The initial attack on Israel was full of what the Bible calls murderous threats. Then the founder of Hamas called for a day of rage — more murderous threats.

The Bible teaches us how to respond to these. First, we bring you this beautiful teaching by Chaim Malespin, managing director of the Aliyah Return Center, and, as you can see, an active soldier in the IDF.

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Please share his wonderful teaching on Facebook or whatever social media/email platform you use.

Second, let’s take a look at Acts 3–4. It started when Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. A man who had been lame for 40 years was begging for money at the temple gate called Beautiful. Peter’s response to this man is made famous in the lines of a children’s song: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” What happened? The song tells it well: “He went walking and leaping and praising God!”

This miraculous healing led to Peter’s preaching a gospel message, and the Bible tells us that many who heard him believed, so that the number of men believing came to number 5,000. The Jewish leaders were troubled and angry, so they imprisoned Peter and John, though they then had to release them again, for political reasons. They had seen that Peter and John, uneducated men, were able to powerfully, logically, and persuasively preach. They had also seen that the lame man was clearly healed. What they then said to one another shows how shallow and faithless they were:

“… What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name” (Acts 4:16–17).

Their strategy to stop the work of God was severe threats — very much like the strategy of Hamas today.

Peter and John went back to the believers and told them everything that had happened. Here is the remarkable response.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:24–31).

Can you see the remarkable similarities to today? Religious leaders are threatening; nations rage; people are plotting.

Let’s glean some wisdom from these first-century believers.

First, the believers prayed with one accord. Friends, we need to pray for unity in the Body of Christ. It is the first thing established in this passage. And look at the incredible results! Answered prayer, healings, signs, wonders, the gospel going forth, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Father, unify us that we might pray in one accord about the Muslim rage and assaults on Israel.

Second, the believers didn’t respond to threats with violence or with more threats. They responded with prayer for boldness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, prayer for healing and signs and wonders in the name of Jesus. Pause and consider that. God answered with a resounding yes! He shook the place where they had gathered, and He filled them all with the Holy Spirit! Please forgive all the exclamation points, but this is an amazing story.

As a result, these believers “spoke the word of God with boldness” despite the threats. They prayed for miraculous healings, and God did that. Not only so, but God showed up with signs and wonders that convinced thousands and thousands more that Jesus is Lord. Friends, the impact of this was the spread of the gospel throughout the Middle East!

Muslims are threatening. Will you join us in praying for boldness to speak God’s Word, so that God would stretch out His hand to miraculously heal in the name of Jesus and send signs and wonders to show the power and majesty of the One True God? May we all be shaken, filled with the Holy Spirit, and speak the Word of God with boldness.

Within minutes of finishing this article, we received this message from Jessica Renshaw, Hidden in Christ Ministries:

As I fasted and prayed with all of you against the Day of Rage and Jihad, God put in my mind vision after vision and put in my mouth prayer after prayer. They came together so thick and fast it seemed like one was cause and one was effect, but I couldn’t tell which was which.

For instance, when I prayed “Lord, may the jihadists, in the very acts of violence, have visions of Jesus, His hands outstretched–” immediately I saw a room full of enraged terrorists and their hostages.

This was a momentary flash but in that instant, I saw some captives on their knees, some blindfolded, bound or handcuffed, some being raped, some shrieking in pain or fear. Immediately, as the jihadists were in the very act of bloody violence, knives raised, I saw Jesus appear to all of them: “THE MAN IN WHITE..” (Somehow, I knew many of them had seen Him before). Instantly they dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, shaking in terror, howling, holding their heads and of course releasing their hostages, some already dead, some still alive.

As I had prayed, I saw Jesus with His hands outstretched–but SIMULTANEOUSLY, like an overlay, raised in judgment and in mercy! Palms upright, in righteous anger, His eyes fierce and burning with wrath, He seemed to be telling them, “STOP what you are doing! STOP hurting my people! You are on the wrong side of this war!”

But that same Jesus, those same hands. were at the same time extended in compassion and invitation and His eyes were tender, appealing to them as if saying to each one, “Come to Me! I love you, son of Abraham! I forgive you, my son!”

I prayed they would repent and realize that Allah whom they serve as God with all their hearts and might, even with sincerity, willing–even eager– to give their lives for him, is a sham, that the true Messiah they are really seeking is this “man in white,” who died for them. I prayed they would know that what they are doing is evil, an abomination to Him. As I prayed I could see it happening–the horror of the realization, the guilt, the shame, the turning in true repentance. (Like Paul the apostle, being knocked off his horse and onto his knees by the knowledge that it is the very God he thinks he is serving whom he is actually persecuting).

It was intense!

I want to tell you too, a vision I had while praying yesterday. I saw a room of Hamas terrorists and hostages (similar but not the same one as today). I saw one terrorist (with the same sense as I got today of a kind of overlay–that he represented others elsewhere) on one side of a room holding a cell phone, recording bloody acts as they were happening. I got the impression he was assigned to record these things to send to the families of their victims along with body parts. I found myself praying–and as I prayed, I saw it happening with this man–“Lord, as they are taking pictures, let them throw down their phones, fall to their knees vomiting and crying out, ‘I can’t do this anymore! I don’t want to do this!’ thinking of their own families.”

Then I continued to watch as this same man (again, representing others, too) grabbed a rifle, turned on his fellow jihadists–his friends, those he had trained with and committed his life to fighting alongside of–and mowed down as many as he could before they could kill him. I saw the ones he was shooting drop their weeping captives and fall dead at their captives’ feet. I saw the terrorists who were still alive turn on the “reporter” and take vengeance against this one who “betrayed” them, all turning their fury on him with whips and sticks, finally beheading him. I saw the soul of the reporter ascend instantly to the place under the altar in heaven where the Book of Revelation says beheaded Christian martyrs are waiting for their crowns. He had joined the martyrs as a believer because in his last moment he defended God’s people. And I “knew” he isn’t the only one. I sensed those already under the altar were cheering and weeping for joy.

At the end of our IFA prayer time together, I saw Israel today superimposed on the Israel of Esther’s day, with great joy and rejoicing, singing and dancing throughout the land, Jews (and Christians!) and angels, praising God and–with the Almighty Himself–declaring victory.

Please share this with a friend!

Photo credit: doidam10 for Canva Pro.