Christian Organizations Call for 3-Day Esther Fast to Unite With Israel

March 10, 2017

4 min read

A call for Christians to take on a difficult three-day fast in order to identify with Israel is receiving a powerful response, perhaps because of its precedent. The fast mirrors the one described in the Book of Esther, read Saturday night for the holiday of Purim, which overturned Israel’s enemies and saved the Jewish people.

The fast was initiated by Lou Engle, co-founder of The Call Inc. centered in Colorado, who has been uniting  Christians across America in prayer and fasting for over two decades. Engle based his call on the verse in the Book of Esther, which described the three-day fast the Jews undertook to help Esther overcome the threat posed by Haman.

Go, gather together all the Yehudim that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.’ Esther 4:16

In his letter calling for the fast, Engle explained the connection to the present day.

Haman (the adversary in the Book of Esther), was practicing divination through the casting of lots, and was clearly aligning himself with demonic spiritual powers to destroy the whole Jewish population in the earth. Esther’s three-day fast broke the spiritual power channeled by Haman’s witchcraft. It effectively reversed the curse and shifted the whole public policy of the Persian Empire towards the Jewish people. I cannot stress this enough: we are in a similar day and a cataclysmic battle for the soul of our nation. We cannot live the same way we lived yesterday.

The fast began on Wednesday and will end as the Jewish holiday of Purim begins on Saturday night.

Charisma Life Ministries, led by Pastor David Swaggerty, responded with enthusiastic devotion, explaining the focus of his prayer during the fast.

“Our prayer is that God will reveal the hidden plans against Israel and our own leadership and, like Haman be hanged on their own gallo,” the pastor told Breaking Israel News.

Rabbi Tuly Weisz and Pastor David Swaggerty. (Photo: CharismaLife)

Though it may seem unusual to some that Christians have such a great desire to connect to Jews, Pastor Swaggerty explained that it is an essential part of his service, and has been for some time.

“We have been actively connecting with Israel for at least six years, and have actively been involved in helping Jews make aliyah with Operation Exodus. Our vision is based on prophecy,” he explained quoting Isaiah.

Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and set up Mine ensign to the peoples, and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. Isaiah 49:22

“Because of this, our work does not have any proselytizing,” he explained.

Debra Neybert, the assistant pastor at Charisma Ministries, joined the fast, which she sees as a call to battle.

“It’s time to focus our spiritual energy towards connecting Israel and the United States,” Neybert told Breaking Israel News. “This is clearly a spiritual battle. You even have people casting spells against the new president and his supporters.”

Last month, Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi, a well-known Israeli mystical rabbi, predicted a rise in black magic in the world focused on national leaders. Two weeks later, a call went out on social media bringing together people to cast a spell against President Trump and his supporters.

“This unholy battle against Trump is a spiritual battle also against Israel,” Neybert said. “We also see this in the rise of anti-Semitism since President Trump took office.”

Neybert explained that the political dispute today is identical to the Biblical battle against Haman: a spiritual battle between good and evil, fought on spiritual terms. This, she believes, is bringing Jews and Christians closer together.

“This fast is a cataclysmic battle for the soul of our nation as well as for the nation of Israel,” Neybert declared. “It is so obvious that God is trying to bring about a unity between us and Israel,” Neybert said. “This battle won’t be won through protests or political arguments. This is a three day cycle, a window of spiritual opportunity, to join with God and his people. We see in Purim how this fast was able to turn the enemy’s plan around. That is what we believe this fast can do.”

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, Breaking Israel News publisher, called on Jews to accept this enormous gesture of goodwill in a recent editorial published in the Jerusalem Post.

“Throughout our history the Jews have had few friends and many accusers, as Haman’s accusation has surfaced in nearly every generation. Thankfully, today, there are millions of Christians all over the world returning to the texts of our Tanach and the stories of the Hebrew Bible. We should all go into Purim with extra ‘joy and gladness’ in appreciation of the many non- Jews who are following in the footsteps of Queen Esther to stand with Israel ‘for such a time as this.’”

 

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