Some 5,000 Christians from 100 nations marched through the streets of Jerusalem Tuesday to show their solidarity with the nation of Israel.

March participants waved Zionist banners and flags, while others wore T-shirts that read “Jerusalem United” as part of a campaign responding to political pressure on Israel to stop construction in the largely Arab eastern part of the city.

Organizers said the marchers were not affected by unrest in some parts of Jerusalem, where rumors that Israeli extremists planned to march on a shrine holy to Muslims and Jews fueled low-level violence.

The Jerusalem March is part of the 30th annual Feast of Tabernacles being held this week in Israel. The event, hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), marks Sukkot, a Jewish festival celebrating the ingathering of the harvest and remembering the 40 years God provided for the Jewish people as they wandered in the wilderness.

For many Christians, the event also points to a prophesy in Zechariah 14 that says people from every nation will join hands with the children of Israel to celebrate Sukkot.

ICEJ leaders said this year’s Feast also is meant to reaffirm the group’s commitment to see an undivided Jerusalem under Israel’s sovereignty. In recent months, Israel has faced increased international pressure to freeze expansion activity into lands the Palestinians claim, including east Jerusalem, as part of Mideast peace negotiations.

In July the Obama administration called on Israel to stop building in east Jerusalem, an area the Palestinians want to make their future capital. Most of the international community does not recognize Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the entire city, including the eastern sector it captured and annexed in 1967.

ICEJ leaders said controversy over Jerusalem’s status launched the first Feast of Tabernacles event, which was aimed at showing Christian support for the 1980 Jerusalem Law, in which Israel states that “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.”
“Jerusalem is not a settlement,” said the Rev. Malcolm Hedding, executive director of the ICEJ. “It’s the holy city and capital of Israel. Thirty years ago we opened in defense of Jerusalem as the undivided capital. We have never moved away from that mandate and will continue to stand with a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty.”

As part of its Jerusalem United campaign, the ICEJ is conducting an online petition assessing Christian support for a united Jerusalem. The results will be presented to the mayor of Jerusalem in the coming months.

The seven-day Feast, which peaks with Tuesday’s popular march, is expected to mark Israel’s largest tourist event and the largest solidarity mission to Israel this year. The Israel Ministry of Tourism expects at least $16 million to be invested into the local economy through the course of the week.

“This remarkable record of three decades of Christian pilgrimage, even in times of global economic downturns and great difficulties for Israel, is testimony that the Feast was inspired by God and enjoys His favor,” Hedding said.

The Feast began Friday with a live concert recording at Ein Gedi, along the shores of the Dead Sea, led by Messianic worship leader Paul Wilbur. At the concert, a 10-ton flag of Jerusalem-considered the world’s largest flag by the Guinness Book of World Records-was displayed as part of the Jerusalem United campaign.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed participants at the opening gala by video. On Sunday, Robert Stearns of Eagles’ Wings Ministries in New York hosted a service marking the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.

During his taped comments on the opening night of the Feast, Netanyahu thanked the ICEJ and visiting Christians for their solidarity with the Jewish nation.

“In the worst of times, you’ve always stood up for Israel,” Netanyahu said. “And you’ve communicated something very clear to us. You said to the people of Israel: ‘You are not alone. We are with you.’ Well, we say to you today: ‘The people of Israel are with you. We’re together.'”

I experience a nagging feeling in my chest from time to time. I don’t take over-the-counter medicine or prescription drugs for the problem because I won’t feel any relief. The discomfort I feel in my heart is the Holy Spirit’s conviction in my life.

During prayer time yesterday, I was forced to come clean with God about what ails me. I asked Him for the first time in years to help me let go of the unforgiveness I had for someone who did me wrong back in college. I had been holding on to the offense because it was “my right.” But guess who felt as if she was in jail?

Unforgiveness is a weight that keeps you anchored to the past. If you don’t release the burden, you can get stuck there, unable to move forward into God’s best for your life. You lose your joy. You get upset. Bitterness eventually sets in. The person you refuse to forgive is not bound

—you are!

We can’t fully love God and live life freely if we have unforgiveness in our hearts. Because His Son is the epitome of forgiveness, we are to follow His example. Remember the words of our Lord: “‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses'” (Mark 11:25-26, NKJV).

I can’t say with assurance one prayer has freed me from the unforgiveness I’ve harbored all this time. But I’m grateful for the work the Holy Spirit is doing in me. He is the revealer of truth and time will tell.

