096 - A Holy Conflict
Letter from the Editor
The term “holy war” has been attributed to various military escapades throughout history, most of which were anything but holy. Today’s Briefing, however, addresses a battle that is taking place in the unseen realm of the spirit concerning the land of Israel and the Jewish people. Though it manifests on earth, it is not fought with earthly weapons. I hope you will read carefully and that we will engage wisely together in this war that bears consequence for all people and every nation.
-- Cheryl Amabile
A HOLY CONFLICT
“We are in a holy war and our fight is not against flesh and blood but against a global pandemic; It’s the spirit of Haman the Agagite fueling Hamas."
The statement above is a direct quote from a dream one of our leaders had in the final week of our recent 40-day Yeshua Fast. It was made clear in the dream that this was to be our message in this season. It’s important to note that this dream was received after the ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas, not before. That means that though the rocket exchange has ended for now, the “holy war” has not.
In the Old Testament book of Esther, we are introduced to Haman, a descendant of Agag the Amalekite. His people first attacked the Israelites hundreds of years earlier when they were passing through the wilderness. Moses prophesied about them:
“Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:16
Generations later, Haman was enraged by Mordecai, a Jew, and determined to have all of the Jews in the Persian Empire annihilated. In Esther 3:7 Haman casts lots, a form of sorcery, to set a date for the massacre. This recent dream tells us that the same spirit that was behind Haman’s genocidal scheme is at work now through Hamas. Even more so, it warns that we are up against a “global pandemic.”
We do not believe the dream’s reference to a pandemic is referring to the coronavirus. The term pandemic is derived from the Latin word pandemos, meaning all people. Our sense is that the global pandemic mentioned in the dream has more to do with ideologies of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism that are infecting the minds of people across the earth. The spirit behind such ideologies seeks not only vengeful acts, but total annihilation of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
The Kantor Center at Tel Aviv University has assessed that anti-Semitism is on the rise globally.(1) In the United States alone, the Anti-Defamation League tracked a 75% increase in anti-Semitism reports to their agency's 25 regional offices after Israeli-Palestinian fighting began last month.(2) Though Israel and Gaza agreed to a ceasefire on May 21st, tensions are still high in the land. These threats are real, but our assignment as intercessors is to fight the spiritual battle behind the physical realities. It will require that we employ the weapons of fasting and prayer as did Esther and Mordecai when they broke the power of Haman’s sorcery before any battle was fought on the ground. Also, we must heed the testimony of John in Revelation 12, when he witnessed the saints defeating Satan himself:
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev 11:12
It’s sure to be costly to continue to align ourselves with God against this ancient Amalekite spirit, especially when it flies in the face of growing public sentiment. This was alluded to in the dream. Right after the statement about the holy war, the next scene in the dream showed the ground was strewn with U.S. bills. In the dream, Lou Engle looked at all the money and said, “It all adds up to 2022!” We anticipate from this dream that something of the price of fighting the present battle in this spiritual war is going to culminate in 2022.
As we count the cost and consider the role we each have to play in this holy conflict, let us be encouraged by the culminating scene of the dream:
After the statement of 2022, there was a building being erected. It was a memorial to all those who had laid down their lives in prayer and missions on behalf of the Jewish people. It became evident in the dream that this wasn’t a structure on earth, but rather a building in heaven that God had made as His own memorial to those who had served His purposes for Israel. It was reminiscent of Cornelius in Acts 10, who had earned a reputation of being “a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people (Acts 10:22).” The angel of the Lord said to Cornelius, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God (Acts 10:4).”
Ruth is another example to us of a life laid down. She left her people, her gods, and seemingly her opportunity to marry again and have a family of her own when she made the vow to return to Judea with Naomi. In reality, her sacrifice enabled her to reap a harvest in Boaz’ field and to marry her kinsman redeemer. She became the great-grandmother of King David in the lineage of Christ himself, having been grafted into a greater inheritance than she had ever dreamed.
We too have an inheritance at stake, but it is ultimately the Lord’s inheritance for which we are contending. Yet, His promise remains: “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age - houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions - and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:30
Both the fig tree and the vine are blossoming in this hour. Natural Israel and the Gentile church are both going to experience a move of the Holy Spirit. Knowing this, the enemy desires to hinder the great harvest that God has purposed for all nations. But the Lion of Judah is on His heavenly throne!
Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the outpouring of God's spirit on the Jewish people in every nation. Pray for the opening of their eyes, that they will not miss their new day of visitation (Luke 19:44). Meanwhile, let's persist in prayer for the restraining of the arm of Haman that seeks to strike against the sovereignty of God and His covenant plan for Israel. Tonight actually begins a three-week period called the Dire Straits (Bein HaMetzarim) in which there has historically been an increase of spiritual warfare against Israel. Let's remain sober and alert.
Pray also for an ongoing awakening of the Gentile church, that we would cleanse ourselves from faulty mindsets and align with God's timing and priorities. May we consecrate ourselves to God's purposes for His people and walk in the footsteps of Cornelius and Ruth.
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