Living in Prophetic Days

Israel is on the brink of suffering a catastrophic attack. The U.S. is on the brink of suffering God’s curse and judgment for turning against His Chosen People. You and I MUST do what we can right now to change the future.

We are living in prophetic days…and God wants us to be more than just spectators. Our prayers and support for God’s Chosen People are vital to winning the great spiritual battle for Israel’s survival. I’m asking you today to join me in doing something great for the people of Israel. They are facing great threats from without and economic hardship within. Your gift today to the Jerusalem Prayer Team will do twice as much to touch the lives of multiplied thousands…blessing them, and bringing God’s blessing upon your life and family.

Merry Christmas from Jerusalem!

No, we’re not there today, but we wrote this while in Jerusalem recently.

While at the Garden Tomb, We had a glorious time of prayer for you and for Jerusalem. As seen here, we are on top of the Mount of Olives beholding the sunset over the Temple site. It was here that heaven and earth met, and will meet again; where prophets, priests, and kings were given divine instruction and changed the destiny of the world.

Our morning began very early. We walked through the old city before the sun rose. The Dome of the Rock was open, and Muslims were praying. The Western Wall is always open, and Jews are praying. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is open, and Christians are praying in many languages. At 2:00 AM the orthodox begin their prayers with eight priests chanting in Greek around the tomb. Next are the Armenians with their badarak service in Armenian. Meanwhile, the different groups are singing their matins. Only one Copt is allowed to stay the night, praying alone in ancient Coptic Egyptian. I can see the Garden of Gethsemane where our Lord interceded until His perspiration became as drops of blood.

Shortly after 4:00 AM, the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, begins his daily routine of prayer and reading the Torah as he walks through the Jewish Quarter to the Wall. He wraps the tefillin around his arm, recites the morning prayers—the Shacharit—which ends with “God bless the nation with shalom, peace.” To think that this tiny, 48-square miles spot called Jerusalem is the apocalyptic center of gravity where the spiritual battle of the world is being fought. It is here that Satan wages his war, and angels battle demonic spirits.

All roads lead to Jerusalem. How blessed we are to be part of prophecy and the Jerusalem Prayer Team which is greatly loved by the people of Jerusalem.

Walking Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Seventeen years ago, I was in Cambodia for a nationwide crusade at the invitation of two denominational leaders following the “killing fields” massacre where the bloody Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot had murdered more than 2 million people. They had nearly wiped out Christianity; when I went to Cambodia there were less than 2,000 professing believers still alive. One dear pastor only had six members of his church survive.

Through the miracle power of God’s Spirit, the leaders agreed to allow me to come and preach, thinking that nothing would happen. They were wrong.  Twenty-three hundred pastors from across Southeast Asia came for a pastors’ school. The fire of God fell on that place, and the Olympic Convention Center was packed. A new Church was birthed in that miracle moment…but the murderous regime was furious.

Night after night, demon-possessed men lunged at me, trying to stab me with AIDS-infected needles. I was warned that I would be shot. Then one night, the army surrounded our hotel and refused to allow us to go to the service. They went to the stadium and told the crowd there were bombs ready to go off and forced everyone to leave.

I didn’t sleep a wink.  All night long, I paced the floor of my hotel room, quoting Psalm 23 and praying for God’s will to be done. I was willing to die for the church to be reborn in Cambodia, but I wanted to return home to Carolyn and my family. I missed celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary while I was in Cambodia. 

About 5:30 in the morning, there was a loud knock at my door. Looking through the peep hole, I saw soldiers standing there. I was convinced it was the Khmer Rouge come to kill me…but when I opened the door, I found an American special forces team. They took me and our entire evangelistic staff to the airport. We hunkered down in the floorboards of the cars so no one would see us, and we flew out of the country.

As we celebrate Christmas in just a few days, I thank my Lord that seventeen years ago, as I quoted Psalm 23:1, He spared my life. More importantly, lives of tens of thousands were born into the Kingdom of God. Whatever your need today, I want to encourage you to fear no evil, for the Lord is your Shepherd. And I want to encourage you to continue standing in the gap for Israel. 

What does Hanukkah mean?

The word Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word which means to dedicate. The Feast of Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights, commemorates the Jews regaining control over Jerusalem and rededicating the Temple. The temple had been desecrated by the invading Seleucid armies of Antiochus in 167 BC. A Jewish priest, Mattathias, and his five sons (known as the Maccabees) led a revolt and called the nation back to God. He said, "If all the nations of the king's dominion harken unto him, yet I and my sons will walk in the covenant of our fathers."

