From the Newsletter

The Veil and Israel [Part 1]

March 19, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Moses, the great prophet with whom the God of Israel spoke face-to-face:

“And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses”. Exodus 33:9

So the Lord spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And Moses returned to the camp. .. Exodus 33:11a

“I speak with him (Moses) face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” Numbers 12:8

Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. Deuteronomy 34:10

The Glory of the Lord

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

In the above scripture, the Glory of the Lord is promised to shine upon Israel and God’s people, which includes us. Now that Yeshua is seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, He has received back His Glory as He prayed to the Father in John 17:5:

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the Glory which I had with You before the world was…And the Glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one…“Father, I desire that they also, whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Mt. Horeb/Sinai

Mt. Horeb, the Mountain of God, known also as Mt. Sinai, is where God first appeared to Moses and spoke to Him from the burning bush. There, Godcommanded Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery from Egypt into the Promised Land. Hence, Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, through the Sinai desert, and into the promised land.

After the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea and wandering in the desert, the people of Israel cried for water. God led them to Mount Horeb (Mt. Sinai) and instructed Moses to miraculously get water from the rock.

Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Later, God met Moses once again at Mount Sinai/Horeb with an awesomedisplay of power: thunder and lightning, a dark cloud, fire and smoke, the blast of a trumpet, and quaking of the earth (Exodus 19:18). This was to warn the people not to approach or touch God’s holy mountain as God is so Holy that anyone doing so would die.

Then, God thundered out His commands, frightening all the Israelites. They asked God to speak only to Moses and let Moses be the intermediary between themselves and God (Exodus 20:19. By the way, Jews often say that they don’tneed an intermediary to talk to God when it comes to Yeshua.)

The Covenant Through Moses

And God called Moses on the mountain to receive the commandments for Israel.

“And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘”All the words which the Lord has said we will do.’” They made burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words” (their promise.) Exodus 24:3b, 5-8

Now the Glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the Mountain of God for six days. And on the seventh day, God called Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” (vs. 13, 16-18)

There on the mountain, Moses received the plans for the Tabernacle and the tablets of stone on which God had written His commandments with His own finger.

However, at the bottom of the mountain, the Israelites had grown impatient waiting for Moses all that time, not knowing what had happened to him.
They asked Aaron to make them a god in the form of a golden calf. Overjoyed and excited, the people sacrificed to the golden calf, celebrated, and worshiped their new god in a frenzy.

However, at the top of the mountain, God told Moses what was happening in the camp below.

When Moses descended the mountain and saw everyone worshiping the golden calf, he became enraged and smashed to bits the stone tablets on which Godhad written His commandments with His own finger. Moses reproved Israel for its terrible sin against the one true God after promising to serve Him and keep His commandments. (including not making any images for worship) (Exodus 32.)

After dealing with the sin issue (including the death of many of the idol worshipers (Exodus 32:28) Moses burned the golden calf with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it (verse 20.)

Then, the Lord said to Moses,

“Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the Words that were on the first tablets which you broke.”

Facing God on the top of the mountain, Moses begged God to forgive the children of Israel, His people. God listened to Moses, forgave them, and renewed the covenant with Israel. He once again wrote His Commandments on new stone tablets (Exodus 34:1–27.)

The Veil on Moses’s Face

Moses spent another 40 days and nights in the presence of God on Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, not eating or drinking, and God allowed Moses to see His glory. God’s glorious presence sustained him.

When Moses came down the mountain after spending this extended time in the presence of the Lord, Moses was unaware that his face shone powerfully, reflecting God’s Glory. Because everyone feared to approach him, Moses covered his face with a veil, hiding the bright light of the Glory that was unbearable to the people in their sinful condition, so they would not be frightened. (Exodus 34:1–29)

Moses went up to speak to the Lord several times and brought Israel the Torah he had received from the Lord for them.

“But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out; and he would come back and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.” (Exodus 34:34-35)

The Prophet Elijah on Mt. Horeb

When the prophet Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill him, he stopped to rest in the desert. There, an angel of the Lord fed him, and

“strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb (Mt. Sini,) the mountain of God.” (1 Kings 19:8)

Elijah stayed in a cave at Horeb/Sinai, where he met the Lord Who spoke to him with “a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12)

It is interesting that both Moses and Elijah, who were prophets of God, were on the same Mountain of God, sustained by God for 40 days and nights; both met with God there and heard His audible voice.

Yeshua with Moses and Elijah

It is also interesting that when Yeshua was on the Mount of Transfiguration, out of all the people of God, He met with the prophets Moses and Elijah.

