My dear Friends:
“The most important aspect of faith is hearing the voice of God.” Mother Theresa
One of the greatest things each of us possess is our testimony. In this week’s letter, you will meet many living witnesses of October 7th in Israel. They cannot cease from praying and believing for victory to emerge from this madness of Israel fighting Hamas. The agony of war has turned a switch inside of Israel, causing the people, as a whole to lay down their lives for one another in amazing ways. This unfolding truth was reinforced deep within when I came to this startling realization. This painful birthing process going on in the very heart of Israel is what I wept and agonized over from April to August just months before the war. I thought at the time, I was just heartbroken because of the fractured relationships on every level in the nation. No. Abba was preparing to birth a people for HIMSELF! Warfare is being waged in prayer and a brutal gorilla war on the ground. May we all be found faithful and receptive, listening, watching and praying.
“Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?
We speak, God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom …
Which God predestined before the ages to our glory.
To make plain the plan of the mystery,
hidden in the mind of God throughout the ages.
[the unity of Jews and Christians as one].”
Job 11: 7,8, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:9.
“When I gather the house of Israel from the nations
and I manifest my Holiness in them in the sight of the nations,
then they will live in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.
They will live in it securely; and they will build houses,
plant vineyards an live securely when I execute judgment
on all those around them who despise them.
Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
Ezekiel 29: 25,26.
“Israel was not created in order to disappear. Israel will endure and flourish.
It is the child of hope and the home of the brave.
It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success.
It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.”
President John Kennedy
My dear friends, yes, every family member in Israel, no matter what age is weary with this terrible war. From the survivors of Oct 7th with no hope of returning to their ruined homes and 90,000 refugees from the Northern border, and the hostages it is a crucial moment. I haven’t mentioned the sorrowing widows, parents and children for the fallen, so please do not give up reading God’s promises back to Him, and standing in the gap for Israel, a despised people by the world. See the scripture above; “all those who despise them”. This conflict is more important and far-reaching than any of us could possibly imagine.
Grim Facts:
To date: 194 soldiers have fallen.
Fighting continues all across Gaza.
9,000 Hamas fighters silenced, 5,000 remain, and all Hamas commanders have fled.
136 hostages remain in Gaza and there is no proof of life.
Soldiers have found Chinese and North Korean weapons on the Egyptian/Gaza border. Now, Israel will work to stop the munitions trade over the Southern border. The Rafa Crossing is also called the Philadelphia Corridor, a 9-mile area filled for decades with stockpiles of weapons. Egypt battles Muslim Brotherhood who smuggle weapons into Gaza and are also a threat to Egypt. The city of Rafa is split between Israel and Gaza. It is a highly populated area with dense populations of refugees who have fled the Northern strip.
*Note: Did you watch the film, Esau and the Palestinians? One person responded. I welcome your questions. Truth is tough to take. We have never been against these people. We are against Evil. The film expertly explains in light of the Bible, that there is a tragic dark spirit they are born under that is perpetuated. Jesus can change that. Pray.
The Israeli government’s website:
The IDF said, since its launch, of this website it has drawn 43 million viewers. It takes you to October 7th. https://youtu.be/mzC8Nuh3Ulk?si=ujiyrPTfgo2ByzoY
Remembering on DAY 100:
The meaning of the name Kibbutz Nir Oz is: magnificent meadow; or a mighty ploughed field. It was once home to 400. It and other kibbutzim on the Southern border were founded by the Aliyah from South America. Soon after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Young people from Jewish youth groups came to Israel with the sole intention of building agricultural communities which is the central ethos of Kibbutz life. It is their descendants, their children and grandchildren who were slaughtered like lambs, when on Oct 7th thousands of Hamas operatives attacked in full force. Approximately 3,000 descended by land, sea and air, assaulting and destroying all in their path. 1,200 Israelis were killed, raped and mutilated. What is left of this area has to be levelled to the ground. On October 7th, from this kibbutz, 1 in 4 were killed; 1 in 17 taken hostage.