After the invading armies were driven out of Judea and Jerusalem, the Maccabees consecrated the Temple and rededicated the Holy of Holies. There wasn't enough oil to keep the Temple menorah burning throughout the week-long dedication, but somehow the candles never went out. To me, this story is symbolic of you, God's covenant saint and your commitment to keep the light of the Holy Spirit shining brightly in your life. May that light burn brighter than ever for God's glory during this next year.

The war has begun

Here is a thought God laid on my heart last week in Israel that I wrote down to share with you today: I was in Galilee where Jesus called His disciples and where he lived. Nazareth is not far from Capernaum where I was staying. There is a Hebrew word bayit which means “house.” It has a wide range of meanings; it refers to a house, a temple, a family, a lineage. King David wanted to build a bayit for God.

The Lord declares to you, “The Lord himself will establish a bayit (house) for you.” The Apostle Paul talked about Jesus who would build God’s true house (bayit), which is the family of God (Ephesians 2:21). May God’s light shine in you, His house, today.

I have received a phone call from a top military source in Israel confirming that the war with Iran has already begun. The “accidental” explosions that have rocked Iran in recent days, one near the nuclear enrichment facility in Isfahan and another at a missile base, are the initial salvos in the war to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. These beginning stages are being carried out by specially trained covert ops teams with high-tech equipment; full-on attacks with planes and missiles will follow. As you can see from the pictures below from the Iranian missile base, serious damage is being done to Iran’s military capability by these strikes.

Happy Thanksgiving from Dr. Mike Evans and the Jerusalem Prayer Team

From the Holy City of the Great King, I give thanks to God and pray a blessing on America and on you. I am so thankful that America has been a refuge for my people. Without America, my entire family would have perished in the pogroms of Russia and the Holocaust of Europe. America helped birth Israel and has been Israel's best friend since that miraculous rebirth in 1948.

But the links between America and the Jewish people go much further back into history. Columbus began his voyage to the New World on August 3, 1492, just three days after the last Jews were forced to leave Spain. As Columbus witnessed ships filled with Jewish people leaving the port of Palos (which delayed his own departure), he noted in his log book that the expulsion deadline was Tisha B'Av—the date Jews mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. Columbus referred to the Second Temple as the "Second House” (Bayit Sheini in Hebrew), a term used only in Jewish sources, leading some historians to conclude that Columbus himself was of Jewish origin. His voyage of discovery laid the foundation for what would become the great friend of Israel, the United States of America.

The Jewish prayer of thanks begins "Baruch Atah Adonai”—"Blessed are you God” and then goes on to list the things for which you are thankful. I want you to know that I have been praying for you repeatedly here in Jerusalem, and that I give thanks to God for you and your love for His Chosen People.

Peres: "Time for diplomacy is 'nearly over'"

Israel’s President Shimon Peres told Israeli reporters “It seems Iran is moving closer to having a nuclear weapon. In the time that remains, we need to turn to the nations of the world and tell them that the time has come to fulfill their promise and their responsibility, which is about more than imposing sanctions. We must do what should be done to stop Iran.” This statement followed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report detailing the scope and purpose of Iran’s nuclear program. Peres long viewed as opposing war with Iran, now says the time for diplomacy is “nearly over.” Peres' words reinforce the belief among most analysts that Israel is in the final stages of preparing to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent Iran from completing work on its atomic weapons program. If and when war comes, the consequences to the Jewish people will be dire—but the consequences of doing nothing would be even worse.

You and I must not, under any circumstances, close our hearts of compassion to this huge storm cloud that is gathering. I am asking you today to join with us as we stand in the gap and blow the trumpet in Zion.

I have seen firsthand that in the south of Israel great numbers of Russian Jewish refugee children do not have bomb shelters in which to seek safety. I can tell you that there will be an enormous need for food, medicine, and blankets.

In Arab countries, Jews will be hanged, shot, and blown up when the war comes. This is especially true in Iran. We must do everything in our power to “blow the trumpet in Zion.”

This is the Word of the Lord for you and me today. Can you imagine what you would do if you knew your children and grandchildren were in harm’s way and a missile would hit their home? I know you would do everything humanly possible to protect your loved ones.

God wants us to do everything humanly possible to protect His loved ones—your brothers and sisters in Israel. Will you stand with me today in support of the Jewish people?