While on earth, Yeshua’s divine glory was veiled by His humanity, except for this event when His human appearance was changed and His face shone like the sun and His clothes turned blazing.

In an audible voice, the Lord spoke from a bright cloud saying:

“This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

This happened in the presence of Peter, James, and John, the brother of James who

“beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

From Glory to Glory

Ephesians 2:6-7
“And God (the Father) raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.”

In the Spirit realm, we are seated with Messiah in the heavenlies. God has taken us from Glory to Glory, just as Yeshua prayed before He ascended to the right hand of the Father.

And just as John, Peter, and James beheld His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, we too behold His glory.

God’s light shines through us a witness for all to see as we reflect His glory.

As believers in Messiah Yeshua, Who fulfilled the Torah, we also reflect the Glory of the Torah revealed to Moses.

Yet, the Glory of the Torah that shone so brightly on Moses’ face and required a veil covering, faded when Israel broke the Old Covenant.

The Torah, written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18,) is the same Torah that Messiah Yeshua came to fulfill; it is the eternal and glorious Word of God.

Now, by our faith in Yeshua, we receive glory through the New Covenant that is spiritual, eternal, and doesn’t fade for it is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit of God.

(Jeremiah 31:33: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts…”)

By this, we are transformed from the Glory of Moses to the Glory of Yeshua, from the Glory of the Old Covenant to the Glory of the New Covenant, which far surpasses the Old.

The Torah given to Moses was written on earthly stone, a substance doomed to disintegrate and perish.

God’s Holy, good, and righteous Torah was given to sinners to make them holy as the giver of the Torah is holy. But they had to obey all Torah’s laws.

In fact, the Torah was merely a temporary guardian (Galatians 3:23–25) until something better appeared.

The better thing is the New Covenant that absolves us of all sin and gives us everlasting life (John 6:63).

Hence, our obedience to God stems from within us. As true believers, we desire to obey Him and love Him with all our hearts and souls, and not out of legality or fear of punishment.

No longer is it an uncaring, animal-blood covenant of rigid rules, written on cold stone tablets but rather a covenant of Messiah’s own blood, written by the Holy Spirit on the tablets of our warm hearts of flesh.

We, His people, no longer need an earthly tabernacle or a mountaintop to meet with God’s Holy Presence. Rather, the Father, and Messiah Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit dwell within us and tabernacle with us in our born-again inner New Man, in loving intimacy, teaching us all things. (John 14:23; 16:13)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“For God, Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s Glory displayed in the face of Messiah Yeshua.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

As we move from Glory to Glory, the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of God’s own beloved Son, Messiah Yeshua. (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28–30; Philippians 3:20–21)

When we believe Yeshua is Lord and Savior, receive Him into our hearts by faith, and accept His atonement for our sins, He opens our spiritual eyes and transforms us even in this life to bring us “from Glory to Glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

[Watch for the next installment of this article soon]

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay

A Great Miracle Happened Here, Then and Now

December 24, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORD
(Zech. 4:6)

Yeshua was in the Temple for the Celebration of the Dedication (Hanukka) of the Temple at the time of the Maccabees.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Yeshua walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch…“I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:22, 23, 30)

Tomorrow evening, Israel and Jews around the world will celebrate the beginning of the holiday of Hanukkah, which falls this year on the same day Christians celebrate Christmas. [click here to read the article: Christmas and the Jews]

Hanukkah (dedication) is a holiday of miracles. It commemorates the miraculous victory of a small army of brave Jews over the Syrian/Greek much bigger and better-equipped army, and the liberation of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the hands of the pagan ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (read more in the article about the historical account of Hanukkah.)

One of the benedictions Jews say when lighting the candles of the Hanukiah (Hanukkah candelabra) is: “We light the candles for the miracles that You have done for our forefathers in days of old, and are still doing today.”

The “dreidel,” or top that children play with, has four sides, each with a Hebrew letter which together says, “Nes Godal Haya Poe,” meaning “a great miracle happened here.”

In the Oral Law that was written in 500 CE, legend tells us (this does not appear in the historical account in the book of the Maccabees) that the Maccabees upon reclaiming and cleansing the Temple discovered that all of the oil to light the Temple’s menorah had been defiled except for one cruse. That cruse had just enough oil to light the Menorah for one day, but by a miracle of God it continued to burn for eight days.

In all the wars Israel had to fight against her hostile neighbors, many miracles caused the tiny nation to survive and thrive.

Today, Israel is facing fierce and violent enemies from the north to the south whose aim is to wipe Israel off the map. But if God is for us, who can be against us?

