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Hello, this is Rick Ridings. I’m coming to you from Indonesia, where we’re speaking for a missions conference and an international prayer conference. I want to quickly share the importance of what is happening right now in the Israeli strikes on Iran.

The Rising Lion

The name of this strike is The Rising Lion. We only found that out this morning when we woke up here in Indonesia to the news that they had just struck the Iranian nuclear facilities.

In strike after strike, they had eliminated almost every senior military and political leader and done serious damage to the infrastructure and the nuclear program in Iran.

Now, we realize this is something that’s going to take some time. But it’s amazing what happened within just a few hours with a surprise attack.

The fact that it’s called The Rising Lion was amazing to us because we’ve felt very strongly things about the Lord as the Lion of Judah—the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

In fact, I knew this before I came, and I had a friend in South Africa who helped me to be able to get this lion’s claw.

In Tonga, just two weeks ago, we talked at a national prayer conference about a vision that the Lord had given me of a lion coming up and unraveling tightly woven systems of evil.

These systems were woven together like a rug, like a carpet, and He just took His claw and pulled on them. And these tightly woven systems that had taken years and years for the enemy to weave together began to unravel.

Numbers 23:23-24: They Rouse Like a Lion

Then, last evening, as we were praying and looking at scriptures together, Patricia read a scripture from Numbers 23:23–24. Again, this was before any word about the Iranian attack or the name of it being The Rising Lion.

In Numbers 23:23, Balaam prophesied: “There is no divination against Jacob, no evil omens against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, see what God has done.”

It continues, “The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest until it devours its prey.”

It’s very amazing that she read this scripture as we were praying together yesterday evening because today on various social media they showed the note that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had put in the Western Wall yesterday before the attack.

And that note was this exact scripture from Numbers 23:23: “The people rise like a lion… like a lioness. They rouse themselves like a lion.” That was the prayer he had put in the Western Wall right before going underground to help direct the attack upon the nuclear program of Iran.

So, we’re very encouraged that God is in this. He is alive and arising. The Lion of Judah has arisen. He has taken His mighty claw, and He’s beginning to unravel systems of evil that have been laid by the Iranian regime over decades and decades.

Their whole plan is unraveling and falling apart. So, we’re encouraging you to continue to pray with us these scriptures from Numbers 23:23 and 24 that there’s no witchcraft that will work against Israel, but they will finish. They will not rest until they have finished devouring their prey, which is the Iranian regime.

Jeremiah 49: Breaking the Bow of Elam

Then before any news of the attack, we had mentioned to people in our prayer chats that it looked like there could possibly be an attack upon Iran.

We encouraged them to proclaim this scripture that we’ve been proclaiming for two years concerning Iran. It’s from Jeremiah 49:34–39.

It’s addressed to Elam. Elam was the ancient provincial capital of ancient Persia, which is now Iran. It’s where the city of Shushan was, the site of the famous story of Queen Esther. This is a word concerning Elam, which, by extension, is for all of Persia or modern-day Iran.

Verse 34 says: “This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam early in the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds.’”

“There will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them. I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger, declares the Lord. I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”

Again, we don’t believe this is addressed to the people of Iran but to the evil terrorist regime that has oppressed the people of Iran. This is a good scripture to pray for freedom in Iran, for the Iranian people, as well as for Israel’s protection and deliverance.

Then, in verse 38, He makes an amazing statement: “I will set my throne in Elam.” The only other place besides Jerusalem where He declares He is setting His throne is in Elam. But the result of it is this, He says, that He will set His throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials.

So, we’re pressing on and believing for the full collapse of this evil terrorist regime that has oppressed the people of Iran for so long—and oppressed Israel for so long. And then He ends with a wonderful promise, as God usually does, as His judgments are redemptive. In verse 39: “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.

Relying on the Promises of God

So let’s stand together upon these promises of God. He will fully deal with her king, her ruler, her officials, and He will set His throne there. But the end result will be a restoration of the fortunes of Elam, the people of Persia.