The Body of Messiah in Israel suffered another devastating blow after Eliyahu Ben-Haim died on Saturday night.
Chairman of Intercessors for Israel, Ben-Haim is the second Messianic leader to die in the last week. Eddie Santoro, a pastor and mentor, passed away on June 15 after a long battle with cancer.
Ben-Haim was on a speaking tour in Europe when he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria that attacked his leg. He was rushed to a Scottish hospital where doctors amputated his leg in hopes that it was enough to save him. He remained in ICU for several days before he died on June 22.
Originally from the United States, Ben-Haim made aliyah and has long been considered a leading teacher on Israel relating to both Scripture and current events. His international ministry focused on teaching believers how to pray for the nation.
Ben-Haim’s passion to inform was evident in his newsletters and his teachings. His newsletter, the Sound of the Shofar, recast the news events in Israel and how they related to Scripture. Always included were prayer points to help readers pray for the situation accompanied by several Scriptures that supported each prayer point.
One recurring theme in recent years that Eliyahu noted was Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which he called “an existential threat to Israel.”
“We live in critical times and God is calling us to be a radical people who understand the prophetic imperative and also the practical outworking of His Word,” he wrote.
Ben-Haim unapologetically defended Israel. He also took tours of intercessors and prayer teams to strategic sites in the land to pray and prepare the way for the Lord’s return.
“While Israel is far from being a perfect nation (there is no perfect nation) the vicious hatred of Israel is not at its heart, anti-Semitic but anti-God,” he wrote.
Ben-Haim was chairman and a board member of IFI, an Israel-based ministry that “seeks to raise up a prayer army in and for Israel” through teaching about prayer for individuals and congregations.
Intercessors for Israel announced Ben-Haim’s “graduation” to heaven on Sunday.
“Late yesterday, our brother and friend Eliyahu Ben Haim finished his race and was taken to his heavenly home by God his Father. While we are relieved that Eliyahu’s pain and suffering have ended, we grieve with his family and friends who remain behind.”
Chuck Cohen, who founded IFI with Ben-Haim, said it had been a privilege to work with Eliyahu.
“He will be missed by many, yet his leadership and his tenacity to stand with God’s will for this nation will continue as we stand in the gap for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done here in Israel – and globally – for the sanctification of His Holy Name,” Cohen said.
The organization asked for prayer for Eliyahu’s family including his wife Hannah, his children and grandchildren, “to sense the supernatural comfort from God as they go through the grieving process (2 Cor. 1:3-4).”
Eliyahu urged believers to be encouraged that in dark times, God was still in control and that everything happening was part of His plan and His return.
“How do we stand, withstand and keep praying (Ephesians 6:10-18) in this world wide descent into darkness?” Eliyahu posed the question in one of his newsletters. “We need to keep in mind that this darkness has not only not taken God by surprise but that He has told us about it in advance. It is not the end, but a sign of the Lord’s imminent return.”