The Full Story of Hanukkah

After the untimely death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire was divided into four kingdoms, (see also the prophecies of Daniel)

In 174 B.C.E, Antiochus IV ruled the Seleucus Hellenistic empire that included the Middle Eastern territories (what is today Israel, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Lebanon.)

He was a harsh, arrogant, and cruel tyrant who proclaimed himself a god, and called himself Epiphanies— meaning “the gods’ beloved.”

With the influence of Hellenism – idol worship and the Syrian-Greek lifestyle that emphasized physical human beauty – the Israelites were divided between Hellenistic Jews and Jews who worshiped the invisible God of Israel, obeying His Torah commandments.

Antiochus Epiphanies replaced the righteous High Priest Yochanan with his Hellenistic brother, Jason, to serve in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after Jason bribed the king for the position. Later, King Antiochus replaced Jason with Menelaus, who offered King Antiochus an even greater bribe.

Fearing Jewish rebellion for his actions, Antiochus sent his armies to invade Jerusalem.

The Holy Temple was desecrated and plundered. Antiochus arrogantly entered the temple and stole precious vessels of silver and gold as well as hidden treasure.

An unclean pig – forbidden by Jewish law – was sacrificed on God’s Holy altar which was replaced by an unholy altar to the pagan god, Zeus.

The Jews were forced to bow before Zeus under penalty of death. Syrian soldiers forced the Jews to eat forbidden foods and to engage in other immoral acts.

Antiochus then enacted a series of harsh decrees forbidding Jewish worship, including sacrifices and atonements according to the Law of God; Sabbath rest; the celebrations of the festival days, and the learning and teaching of the Torah. Torah scrolls were confiscated and burned while circumcision and the dietary laws were prohibited under the penalty of death.

Many innocent people were massacred for refusing to eat pork that was forced on them by Antiochus’ men, who went from town to town and from village to village to force the citizens to worship pagan gods.

The Syrians even pursued the Jews to the one remaining refuge area, the hills of Judea with their caves, and many Jews died there too and the survivors were heavily taxed.

Many Jews complied with the king’s commands either voluntarily or out of fear of the penalty of death. However, most God-fearing Jews did not comply with Antiochus’ commands and were willing to take the punishment of great suffering, torment, and death.

They were whipped with rods and their bodies torn to pieces. While they were still alive, they were crucified.

Women who circumcised their baby sons were strangled and their sons were hanged by their necks. Any Torah books that were found were destroyed and their owners were killed.

The honorable, old priest, Mattityahu the Hashmonite, who lived in the village of Modiin with his sons and brothers, was determined to remain loyal to the covenant of the God of Israel and to obey only His commandments. They refused to offer sacrifices to the Greek gods on the altar that the Syrians had built in the village marketplace.

In his jealousy for the God of Israel, old Mattityahu slaughtered a Hellenistic Jew who approached the altar to offer a sacrifice to the foreign gods.

Then, together with his sons and friends, Mattityahu attacked the Syrian officers, killing many of them and chasing the rest away. They then destroyed the altar.

Mattityahu called with a loud voice in Hebrew: “Mi La’Adonai Ela-eye” (whoever is for our God, let him follow me.)

Knowing that Antiochus would send his soldiers to retaliate and punish them, Mattityahu and his sons and friends fled to the Judean hills. Many loyal and courageous Jews joined them in answer to Mattityahu’s call.

They formed a small army and from time to time came out of their hiding places to attack enemy outposts, and to destroy the pagan altars Antiochus had erected.

Old Mattityahu, nearing his time to die, gathered his sons and urged them to continue to fight in defense of God’s Torah, even at the risk of losing their lives for the cause of keeping God’s covenant.

He appointed his son, Shimon the Wise, as an adviser and his son, Judah the Strong and Courageous, to be the military leader.

Judah was called “Maccabee” – a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim YHWH, “Who is like You, O God.” Exodus 15:11.)

Maccabee also means “big hammer” in Hebrew as Judah’s attacks were hard like big hammers.

Antiochus sent his general, Apolonius, to destroy the small army of Yehuda the Maccabee. However, the greater and better-equipped Syrians were defeated.

Antiochus then sent Seron, captain of the army of Syria, to fight the rebellious Maccabees with a greater army, sure that his mighty soldiers would destroy the rebellious, small Jewish army.

Judah, the courageous Maccabee, was ready to face them. However, when his people saw the size and strength of the enemy’s army, they said to Judah: “How can we, being so few, fight against such a great and strong army?”

