In biblical times, communities appointed watchmen to guard the city against impending danger, whether it was thieves trying to make off with a town’s food supply or invading armies seeking to overthrow a kingdom.
God has assigned a similar Israeli group today to safeguard the global community against terrorism.
Staffed by young cyber experts, Unit 8200 is the largest arm of Israel’s military. According to the British think tank, Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, “Unit 8200 is probably the foremost technical intelligence agency in the world and stands on a par with the NSA in everything except scale.”
Israel founded Unit 8200 way back in 1952 using primitive surplus American military equipment. The unit today plays a crucial role in thwarting terrorist activities. Among their stealth roles is tracking ISIS fighters who, once forced from the battlefield, burrowed into countries around the world.
In an interview with Ynet, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said, “We pass on information to countries when we know something is in the works.” Hence the elite group is now credited with spoiling sophisticated plots, including:
- A major ISIS scheme to bomb a civilian airliner headed from Australia to the United Arab Emirates
- Dozens of Iranian hacking attacks against private and public organizations in Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
- Many attacks against Israel by lone-wolf Palestinians in the West Bank.
In February, when Israel accepted credit for warning Australia of the impending airliner attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I can tell you that this is one of many, many such actions that we (took) preventing terrorism around the world.”
A senior Unit 8200 officer explained that “a part of 8200 deals with operational activity beyond the borders. Our missions include incorporating offensive cyber tools as well as tools that help shape perception, alongside cyber defense.
“The cyber world has become a tool to achieve military and diplomatic goals,” the officer continued. “Today, it's not just about reaching arenas like Syria and Iran, but also to bypass technological giants without getting caught.”
Israel scouts for tech-savvy recruits in high school and places them in Unit 8200 during the customary military service for all young Israelis. These online soldiers spread across the country, living on the frontlines to identify and neutralize cyber threats. Their superior training often leads these workers to found high-tech firms when they leave the “They’re good because they have a lot of practice; they live in a tough neighborhood,” said Frank Cilluffo, associate vice president and director at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. “Israel punches well above its weight on cyber-related issues.”
Praise God for inspiring Israel to use its advanced intelligence capabilities to fill a biblical watchman role – not only for Israel, but for the world!
Get the Israel Prayer Guide
Do you want to know how to pray for Israel in greater detail and depth? Jewish Voice Ministries has put together this Intercessory Prayer Guide for Israel that provides focused, targeted requests to help you pray for the nation of God’s People. We hope this prayer guide can help both Messianic Jews and Christians pray their support for Israel.
How You Can Pray
- Pray for divine guidance as these watchmen guard the world.
- Pray for all the young men and women in Israel’s military service to have the blindness fall from their eyes so they can recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah.
What Your Gift Will Do
- When you give to Jewish Voice today, you support the efforts of many JVMI partners as they work full time to achieve Arab-Israeli reconciliation, and share the Good News of Yeshua with young people in the Israeli army.
- In Israel, your gifts provide practical, emotional and spiritual assistance to elderly Holocaust survivors, including much-needed and financially out-of-reach dental and vision care. You are also helping our partners in Israel to provide critical care to struggling single mothers, widow and orphans, as well as Jewish people who are new immigrants to the Land.
As a token of our appreciation for your gift of $55 or more today, we’ll send you this beautiful wall plaque to remind you to pray for Israel daily.
Designed exclusively for Jewish Voice Ministries and our partners, this beautiful wall piece is fashioned in the shape of the State of Israel and made of genuine olivewood, native to the Holy Land. The plaque is etched with the words, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and the Scripture reference of Psalm 122:6. Each piece of art is one of a kind, with distinct wood grain and colorations –characteristic of natural olivewood. It measures 17-inches tall and is the perfect accessory for narrow, difficult-to-decorate wall spaces. Hang it where you’ll see it daily and remember that your gift is blessing Israel, just as the Lord has asked us to do!