If you have the same symptoms as me-discomfort in your heart, spiritual unrest, stubbornness, lack of joy-you could be holding onto unforgiveness. I suggest you repent and ask the Father to help you break free.

For readers wanting to visit the Holy Land to learn about ancient biblical history and experience Jewish culture, Charisma magazine has created Israel Virtual Marketplace, an interactive online destination that launched Thursday.

The site was created in response to the growing interest in the Holy Land by readers who want to go behind the scenes to see upclose God at work in the lives of people.

“We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from our readers and visitors to CharismaIsrael.com about their desire to enjoy a deeper understanding of the Holy Land,” Charisma advertising director Chris Barch said. “This led to creation of the first Virtual Israel Marketplace.”

The new portal allows visitors to explore a variety of resources from organizations that serve in diverse industries, from travel and gifts to books and humanitarian aid.

Jews for Jesus offers visitors a string of resources, including books about biblical feasts, women in the Bible and teachings from the Torah. Evangelism literature and other material for outreach initiatives are also available.

Christian Zionist John Hagee has a place on the site, as does Maoz Israel, Messianic Jewish Resources, Vision for Israel, Zion Oil and Gas, the humanitarian relief group Emunah and others.

“It is our hope that by going to CharismaIsrael.com and exploring the Israel Virtual Marketplace, visitors will have an interactive learning experience that will help growth in their faith and create a desire to stand with Israel,” Barch said.

To enter Israel Virtual Marketplace, click here. 

How many times have you read in Scripture do not “grieve” the Holy Spirit? (See Eph. 4:30.) The Greek translation of “grieve” is lupeo, which means “to be sorrowful or to be in heaviness.” When we swap godly character and gossip, act rudely or mistreat others, the Holy Spirit is deeply saddened by our offense. We must guard our words and actions so we do not offend God and weaken our testimony before others. Click below to watch a challenging message about grieving the Holy Spirit.  

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The Bible has a Word for each believer who is ill. The apostle James tells the sick to “call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14, NKJV). Whether you battle cancer, high blood pressure or clinical depression, the Bible says to ask for prayer. Sharyn Culp of His Majesty Ministries, a global prayer sanctuary on the Web, prays along with other intercessors for people around the world. To receive healing prayer from Sharyn, click here to listen to podcast.

Prophetess Sharyn Culp is the founder of His Majesty Ministries, a faith-based ministry located in Fort Worth, Texas. Sharyn says she has seen the Great Physician take His healing scalpel to the wounded spirits of men and women of all ages and set them free. She offers a message of healing, deliverance and restoration from the heart of His Majesty. To contact Sharyn or receive prayer, click here.

A Muslim prayer rally on Capitol Hill Friday drew between 3,000 and 5,000 participants, a figure well below the 50,000 organizers hoped to attract.

Among those gathered were several dozen protestors. Some stood at the rear of the crowd holding Bibles and praying. Others yelled “repent” from across the street, where they gathered with banners and crosses, the Washington Post reported.

At one point, organizers asked the protestors to show the Muslim group some respect, likening the Friday prayer service to Sunday worship services.

“We would never come to a prayer meeting that you have to make a disturbance,” said Hamad Chebli, imam of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, according to the Washington Post.

Organizers of the Islam on Capitol Hill rally said their goal was to unify Muslims and show the nation the spiritual side of Islam.

“This is not a protest,” Imam Abdul Malik of New York said Friday. “It is a day of prayer, of devotion, hoping that we can work … for the betterment of the world community.”

But several Christian leaders expressed concern that the prayer gathering was an attempt by Muslims to exert greater influence in the nation.

The Rev. Canon Julian Dobbs, leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America’s Church and Islam Project, said in a statement that the Friday gathering was “part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the church bells with the Athan [the Muslim call to prayer].”

Nigerian prayer leader Mosy Madugba echoed Dobbs’ sentiment.

“If they succeed, they will acquire greater boldness to press for stronger and greater Islamic influence in USA,” said Madugba, leader of the Ministers Prayer Network in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the Florida-based Global Prayer Network. “What they are trying to do is test the waters. For every ground Islam gains, the church loses some.”

Madugba joined TheCall founder Lou Engle in urging Christians to pray before and during the event. Engle said intercessors were not fighting against Muslims but “against principalities, powers and forces of darkness.”