Judah, in the spirit of King David, answered them with great faith:
“Fear not their multitude, for the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but in strength from heaven. The Lord himself will overthrow them before us.”

Then, Judah the Maccabee led his small army in a surprise attack on Seron and his army, destroying and killing many of his soldiers. The surviving soldiers fled to the southern coastland.

Enraged by the news of the defeat of his soldiers, Antiochus sent even greater more powerful forces, consisting of more than 40,000 soldiers and seven thousand horsemen to go into the land of Judah to destroy the small Maccabee’s army, sure that this time his two great commanders, Nicanor and Gorgias, could defeat Judah and his Jewish Maccabees.

Merchants from the nations who heard of the great Greek army coming to battle the small Maccabean army, were also sure of the Jews’ defeat, so they came with large quantities of silver and gold ready to buy the Jews for slaves.

Judah and his brothers, zealous to defend the Holy Temple and willing to fight unto death, gathered in Mitzpah, which was a place of prayer (where Samuel, the prophet of old, had offered prayers to God,) to prepare for battle, to pray and ask for His mercy and compassion.

They fasted that day, in sackcloth and ashes, rent their garments, and cried with a loud voice to God in heaven:
“For your holies are trodden down, and are profaned, and your priests are in mourning, and are brought low. The nations are coming together against us with the intent to destroy us. How can we stand up to them, unless you, O God, help us?”

After sending men who built houses home; newlyweds; planters of vineyards and all who were fearful, Judah appointed captains over the thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and tens, and he and his small army left the camp in Mitzpah and camped on the south side of Emmaus.

Facing the big and strong enemy army, Judah prayed to God and said: “Blessed are You, O Savior of Israel, Who destroyed the fierce and mighty uncircumcised giant by the hand of Your servant David. Now give up this army into the hands of Your people Israel. Let their army and horsemen be confounded. Strike them with fear, cause the boldness of their strength to vanish, and let them quake at their own destruction. Cast them down with the sword of the ones who love You, and let all that know Your Name praise You with hymns.”

Then Judah turned to the men that were with him and said: “Fear not their multitude, neither be afraid of their assault. Remember how our fathers were saved in the Red Sea when Pharaoh pursued them with a great army. And now let us cry to heaven, and the Lord will have mercy on us, and will remember the covenant of our fathers, and will destroy this army before us this day. And all nations shall know that there is One Who redeems and delivers Israel.”

Then they sounded their trumpets, cried out with a loud voice, and marched to battle. The brave Maccabees were ready both to live or die.

Thousands of Syrian soldiers fell. The Maccabees had set fire to the enemy’s camp and the Syrian soldiers were struck with great fear of the Jews and fled.

Judah and the Maccabees returned to the camp to take the spoils of great riches, including a lot of gold and silver. Upon returning home they sang a hymn, and blessed God in heaven, Who is good; Whose Mercy endures forever and Who gave Israel a great deliverance that day.

The victorious Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate the Holy City. They entered the Temple and saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burnt.

The Jews destroyed the odious idols; renewed the sacred vessels and the lampstand, and brought the altar of incense and the table into the Temple.

They decorated the front of the Temple with golden wreaths and ornamental shields, renewed the gates and the priests’ rooms, and fitted them with doors. Then they put the Bread of the Presence on the table and hung the curtains.

They destroyed the altar that had been defiled and threw it out. Then they took whole stones according to God’s instructions and built a new altar upon which they offered a holy sacrifice according to the law (Torah) of God.

On the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev in the year 3622, 164 BC, the same day when the heathens had defiled it, the temple was dedicated anew with music and celebration. And all the people fell upon their faces and worshipped God, and blessed Him for the great victory He gave them.

The joyous Celebration of the Dedication of the Temple (Hanukkah in Hebrew) lasted for eight days, with offerings of sacrifices, praising God for salvation and deliverance from the reproach of the Syrians.

Judah, his brothers, and all the congregation of Israel decreed that the Day of the Dedication of the Altar should be kept every year from the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev for eight days, with joy and gladness. (Kislev is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar corresponding, approximately, to early December on the Gregorian calendar.)

What About Now?

As the Jews celebrate Hanukkah and the Christians celebrate Christmas, Israel is still at war against enemies that surround the small nation intending to destroy the tiny nation and take the Land God has promised to His people Israel.

Let us pray, as Judah did:

“Fear not their multitude, for the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but the strength that comes from heaven. The Lord himself will overthrow them before us.”

For a “deliverer will come from Zion, “His name is Salvation (Yeshua.)
Pray for a miracle, the safe return of the Jewish captives in Gaza to their homes in Israel.

