly Father, who indiscriminately loves all of His creation and every race and color.
Support Israel politically and economically and help the community of Jewish Disciples of Yeshua in Israel. This help is an investment for your eternity and in the fulfillment of Apostle Paul's promise in Romans 11:22-26. (I don't mean that you don't have to help and invest in evangelism and humanitarian help, building orphanages, and digging wells in Africa.)
Work for the unity of the Church; all the churches can and must unite because there is only one bride for Christ, not 38,000 brides.
Yeshua is a Jew, and he married only one bride. The wedding ceremony was at the foot of Mt. Sinai and the Ketubah (the marriage certificate was the Torah). How do I know that? Well, Jeremiah said it:
"Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. Israel was holiness to the LORD, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them," says the LORD.'." (Jeremiah 2:1-3 NKJV)
Keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the protection of our soldiers on the battlefields both in Gaza and in Lebanon!
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Your prayers for brothers and sisters you don't know personally are pure love and building of the Body of the Messiah. It is Agape Love since you are doing this without any selfish interests and casting a vote in Heaven for someone who is your brother. Still, you don't know them, and God looks at these prayers that are unselfish and genuine expressions of love and care for another link in the long chain of love and faith that binds us together even though we might not know each other in this world.
When we all get to Heaven, it will be a joy to meet people we prayed for and sometimes even cried for. Brothers and sisters who are physically strangers but spiritually a part of the same body of Christ, I believe that one day we will have the privilege to sit together and share: "I remember praying for you to be healed!" "I remember praying for you to be safe when you were fighting in Gaza to free the hostages from the cruel hands of the terrorists of the Hamas in Gaza."
Pray for the following brothers and sisters who need divine grace and the gentle touch of the hand of God for healing and strength.
In Jerusalem:
new Yehuda is back into military service next week. Pray for his safe return home.
new Reuven is also back military service next week. Pray for his safe return home.
Yehuda Levi is in the hospital with stage 4 lymphoma for the fourth week. We ask for prayers for his family. Especially the difficult time that Elisheva is experiencing. A reminder - in past JPL (in 2010) Yehuda is the father of Major Emmanuel Levi , who died in a tragic training exercise.
Joseph & Marcia Shulam
new Consultation with the Pancreatic Cancer doctor resulted in a status quo - no changes in the cancers growth in the last 6 months. Marcia's health needs are the same and ask for prayers to strengthen her health and memory.
Ilana Ahijervie is a dear sister who is 98 years old and suffering from memory problems.
Please pray for our dear sister, Lea Kurkey.
Pray for Adam's father and mother, Barry and Dalia. They have some health problems and challenges.
Pray for Hannah suffering from Migraine Headaches. Miriam is a dear sister old age dementia.
Pray for Daniel S. and his children.
Pray for Gary, our dear leader in the Ro'eh Israel congregation, and his health, as well as for his wife Melanie and their family.
Pray for Um Mahmud Abu-Eid, Jimmy Abu-Eid, and all of the family. This is a dear family of old friends that needs healing and wisdom for the children and for their work.
Please pray for the Romero family, who live deep in the Negev desert. It is hot there, and they are far from our congregation, and we miss them.
In the U.K.:
Pray for Deborah Isaiah. I pray for the Lord to find Deborah Isaiah and lead her to a blessed life, family, and a solution to her problems.
In Finland:
Mauno Lemponen has been diagnosed with cancer in advanced stages. We are asking for God's Will to be done, giving him healthy days with family—prayers for Hilka, Miika, and Ester, who support each other.
Pray for Keijo and Salme, our dear partners and fellow workers in God's flock. Both Keijo and Salme have some challenging heart issues.
Pray for Satu-Maria, Sinni Tuuli, Anne Mirjami, our dear sisters
Pray for Eva H., Patty, Andrea, Julia, Victor, Aaron Tani, and Hillel.
In Brazil:
Max Rodrigues. his mothers health issues. she has stomach problems that have yet to be diagnosed. The hospital is taking a long time to complete tests. Pray for her salvation. Pray for Max as he navigates a challenging period in his life. He has confidence Gods victory in his life.
Pray for the Congregations related to Netivyah in Brazil to have the strength and stamina to face the challenges ahead of them with courage and strength of faithfulness to the Lord and to the vision of the restoration of the church and Israel.