“There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide of Islamic boldness being manifested,” Engle said in a statement at TheCall Web site. “We must pray that God would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great awakening that we desperately need for America.”

Other Christian leaders expressed concern that one of the lead organizers, Hassen Abdellah, was part of the legal team that represented one of the men convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver were among several conservatives who issued a letter before the Friday gathering calling on Abdellah and other organizers to denounce specific recent terrorist acts and plots.

In a prayer call he led Thursday night with Engle and Shirley Dobson, chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Perkins called the Muslim prayer gathering a wake-up call for the church. “If we [Christians] don’t fill the void that’s in this nation with the truth, it will be filled with something else,” he said.

Buried deep beneath the earth in the outskirts of Jerusalem’s Old City are said to be the ruins of King David’s palace. World-renowned archaeologist Eilat Mazar unearthed ruins from the Second Temple Period, and beneath those remains she discovered the foundation of David’s palace, inscriptions of Hebrew names and other ancient artifacts. The palace is said to be one of the most significant discoveries in modern-day Jerusalem. Here’s why. Click below to watch video.

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For much of their lives, some women grapple with the age-old question, What is my purpose? They think that if they’re not a women’s leader or at the forefront of ministry, they have no significant role in the body of Christ. But don’t give in to the enemy’s lies. God sees significance in what seems insignificant to man. Join nationally known preacher Cindy Trimm in a discussion about purpose, destiny and how God wants to employ you in His service. Click below to listen to podcast.

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download mp3

To purchase Commanding Your Morning by Cindy Trimm, click here.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year observed by Israelis and in other parts of the world where Jews live. It marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar. The holiday calls for introspection, when Jews reflect on their lives and “repent for any wrongdoings” committed during the previous year. This act is called teshuvah. But you don’t have to be Jewish to repent for past sins. Yeshua will cleanse you from all unrighteousness if you ask Him to. Click below to learn more about this special day.

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An Oklahoma-based pastor and Bible teacher hopes to bolster Christian support for Israel by planting 1 million olive trees.

Curt Landry, founder of House of David Ministries in Fairland, Okla., launched My Olive Tree (myolivetree.com) in Israel to provide jobs for local residents while benefiting the Israeli economy. This fall, Landry will plant and dedicate some 2,000 olive trees in Israel, many in the region of ancient Gilgal.

Christians can give a “gift that keeps on giving-olive trees live for thousands of years,” Landry said.

The trees, which are sponsored for $299 each, are cared for by an Israeli business, thus employing local business managers and professional olive-tree caretakers. The trees are expected to produce fruit for eating as well as for producing olive oil and even anointing oil, thereby reinvesting the donated trees back into the economy.

And, Landry notes, the program fulfills biblical prophecy. He said much of his ministry’s work in Israel-investing in individual communities-has been a way to “rebuild the ruined cities” so that people can lead decent lives here. But the olive tree program, he says, is essentially reaffirming Israel’s biblical claim to the land.

“It is a physical act that says, ‘We have faith and believe that you [Israel] have a right to exist, according to the Scriptures,'” Landry said. “In [Amos 9:15], it says the Jewish people have a right to live in the land. [Planting these trees] is an evangelical statement of solidarity with Israel.”

Landry is no stranger to the needs of Israel. For decades, he has led tours to the Holy Land, and has supported a dental clinic and a special-needs school in Beit She’an in the Jordan Valley, as well as a community center in Sderot, the southern city daily bombarded by rockets from the Gaza Strip.

The decision to pursue an olive tree-planting program came after Landry consulted with Israel’s agriculture department and assessed the benefit such a project would have on the nation.

Landry, an apple broker in Washington state for eight years, is vigilant about ensuring the quality of the trees. My Olive Tree provides intense irrigation and agricultural support for the first seven years, the most critical in the trees’ growth, to help guarantee prosperous harvests.

“I’m concerned with leaving a witness in the land,” Landry said. “I want to know they are planting trees with a high survival and productivity rate.”

Landry’s goal is to have planted 1 million trees by 2015, but the program couldn’t be starting at a worse time. The downturn in the U.S. economy could threaten donations, and a severe drought in Israel jeopardizes proper irrigation of the crops. Landry said the ministry had to account in its budget for an increase in water taxes and prices in Israel.

“It is the worst time and best time-worst because of the economy and the weather, but the best time to bless Israel,” Landry said. “This is a long-term project, and I hope to bless Israel until the Lord returns.”

Nicole Schiavi in Israel