We have been away for a season, so this Update is a bit longer than usual.especially the first part, because we felt it important to lay a bit of background so as to help to pray with more understanding. We hear from many that these Updates are a help and blessings, and we truly appreciate your prayers on our behalf. But more, we bless you before the Father for your prayers on behalf of our land and people. We pray for each of you a sincere "Shana Tova"-Good New Year in the grace of our Lord-Whose "hesid"-lovingkindness-endures forever!

Sincerely,
Martin & Norma Sarvis
Jerusalem

1. SHAKINGS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RISE OF TZIPORA LIVNI
Sunday evening, thirty-three months after succeeding the incapacitated Ariel Sharon as Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, facing a number of severe corruption allegations, handed in his resignation. The new head of his Kadima party Tzipi Livni, Israel's current Foreign Minister, now has until November 14th (42 working days) to form a coalition. Should she fail, the country will probably go to early elections three months later. Were that to happen, even though Mr. Olmert has resigned, he could conceivably remain in office as acting-Prime Minister for up to seven more months until those elections have been completed. In the meanwhile, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, after being narrowly defeated by Livni last week for head of the party, announced unexpectedly that he is taking a sabbatical from politics. If he sticks to this, it delivers an unexpected blow to the party, which was surely counting on the military experience of the retired General and former Army Chief of Staff to hold a key post in a future government.

Nearing 50, Livni is a complex figure, bringing with her both strong and disturbing credentials [Note: Much of what follows is drawn from a lengthy article "Her Jewish State" by Roger Cohen, The New York Times, July 8, 2007]. Her parents were active in a Zionist guerrilla movement during the British Mandate. They were married the day after the State of Israel was born, and raised their daughter on dreams of "Greater Israel"-the Biblical land including Judea and Samaria, the so-called "West Bank" later wrested from the Kingdom of Jordan in the War of 1967. Following the Yom Kippur War, Livni, now a teenager, took part in demonstrations against peace plans of Henry Kissinger which would have given up Land. The family hero was Vladimir Jabotinsky, a spiritual father of what would become the Likud party in which her own father entered the Knesset in the 70's. She excelled in the army and in 1980 at the age of 22 joined the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, in which she remained for four years. She was elected to the Knesset in 1999 having been mentored by both Benjamin Netanyahu and Ariel Sharon. Quickly becoming involved in many ministries, she soon acquired a broad knowledge of the Israeli political system. She is the first woman to serve as foreign minister since Golda Meir. She is married with two sons; in a society whose Prime Ministerial and Presidential offices have continually been riddled with corruption and personal moral failures, Livni appears to move in an integrity which is strong and clean. Regarding her love for Israel, she is quoted as saying some time back, "My existence here comes out of the connection between me and Temple Mount. This is the umbilical cord. It comes from Jerusalem" (Ibid).

And yet . . . it has been Tzipi Livni who has been at the center of negotiations for the past two years to bring into place President Bush's vision of "Two democratic countries, living side by side." The secret negotiations which she and Mr. Olmert have been in for months with the Palestinian leaders under the active encouragement of Ms. Rice are widely suspected by the Right as preparing a new plan to re-divide Jerusalem. It is important to realize that in Livni's case, this "turn around" hasn't come about simply by an idea of giving away territory as an expedient to being left alone. According to her, it is rather that in her fierce desire to maintain a Jewish homeland, she does not see an alternative. If the West Bank and Gaza were to be annexed (which they still have never been), and we were to continue as a 'democracy', Israel would be no longer a "Jewish" State.  Since that, in her view is not an option, the only reasonable alternative to her (beyond just continuing as things are, which is not working) is to back off and hold onto what we actually have with a Jewish majority and are in control of. Livni is now strongly convinced that negotiating a two-state solution is the only way. Unless she experiences a change of perspective, if made Prime Minister she will continue to work towards that end.

The "Two Democratic State" solution will never work. First, God has unquestionably given this Land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob forever (Genesis 12:7; 26:3-5; 28:13-15). Second, the spirit power behind Islam, whose very name means "submission", will never freely allow either a true democracy among its own or Israel to live in peace alongside. Only this week an Iraqi member of parliament was stripped of his immunity by a high court of Iraq and will likely be fighting for his life for having simply visited Israel and advocated peace with the Jewish State. This decreed by a government for whose "democracy" a war is still in progress. "The US Embassy declined comment. 'It is an issue for the Iraqi parliament, not the US Mission to Iraq,' said spokesman Armand Cucciniello" ("Iraqi MP may be sentenced to death for visiting Israel", Jerusalem Post, Online Edition, Sept 22, 2008). Nor will this same spirit ever be satisfied until it controls Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, it is not so simple as praying for an alternate candidate who won't "give away land". All of those who are presently serious contenders are open to doing that. For example, it was Mr. Benyamin Netanyahu, Livni's chief rival should we go to new elections, who, as Prime Minister in 1996 redeployed from Hebron, and who, three years later before being forced from office, is known to have been in secret consultations to release portions of the Golan Heights to Syria. Furthermore, Netanyahu's personal life has been marred by marital infidelity, and he too left office amid investigations of corruption. Neither of these has yet tainted Livni's reputation.