Iran’s Massive Direct Attack on Israel

October 15, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

Deuteronomy 20:3

He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

A Second Direct Attack From Iran

The October 1st Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel included over 200 ballistic ground-to-ground missiles targeting the entire populated areas in the land of Israel. Thankfully, most were intercepted by the IDF’s multi-layered air defense network. US forces in the region also intercepted some of the Iranian missiles.
[Picture From Facebook – the remains of a ballistic missile in the Dead Sea]

The IRGC, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iranian military arm, excuse for the missile strike was retaliation for the assassinations of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27th, as well as the killing of Lebanese and Palestinian people.

This was Iran’s second attack on Israel after its very first direct attack on Israel on the night of April 13th, 2024 with ballistic and cruise missiles and bomb-laden unmanned aerial vehicles. That strike was a response to the Israeli air strike on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus that killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force.

In addition to the usual use of its many proxies, Iran has attacked all of Israel directly by firing more than 300 missiles and suicide drones.

In response, Israel has launched a series of missile strikes on Iranian military sites, including one near Isfahan, Iran’s main nuclear research facility as well as other strategic military strikes. According to many Israeli opinions, it was a weak symbolic attack yielding to Biden’s request to avoid escalation. Nevertheless, it had some significance in exposing Iran’s weak defense systems.

The second Iranian attack October 1st sent the entire Israeli population to bomb shelters while Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles everywhere.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran “made a big mistake and will pay for it” and that Iran “does not understand” Israel’s “determination to retaliate” against its enemies. “They will understand,” said Netanyahu. “We will stand by the rule we established: whoever attacks us – we will attack.”
(Picture of a Bibi from USA Today)

In the two attacks, Iran has fired about 500 missiles and drones, and thank God, not a single Israeli has been killed. There have been just a few injuries and little damage.

Now the question is how and when Israel’s retaliation will occur. Israel has several options.

Iran’s Nuclear Weapon

Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon is an existential threat to the Jewish state. striking Iranian nuclear facilities would be Israel’s first response to the Iranian massive attack.

However, while still claiming that America’s commitment continues to be very clear and ironclad on Israel’s security, US President Biden demands “an Israeli response that will look powerful but will not ignite the region and still put an end to the story.”

U.S. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, is due to arrive in Israel over the weekend for what will likely be a series of meetings to discuss the situation. The main concern of the U.S. is that the Gulf States will be harmed as a result of Israel igniting the region through a massive attack on Iran’s oil and/or nuclear facilities. There were media reports of Iran threatening Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states oil facilities should Israel attack the same Iranian facilities.
Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla testifies before the Senate Armed Services committee during his confirmation hearing on Feb. 8. (Susan Walsh/AP) Picture from DefenseNews

PM Netanyahu has threatened Iranian nuclear ambition for many years. Many in Israel see this planned retaliation as a window of opportunity for Netanyahu to do so. However, Israel has to consider the complexities and numerous consequences of such a strike. To be well protected, Iran has intentionally spread the nuclear sites across the country. The sites are hidden under rocky mountains, more than 1,000 miles away from Israeli Air Force bases, making it hard if not impossible to be targeted and cause severe damage.

However, Israel has spent years developing capabilities not yet seen in action.

The attacks on Isfahan and in Yemen demonstrate the Israeli air force can reach anywhere.

American Directives

President Joe Biden suggested last week that Israel should not strike Iran’s oil and that he opposed strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Nevertheless, Israel is considering attacking Iran’s oil facilities or ports. Oil is critical to Iran. This could have severe consequences on global oil markets.

What Will Israel Do?

Another option is to strike government symbols, or military targets. Striking Iran’s missile depots would limit Iran’s capability to manufacture missiles. Such an attack would ignite the weapons and produce a spectacle for all the world to see. Hopefully, this would reinforce Israel’s deterrence among its enemies in the region. Can Israel eliminate all the threats from the head of the octopus and its proxies by using only military force?

We need to pray for wisdom to make the right decision at the right time. With God’s help, we pray for a supernatural victory.

“As long as the enemy threatens our existence and the peace of our country, we will continue to fight. As long as our hostages are still in Gaza, we will continue to fight,” Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded television address, vowing not to give up on the “sacred mission” of achieving the war’s goals.