Pray for the millions of victims of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition who have been forced to convert to the Catholic church and now want to return home to the land of Israel and the faith of our fathers.
Pray for a dear young man, Paulo, from Curitiba, Brazil, who seriously needs our prayers for sanity and mental health.
Pray for a dear sister named Claudia Rita Souze Arau. She has cancer and needs God's healing hands to touch her with healing.
Pray for Fatima Maria Docarmo Guimararaes - pray for her health and her granddaughters' twin babies.
Guilherme Antonio Nothen Becker is suffering from back problems.
Aratuza de Oliveira and his wife. Pray for their 3-year-old child, Caique de Oliveira Becker, who has severe problems with his eyes, and ask the Lord to give healing to his eyes.
In Asia:
Pray for Pastor TJ in Taiwan.
Pray for Deborah Ruth, a dear sister from China.
Pray for Sister Yoko Nagumo in Japan.
Tony Tam, his wife Luisa, and his son Marco need special prayers for their situation.
We continue to pray for Zhou Wenrian, the Abe family, Toru San, Yumi Ohara, and her family: Deborah Ruth, Ayla, Daniel, and their daughter.
Pray for Dr. Song and his wife, Sister Harriet Kim and the KIBI Ministry.
in Denmark
Gurli has reached out and asked for prayers to deal with persecution they are facing. However the request for family members to know Yeshua is a heavy concern for a mother and father. When our influence is struggling the prayers of the body strength us.
In the United States of America:
new Hester H is in the hospital with an infection. Please pray for the medications to work and for a quick recovery.
update Pat R the surgery went well (Mastectomy) we are thankful for your prayers and Gods direction of the doctors and staff.
update Sarah Sacks has received the news that she has stage 1 cancer and a treatment plan is in the works. I am asking that you raise your prayers for Jonathan & Sarah as they begin the road of diagnosis and treatment for Cancer. However we believe in the power of healing that only God can provide.
Elisheva is studying for passing Financial certifications in September. Please pray for calmness in her studies and confidence in passing her exams next month. also for health and her household.
Jerry Rogers - a long time prayer warier and supporter in Dallas has been diagnosed with cancer. he is starting treatments and we lift up his doctors and medical team & family in prayer.
Larry is asking for prayers for his grandchildren. I would say most of us that have grandchildren are concerned about the states of the world. The state of intolerance. The temptations out there. Please pray for the holy sprit to guide them in making good choices.
Bill C. is doing well. I received wonderful news that his cancer markers continue to trend to the normal states. A true answer to prayers. Please pray a thanks to God and continue to ask for success of the treatments..
new Juli Please continue to pray for the daughter of Bill Culwell, her white count is low and additional testing is scheduled. Please pray for God to provider her strenght and healing.
Brother Philip Slate and his wife. She is suffering from several physical and mental health challenges.
Barbra and Angie in Alaska. Barbra has some pains and discomfort related to old age. Please lift them in prayer for strength and reduction in pain.
Jonathan Bernis is continuing recovery from a liver transplant. Please pray for Elisangela and the girls and the doctors and nurses attending our dear brother Jonathan Bernis.
Please pray for Danah, my daughter's health issues. I pray for the Lord to give Danah wisdom, peace, and calm in life and her work.
Aaron Hook, Nancy Hook's oldest son, needs our prayers for wisdom and healing from past life issues.
Lift for blessing and healing Jonathan B., his wife Aviva, their new baby, his mother, and his brother Daniel.
Pray for these important men of God: Rabbi Salt, his family, and Rabbi Hasselblad. They are both older and need protection and blessings.
Also, pray for Ilana Avramov, who is married to my cousin Nissim and lives in New York City. Ilana has fallen and is now in rehab, learning how to walk again. We pray for her full recovery. She and Nissim both need our prayers.
Pray for Steve Mock - His cognitive condition has declined, and we ask for the grace of God and His Healing and strength. Steve and Josie's son Joseph has received a wonderful and glorious report. After the last bone marrow transplant, the report is that the doctors didn't find any leukemia in his body! Praise the Lord!
I am asking for a special prayer for a dear brother and friend who is now doing very important work in a very dangerous and precarious part of the world. Just mention DadyLion in your prayers and ask for divine protection and angelic accompaniment for this man of God.
For updates or requests please email us at:Prayer@netivyahinternational.org
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