Jimmy Miller: “One of the baby bottles of baby Kifir Bibas was found. He was stolen at 9 months with his brother and Mother. Weeks ago, Hamas announced to the world, these boys were killed by Israeli bombs? I, Meridel, dreamt 2 months ago that their hair was dyed black, and a big Palestinian woman took them south to hide them.”
- Note: Happy birthday to little Kfir Bibas who was one on his 100th day of captivity. Ariel, Shiri and Yarden Bibas were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. There is not one person with a heart who did not cry at the sight of Shiri’s agonized face grasping those two little “Gingies”. The real world has begged for their release, but either their captivity is considered too good a hostage or, God forbid, they are no longer alive. I know your hearts are breaking too. The baby has spent 1/4 of his life in captivity. *Press on the above picture and it will come up on Youtube.
Sharon Aloni:“My daughter and I were taken hostage for 52 days, my husband is still a hostage. Every day Hamas told us,‘You have been forgotten’”
Mor Belasen. “At 6:30 on a Sat morning our whole life changed with nothing we can do about it. Nothing will ever be the same again. My brother Johnny texted and said stay inside. Another friend wrote to say they have been badly shot. We have not heard from them since. They were injured and maybe dying in a safe room 50 meters away and we could do nothing. We were locked in until 4 p.m. The soldiers came around 4:30 and we walked to a big shelter the kibbutz had and counted survivors.”
Amit Tov Vahaba: “I feel we are still living in Oct 7th, we are never going to sit again on the same balcony, sharing our coffee. Today, we sense the overwhelming absence of life. That day we ran to the safe room with our kids. Terrorists came in and out of the house, screaming with happiness. They stayed in my house, all the time, I was locked in the safe room with my family. My dog was trying to bark. I had to hold his mouth shut. The terrorists shot at the door of the bomb shelter. Later, we could hear them spilling gas, they bombed the house and then set it on fire. We were breathing in the smoke. We couldn’t even see each other. I told my husband, I am going to suffocate, I would rather be shot. I opened the window, and heard the gun shots of a crazy war, we decided to stayinside.”
Amit Tov: “… so many of our families are not whole. Israel is doing all they can, but the world needs to do more. Wives need their husbands and old folks need to end their lives here, they came and believed the Zionist vision and they end up hostages in Gaza?
I can imagine I could ever come back here, I would be unable to sleep at night. I don’t know many people from Nir Oz who will return. It’s not because we are scared, but we have been violated in so many ways for 40 years and so many are no longer alive.”
* Note: The villages and kibbutzim both in the south and north are still under daily rocket fire, by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Rabbi Doron:“My son, an IDF soldier was taken hostage. We feel the love and embrace of Israelis and people all around the world. We have no idea what condition he is in, so we need this support. Israel cannot leave Gaza until everyone comes home. It’s only on going pressure on Hamas that will bring our families home. Please pray for Daniel ben Shalom Sharon Doron to be returned asap.”
Thomas Hand: Watch the interview with a father whose 12-year-old daughter was taken hostage. She could only whisper upon her return to Israel. She strokes her Daddy’s cheek when be becomes emotional.
Sgt Maya – Sky Ryder Unit: “We were 30 girls, when the terrorists saw us approaching Nir Oz we shot back, throwing grenades. They killed my commander, we kept shooting, and ran to a room and locked ourselves in. I realized my head, chest and leg were bleeding. We stayed locked in for 7 hours. We heard Hamas shooting, yelling, celebrating, so happy. We were still in our pyjamas and had only 3 bullets left, so we just waited, We all knew something was insane. When I was recovering I wanted to return to my team, my people on the front lines. I am glad for the girls we did save but I wish we could do more and now it’s our time to do more.”
Colonel Markovitch: “Yes, it is a tragedy. We salute you and your team for your bravery and courage. You saved lives on Oct 7th. Maya you are a woman, a combat soldier who fought against the dark obscurity of Hamas. It shows one thing, we must fight. We must continue to fight. You are an example of resilience, strength and inspiration. All soldiers have a strong spirit. Ben Gurion said a long time ago; ‘We have planes, but the difference is the pilot in the cock pit of the plane,’ Maya is that example. Our IDF men and women are the back bone of Israel, the real Iron Dome … I see them as the eyes of the future. Unfortunately the war is not over.”