Last year on Yom Kippur, Israelis observed the holy day as usual – kids riding bicycles in the streets and people attending local synagogues. Then October 7th happened – Black Sabbath!. This year many have truly joined in the whole month of repentance leading up to tonight – Yom Kippur. We pray that the Lord touch our hearts as in the days of Esther, when the whole nation participated in repentance and fasting.
pray for our people in the synagogues that as they chant the regular prayers of repentance the Lord touch those hearts that truly seek Him, to return to Him through our Messiah Yeshua and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Iran – The Head of the Octopus

October 15, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

“You will set Your throne in Elam (Persia, today Iran), And will destroy from there the king and the princes, We pray You destroy the evil anti-semite regime of Iran and its military that aims to destroy Israel…You will bring disaster upon them, Your fierce anger,’ ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them.'”
According to Your Word, Lord in Jeremiah 49:35, 38

O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The GOD OF ISRAEL is He who gives strength and power to His people.

Iran, the arch enemy of Israel, which many Israelis consider to be the head of the octopus, is today the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and the greatest threat in the Middle East. Iranians are not Arabs but they are Shiite Muslims. The Iranian revolutionary regime’s basic ideology opposes Western values and interests.

Iran aim is to reach the Mediterranean coast and Israel’s borders by creating a passage through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon by providing advanced weapons to its terrorist proxies to attack Israel. Today, it uses this passage to transfer military equipment and terrorists to Israel’s northern border.

Iran’s Nuclear Program

The development of Iran’s nuclear program poses an existential threat to the Jewish state and the rest of the world. It even risks triggering a nuclear arms race with the Arab world, further destabilizing the region and damaging U.S. interests. For years, the PM of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has warned leading world nations in the world that the leading state sponsor of terrorism can never be allowed to obtain the world’s deadliest weapon. The Iranian regime has fooled the world by consistently lying of the true purpose of its nuclear program and hiding key aspects of it. Israeli intelligence has exposed Iran’s true intentions by breaking into Tehran’s Nuclear archives, demonstrably proving that Iran has been engaged in a nuclear arms developing program.

In June 2022, the IAEA Board (International Atomic Energy Agency) censured Iran for failing to provide “technically credible” answers regarding hidden nuclear sites, expanding its nuclear program beyond agreed limits, and limiting international inspectors’ access to suspected undisclosed nuclear sites.

By spending enormous amounts of money to further its nuclear project and funding its terrorist proxies throughout the region, the Iranian regime demonstrates that this is its priority over providing for their own people.

Iran’s Objective

The Ayatollah’s aims is to expand Iran’s influence in the Arab world by spreading hatred to Israel and America.

Iranian leadership encourages its people in public events to burn and stamp on US and Israeli flags and chant the slogans “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.
Picture of Khamenei from X

Furthermore, along with verbal demonstrations of hatred toward America and Israel, Iran has taken action against the two Western nations.

The regime is a threat to U.S. forces stationed in the region, to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other U.S. allies. Since 1979, the Iranian regime has invested resources in attacking Israel and American forces deployed in the Middle East and beyond.

Iran’s Arsenol

Iran has the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. It is the only country to develop a 2,000-km missile without first having nuclear weapons capability. Most were acquired from foreign sources, notably North Korea.
Picture from War on the Rocks
It is noteworthy that Israel has more ballistic missiles, but they are fewer in number and type.

The fundamental motivation behind Iran’s supreme Muslim Shiite leadership is anti-Antisemitism. Since it took over rulership in the revolution, it has deemed Israel as illegitimate. According to its religious concept, “Palestine” (the land of Israel) belongs to the Muslim Palestinians and not to the ‘Jews.’

In their pure antisemitic libel propaganda, Israel is a Western imperialist state and the Jews advance American imperialism in the Middle East. According to the Ayatollah’s regime, this is a struggle between good (them) and evil (America, the big satan, and Israel the little satan.) and that Muslims have a religious obligation to resist Israel and global Jewry, accusing the Jews of being the first to start anti-Islamic propaganda.

Iran’s “Sacred Duty” and the Proliferation of Anti-Semitism

The Ayatollahs claim that resistance to the Jewish state is the sacred duty of “every Muslim and anyone who believes in Allah.” “Israel is a cancerous tumor on Islam’s body [in the Middle East] that must be removed [from existence.]”

Recently, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared: “The divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea.” (that is the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (which is today the land of Israel.)

Iran’s supreme leader leads in Holocaust denial, making such false ridiculous statements as: “there are documents showing close collaboration of the Zionists with Nazi Germany, and exaggerated numbers relating to the Jewish Holocaust that were fabricated to solicit the sympathy of world public opinion, to lay the ground for the occupation of Palestine, and to justify the atrocities of the Zionists.”

For four decades, the Iranian regime has propagated hatred for Zionism and the Jews by promoting the infamous booklet, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and other anti-Semitic tracts.