PLEASE PRAY:
* That the shaking which God has begun releasing in Israel's government will shake all which needs to be shaken-that all which would stand in the way of His purposes for her future would be shaken out, and that a leader of clear, moral integrity would be raised up and placed in office. Pray that God will bring into favor and place in office the candidate who is most likely to be influenced by the Ruah haKodesh (the Holy Spirit/Wind of God) and by godly counsel-including messages which will begin to be brought into high places by His prophets as in days of old!
*That the Holy Spirit who was sent to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment would brood over our nation-awakening a longing for righteousness in leadership and resolve in the people to demand it.
*That the mercy of Elohim would work on the minds of Tzipi Livni and Benyamin Netanyahu-bringing about a change of paradigm in these leaders, both of whom have powerful qualities which could stand Israel in good stead were they sanctified.
*That in His way and timing Elohim will expand Israel to the borders within which He has promised that His returned people will dwell together in safety. A week before his resignation, Prime Minister Olmert in effect seemed to release a curse upon himself and all Israel to come by declaring, "'Greater Israel' [i.e. all Israeli territory of Biblical promise] is finished. There is no such thing as that anymore. Whoever talks in those terms is only deluding himself . . . A day will come, probably sooner than some are willing to admit, that all of us will be willing to embrace the same solutions that some of us are rejecting right now." PRAY THAT THIS CURSE WILL FALL TO THE GROUND AND NOT CLING TO COMING GENERATIONS.
*Pray for protection of the spirit, body and soul of a generation of godly Messianic believers in Israel being hidden like Joash (II Chron 22-23) until time to come forth and permeate all areas of the society with life.

2. ROSH HASHANA AND THE DAY OF TRUMPETS
Next Monday evening, Sept. 29th, begins Rosh Hashanah-the Head of the Year. It is so called because, although the Jewish religious year begins in the spring, it is on this first day of the Seventh Month (also called the month of Tishri) that the year is numbered. On that day we will be crossing over into the Hebrew year of 5769. Israelis are already wishing each other a "Shanah Tova!" -May you have a Good Year! Biblically, this day is known as Yom Teruah (Numbers 29:1-6; Leviticus 23:23-25). The word "Teruah" can mean to 'raise a shout'-of warning, of triumph, or of praise. It also can mean "to release a blast on a ram's horn (shofar)"-or a particular, specific call on that instrument. Although the passages regarding this day don't mention the shofar, it is this instrument which has traditionally been associated with Yom Teruah-which in English it is often translated, "The Feast of Trumpets".

There is no exact Scriptural reason given for blowing the rams horn on this day, although the Leviticus passage also calls it a "remembrance" or "memorial". This day opens what are known as the "Ten Days of Awe" leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. So a prevalent interpretation is that it is a day to awaken the people to attend to themselves and their sins, before that most solemn "Day of Reckoning" soon to follow. Today this feast is celebrated for two days. On the first day Genesis 21 is read, recounting the birth of Isaac; on the second day it is Genesis 22, about his binding as an offering.

Remember that as Isaac was trudging up Mount Moriah with his father, he asked Abraham, "Here is the wood and the fire for the sacrifice-but where is the lamb?" His father answered, "God will provide the Lamb." A moment before Abraham, steadfastly believing in the resurrection of the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), brought the knife down on his son, he was stopped by a voice from heaven and directed to a ram-caught in the thicket by its horn. We believe that the sound of the ram's horn not only calls us to remember our sin and need for atonement-but also reminds us (and the spirit world) that "God has provided the Lamb-the Lamb of God who carries away the sin of the world."

PLEASE PRAY:
*Thanksgiving for God's mercies during the year 5768-for all the Gates He has brought us faithfully through.
*God's mercies on all of mankind during this coming year of 5769.
*God's mercies on Israel during this New Year. In the Hebrew alphabetic numbering system, the new number for this year "9" is the letter 'tet'. This is the first letter of the Hebrew word "tov"-"good". During this month before Yom Kippur, many Jews recite Psalm 27 each day aloud. Pray Psalm 27:13-that Israel will see the GOODNESS of the LORD (TOV-YHVH) in the Land of the Living this Year of 5769!!

3. PRAY FOR THE FORMER RAINS . . .
As we have written in previous Updates, Israel is moving deeper into the most severe drought on record. The Sea of Galilee is frightfully low, as are the underground aquifers. Meteorologists and climatologists are not predicting a heavy rainy season. The Scriptures teach that lack of rain in Israel is a curse. Please pray with us and for us-that we believers in the Land will hear what the Spirit is saying to the Congregation and know how to pray within the land. And pray for God's mercies to be released in both the former (fall) and latter (spring) rains.

As we have also recently mentioned, Isaiah 41:17-20 seems to speak of a time when Israel will be physically failing for thirst, and though they seek-there won't be any. Then, God will hear, will not forsake, but release miraculous sources of water in the most barren and desolate areas throughout the land, all for One Purpose: "That they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the Hand of the LORD has done this, and the HOLY ONE of ISRAEL has created it."

4. SCHOOL HAS BEGUN!
We rejoice that in this often strike-ridden country, the School Year has begun without a strike. Please pray for the minds of Israel's children-that they will be protected from the devices of the enemy-both in secular and in religious schools. Pray for the believing youth-whose number is growing, as is their zeal! But the darkness and the temptations are enormous. Satan knows that his time is short, and he desires to hold back the generation whose salvation will mean Life from the Dead for the whole world (Romans 11:15). A wonderful Scripture to pray is Isaiah 54:13-14, "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the shalom of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you!"