Sr. i24 news correspondent, Jonathan Regev: “ Khan Unis, is 2 kilometer from this kibbutz. The terrorists telephoned Gazan civilians: ‘the fence is open, come in and steal.’
It was a very big failure on Israel’s part. We need to ask how this happened? These people deserve an answer. We were told for years and years this could not happen. The fence was breached and no army was here. Where was the army? So people were stuck down. Israel needs an answer to know this never happens again. An unwritten pact here in Israel is that the IDF is here for the people. Israelis give everything to their nation. But, the army was NOT here for them. Israeli citizens give and give … this social contract was shattered. The government was very quiet after this tragedy. Then three full weeks later, still there was no official statement to mark the beginning of Israel’s military engagement.
There are still plenty of tunnels from which Hamas operates. In the North, Hamas now operates without commanders for they are dead or have fled. There are no short cuts in fighting terror. It is the Israeli people who have stopped this Evil from getting further into Israel. The broken trust between the citizens and the state is something that is going to is difficult to rebuild. It may take generations. They were promised that someone would always be there and NO ONE was there. It will take years and years for this land to recover if ever. It was never an easy place to live but such a thing had never happened.”
Medical Extortion: Essential medication has been delivered to Qatar who delivered it to the Red Cross who delivered it to Hamas who hopefully delivered to the surviving hostages? They have been without any medication for over three months. Hamas demanded that any and all medication intended for the hostages be multiplied by one thousand, yes one thousand. In other words, the medicine for colitis, asthma, heart disease and high blood pressure is multiplied by one thousand. The international community complied? Still, we have no idea who is dead and who is alive; where our people are and what their medical condition is or whether they will ever come home?
Parasha ha Shuvah:
I am sure that you are familiar with the custom of Jews globally reading the exact same weekly Bible portion. This week the Torah portion is Exodus 10 (Bo). We read about the last of the 10 plagues God brought upon the Egyptians. Our son Chris noted that during Moses last encounter with Pharaoh, he asked Moses to bless him . The prophetic portion is in Jeremiah. It reveals God’s promise to save us from our enemies.
* It’s time to pray, to help and not faint. Please consider what you have read, will you pray for the Israelis home by home; grandparents, fathers, mothers, children, soldiers, leadership. Father have mercy, thank you for your promises over this persecuted land.
War in the International Criminal Court:
South Africa, of all nations, was obviously bribed to accuse Israel of genocide and take Israel to this court. Just remember, from antiquity laws were created to destroy Israel. There was Pharaoh, Esther, Herod, the Romans, Hitler and again today we have Hamas supported by radical Muslim nations. History repeats itself. For years Iran has called for the annihilation of Israel. “From the river to the sea …” is the rallying cry for genocide by Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Gaza along with ignorant rioters all across the globe. This refers to the total genocide of Israel. Truth has been turned upside down.
The Gentle Still Small Voice:
Here is a note from my friend who translated my SMV into German. She works as much as is possible with her demanding time restraints. She writes:
“Here is the new translation of your letter. As always, I am very impressed by the content. Yes, it is an urgent time to pray. We are in dangerous and challenging times. Who knows where it will all lead?” M.S. Switzerland.
Shabbat Shalom from the Rawlings family. We are currently working with Chris who is giving us some weeks from Finland. He has stood with me in the creation of the Still Small Voice from the beginning. He made my website: www.stillsmallvoice.tv and helped edit my books and get them printed. Now he is working with his brother Josh, and doing a final edit on Miracles Among the Nations, with his Dad. It will soon be available.
Check out my son’s work at https://israelvision.com
Thank you for your responses, so much appreciated dear ones.
Remember, the LORD told me, that 2024 is the year of the OPEN DOOR!
In loving prayer for change, for release and good success.
Meridel Rawlings.
The People of Israel Live! By Eyal Golan