Iran trains and arms terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, promoting their attacks on Israel.

For the last year, the Head of the Octopus Iran has been using its arms to fight Israel on several fronts. With ground troops in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel’s air force backs those forces by bombing enemy targets to thwart attacks from Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. Israel also fights Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Judea and Samaria.

Escalation

Iran’s last missile attack last week could likely provoke an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.This would open the largest, biggest, and most intense front so far.
(Illustration from The Cryptonomist)

Last Monday, 7th of October, Israel marked the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023 massacre when thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israeli cities and villages, destroying civilian homes, murdering, burning, beheading, and raping and kidnapping over two hundred Israelis.

Two people were injured on the Memorial Day of October 7th, 2024, while sirens sounded across central Israel as a result of rockets fired by Hamas from northern Gaza.

An estimated tens of thousands of Iranians participated in a procession through Tehran with a leader enticing the crowd in chanting “Death to America!” “Death to Israel!

Before the October 7th first anniversary, in a video statement on October 5th Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Today, Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization…and we are fighting against Iran, which last week fired over 200 ballistic missiles directly at Israel and which stands behind this seven-front war against Israel,” Netanyahu added.

The Iranian ballistic missile barrage came in response to the limited Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon to eliminate the Hezbollah threat. It was the first land incursion since the war against Hezbollah in 2006.

Following intelligence that Hezbollah is hiding its weapons and missiles inside homes of southern Lebanese villages, the IDF informed the Lebanese residents to evacuate before the IDF dismantled the Hezbollah infrastructure, underground tunnels included.

“We are targeting Hezbollah strongholds that threaten northern Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and communities along our border,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari. He presented evidence that Hezbollah was planning an operation involving thousands of its terrorist fighters copying Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel.

“Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases ready for an attack on Israel,” he said. In addition to ground raids, the Israeli Air Force has also increased its air attacks on Hezbollah headquarters since mid-September, including the capital, Beirut.

Terrorist Leadership and the IDF

Until now, Israel has eliminated the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force following the air raid Damascus on 1 April 2024, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Teheran, Hezbollah leader and key Iran ally Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on 27 September and many top Hezbollah commanders. All the while the IDF continues to target Hamas, Hezbollah, and all other regional foes.

Octopus (Illustration from Stable Diffusion Website)

An Amazing Turn of Events

September 24, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

“…and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. And on Tyre and Sidon (cities in south Lebanon,) though they are very skillful. Tyre (on the sea coast, 23 kilometers north of the Israeli border) has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.” Zechariah 9:2-4

Pagers

Pagers, used by Hezbollah members to coordinate their military operations, exploded in Beirut and southern Lebanon on Tuesday last week in a remote cyber-attack, killing 12 (the figure is not final) people and injuring close to 3000.

Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the pager Cyber-attack. However, in a process of elimination and due to the ongoing exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in northern Israel and south Lebanon, and given Israel’s intelligence and cyber capabilities, who else could have done it?

Hezbollah blamed Israel and has vowed to retaliate. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and designated a terror organization by the United States and the UK, emerged during the Lebanese civil war. Tensions with Israel date back to the 1980s with the militant group declaring Western powers and Israel as their enemies.

Hezbollah fought against Israeli forces in 2006 and began launching rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas shortly after the start of the war in Gaza. Israel has responded by striking Hezbollah military facilities.

Hezbollah, a Shia militant Iranian proxy terrorist organization that is based in south Lebanon with offices in the capital Beirut, shunned the use of smartphones that can easily be hacked by Israel and turned to using its outdated pager system in order to shield sensitive information from modern hacking techniques. It was a wrong calculation on their part, as it has proven to be false security.

Instead of coordinating military operations, hundreds of pagers held by Hezbollah members exploded. They were remotely hacked, causing their batteries to overheat and explode, resulting in loss of life and many injuries.

The shocking waves of explosions in strongholds such as the southern suburbs of Beirut stunned Hezbollah members and fighters. Among the victims were the son of a Hezbollah member of Parliament. Hospitals in Beirut were overwhelmed by the influx of casualties, with desperate calls for blood donations.

Experts agree that this attack will change warfare from now on. Cyber-attacks are often below the surface, without visible traces or debris. Most of the attacks are aimed at systems or financial institutions, without hurting people.

Walkie-Talkies

The following day, on Wednesday, walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon in a second wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah electronic devices.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave.

Just two days earlier, Israel redefined the goal of the war against Hezbollah by adding to its formal war goals the safe return of its citizens who have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel and near the border with Lebanon due to Hezbollah’s attacks from southern Lebanon.

