MIDEAST PRAYER TEAM: FEBRUARY 7 UPDATE

NOTE: These are excerpts from the email I sent our "Middle East Prayer Team" on February 7th, before this weblog was created. I post it here at the launch of this site to bring you up to speed.

MIDEAST TEACHING TRIP – I wish you could have been with me in January in the Middle East as I met with several hundred Arab and Iranian pastors and evangelical Christian leaders to brief them on the geopolitical threats they face this year, teach them the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 and the implications of the “War of Gog and Magog” for their countries and their ministries, and discuss how The Joshua Fund can help….as you can imagine, these are very sensitive subjects in the region….most of these leaders have very limited access to news and information about the geopolitical developments in the Middle East, and they have had very little theological training about prophecy as well, especially prophecies as they relate to Israel….indeed, until just a few years ago, not a single pastor in Syria EVER preached from the Old Testament because of all the references to Israel….even now they don’t teach it often for fear of the secret police thinking that they might be taking Israel’s side…..thus, it wasn’t easy for my brothers and sisters to hear about the coming threats and prophecies of the last days because it will very likely be their families and friends and the people they love and minister to who will face the most difficult and dangerous days when these wars and rumors of wars come to pass…..it was particularly not easy to hear about such things from me, given my Jewish heritage and connections to Israel…..but how good it is for brothers to dwell in unity….they all listened respectfully as I taught a 90 minute session….then we broke for dinner and many came back after the meal for a 90 minute Q&A session….some tough questions, but everyone was Christ-like and focused on the main point: how can they best prepare for the coming trials, be they “simply” geopolitical wars or actual prophetic ones?.....we talked a lot about pre-positioning of supplies, developing emergency escape strategies, having the right technology to stay in contact with one another during the coming wars, and overall crisis management principles…..most importantly, I made it clear to them that I wasn’t trying to convince them that Ezekiel 38-39 was coming soon, simply making sure – at the request of the conference organizer – that they were aware of the prophecies so that they could do their own study and begin asking the Lord to reveal His will to their hearts…..thanks so much for your prayers for safety, wisdom and clarity…..please pray that the Lord would help these Christian leaders better understand His Word regarding the last days and show them and their teams how best to ready for what is coming.

KAY ARTHUR MINISTRIES – Last week, Lynn and I got a surprising call from Kay Arthur….turns out she has read several of my books and enjoyed them….she invited Lynn and I down to Chattanooga, Tennessee to teach prophecy for her and to record several television programs together on God’s plan and purpose for the Middle East…..we had a wonderful time chatting with her (we’re taking our boys through one of Kay’s Bible studies for kids right now)…..unfortunately, Lynn won’t be able to go, but Lord willing I’ll be heading down to TN later this month…..please pray that the Lord would give me a supernatural ability to communicate His Word clearly and effectively to Kay’s audience.

ISRAELI LEADERSHIP VISIT TO D.C. – Israel’s Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Gideon Sa’ar was not able to come to D.C. in January as planned…..the Israeli president is being impeached on charges of rape and sexual harassment and Sa’ar is a key part of the prosecution…..we are hoping to reschedule....please pray that the Lord will make clear His perfect timing and help us build strong and lasting friendships with Israeli leaders whom we can bless.

REACHING IRAN WITH THE GOSPEL – Before this weblog began, I emailed a number of our prayer supporters with this note: “Edward Hunt [The Joshua Fund's Director of Operations] and I will be heading to an undisclosed location to do three-days of live broadcasts into Iran on ‘God’s Love and Plan For Iran’…..the three 2-hour programs will be seen by an estimated 3 to 5 million Iranians”….after much prayer and consultation with other Iranian Christian leaders, we have concluded that I am not the right person to be speaking directly to the people of Iran…..instead, I will be working behind-the-scenes to training Arab and Iranian pastors in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 so that they can teach these to their own people….that’s part of what I was doing on the trip to the region in January….in two weeks, I will take another trip to work specifically with an Iranian pastor who has a satellite television ministry into Iran….please pray that the Lord would protect us both and bless our time together…..pray, too, that the Lord would raise up a new generation of Mideast pastors who understand the prophecies and can communicate them clearly and effectively in their native languages.

Thanks again for all your prayers…..we see God doing amazing things and we know it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with the prayer team that He has raised up…..we love you and we thank God for you every day.