Thousands of Israelis have been relocated to hotels all around Israel and their lives disrupted after Hezbollah started attacking on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas’ genocidal killing spree in Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.

However, even with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and the assassination of senior Hezbollah commanders, Israel must take stronger action against Hezbollah to stop their near-daily attacks that have continued for almost a year. A full-blown war is unavoidable.

Hezbollah says it would halt the attacks if there would be a cease-fire in Gaza.
However, Israel must continue the war in Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas, which opposes any deal with Israel.

The U.S.

The United States has pressed for restraint, warning that a wider war in Lebanon would not achieve its goals.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has met with Israeli P.M Netanyahu and made several visits to Lebanon and Israel to try to ease tensions. Hochstein argues that a full-scale war in Lebanon would spark a broader and drawn-out regional conflict. He told the PM that the Biden administration remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution in Gaza and Lebanon.

However, Netanyahu told Hochstein that, with all due respect and appreciation for the U.S. support, there must be a major fundamental in the security situation in northern Israel before residents can return to their homes. Israel must and will “do what is necessary to safeguard its security.”

On Wednesday, a day after the initial cyber-attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members killed by exploding pagers the day before, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. A photographer in the southern coastal city of Sidon saw a car and a mobile phone shop damaged after devices exploded inside of them.

Welcome to the future. Cyber warfare is now a present-day battlefield, as seen in the attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. This new battlefield has shifted from land and sea to cyberspace.

Hezbollah’s Response

Hezbollah’s reliance on its invulnerable communication system of pagers has been shattered.

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, Hezbollah sent approximately 150 rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs, mainly into northern Israel. Most were intercepted by Israel’s multi-layered aerial defense. There were a small number of hits as well as shrapnel falling. “The Israeli Air Force is prepared for both defensive and offensive operations,” the IDF stated.

A teenager was killed when his vehicle crashed as sirens sounded in the early hours of Sunday morning. Three people were wounded in a rocket strike in Kiryat Bialik north of Haifa Sunday morning. Twenty-five cows were killed when a rocket struck a dairy farm in the Jezreel Valley. It was the deepest rocket fired into Israel since the beginning of the war in October.

On Saturday, the IDF carried out a wave of airstrikes against hundreds of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including rocket launchers, with the army saying it had identified plans to launch major rocket attacks against Israel.

“IDF strikes will continue and increase against the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the military said.

PM Netanyahu’s Statement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented Sunday on the recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We inflicted a series of blows on Hezbollah. If Hezbollah did not get the message, I promise you – it will get the message now,” Netanyahu said.

He also said. “On October 7th, the Hamas terrorist monsters burst into Israel, murdered our people, raped and beheaded our women, burnt babies alive, and took 255 innocent people hostage, including many Americans.”

“A day later, on October 8th, another Iranian terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, attacked Israel completely unprovoked. They fired missiles and rockets into our cities. They made 60,000 Israelis leave their homes along the Lebanon border, becoming refugees in their own land. In the subsequent months, they haven’t stopped attacking us for a single day” Netanyahu said.

“No country can accept the wanton rocketing of its cities. We can’t accept it either,” he declared. “We will take whatever action is necessary to restore security and to bring our people safely to their homes.”

Click here to read more about Hezbollah.

Click here to read more about the situation in Lebanon.

As we write this letter

The Israeli Air Force continues to strike Hezbollah terrorist targets. The Israeli Air Force aircraft, under the direction of the intelligence, attacked about 1,300 Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon. Prior to the strikes, Israel warned Lebanese civilians in Arabic to evacuate buildings in which weapons are hidden by Hezbollah. On Monday afternoon, multiple barrages of missiles were launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, activating sirens in several areas in northern Israel. Several were intercepted. A direct hit was reported on a home in a village, no one was injured. Early this morning sirens were sounded in the Jeszreel Valley and in the Nazareth area. Paramedics are searching areas where reports of explosions have been received. They treated a number of people who were injured while running for shelter, as well as some who were suffering from anxiety. Several blazes ignited near Ami’ad, and were extinguished by firefighting teams.

Please pray as the Holy Spirit leads.

Prayer Requests

Praise and thanks to the Lord for the pager/walkie-talkie strategy where the maximum number of civilians were protected and yet many terrorists were effectively disabled. Praise the Lord that according to His Word, He is fighting for Israel.
Pray for the hearts of Israelis to be moved to confession and repentance during these trying times.
Pray the same for the hearts of Gazans, Lebanese and even Hamas and Hezbollah operatives, as we pray for our enemies.
Pray for protection over all of Israel’s borders.