Passover Points to a God Who Keeps His Promises

I would like to wish you a Happy Passover and Easter.

Since the exodus, Jewish people have celebrated Passover as a memorial to God’s love, power, and plan for His chosen people. It is a reminder of how the Lord of the universe, against all odds, promised to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and bring them back to the land of Israel (Genesis 15:13–14). Passover reminds us God has not forgotten His promises to His people.

If God keeps His promises to Jewish people, then we have further confidence He will keep His promises to all those who have trusted in Jesus!

Each year, on the fourteenth day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, God asks the people of Israel to stop whatever they are doing and observe the Passover—regardless of circumstances. The Jewish community observed the festival amid the darkest moments of Jewish history—the Crusades, pogroms in Eastern Europe, the Holocaust, and the wars following the formation of the modern State of Israel in 1948. 

Despite the terrible loss of life on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing war we currently face in Israel, Jewish people will again remember God’s miraculous redemption and faithfulness revealed in the Passover! The observance of Passover is a higher priority than all other events or challenges we face as families and as Jewish individuals. Our busy schedules must bow to the Lord’s commands and plans—this is true not only for Jewish people but for every follower of Jesus as well! 

The prioritizing of God’s will we learn from observing the Passover and other holidays is a critical lesson for those who want to follow the Lord. We need to be ready to drop what we are doing in order to obey the Lord and follow Him. This practice is an important lesson Christians can learn from Jewish people. 

PASSOVER: HOPE FOR SHATTERED TRUST

On October 7, most Israelis lost trust in the army and government, whose preparation for and response to the flagrant violation of Israel’s borders was insufficient at best. I cannot blame my fellow Jewish people living in Israel for feeling this way, as they were profoundly disappointed by those entrusted to protect them. When we draw back the curtains of history and look at the story of Passover, we see there is only One who merits our complete trust—God Himself. 

Egypt trusted in their numerous gods, but the God of Israel proved Himself stronger than them all. The Lord delivered His people “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8). Passover teaches us God shows up at the right time, even when it seems all odds are stacked against Jewish people. We trust in God alone for Israel’s ultimate deliverance from her enemies at the end of days.

The Bible teaches all humankind is damaged by sin, which clouds our judgment and often causes us to place the concerns of this world above God’s concerns. Even the people we love sometimes disappoint us because of sin. Sin also taints all human institutions, which ultimately disappoint us.

God warned Israel not to trust in man but rather in God:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! (Isaiah 31:1)

I understand this passage very personally, as I trusted in the world until the day I met the Jewish Messiah, who delivered me from my false reliance and enabled me to stand upon the rock of His faithfulness. Though it may take some time, and we may struggle with trusting in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding—or the understanding of others—the Lord will always prove Himself trustworthy. My prayer for my people today is for this disenchantment with institutions and people to lead to a deeper trust in the God of Israel and His promises.

IN GOD WE SHOULD TRUST

When I think about the future of Jewish people, I think of passages in the prophets like Isaiah 62, Amos 9, and Jeremiah 31. Perhaps we can take a quick look at this last passage and remember God’s promises of Israel’s deliverance: 

Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:37)

God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham will not allow Him to stand by and watch the destruction of His chosen people. The Lord Himself will make sure Israel fulfills the purposes for which He created and chose them. Passover is an excellent example. For the Israelites to fulfill their divine calling, they had to dwell in the land of promise. Egypt’s power could not stand in the way, and God rescued His people with great signs. Passover is a reminder of God’s faithful track record. Because He has saved and sustained His people thus far, we can be confident He will continue.

We already see signs of Jesus’ soon return when all Israel will recognize Him as the Savior. Many Jewish people have returned to the land of Israel in unbelief and will one day experience the fullness of the Spirit of God. The dry bones of Ezekiel 37 will come alive! Yet, this fulfillment is only the beginning. Jewish people simply living in the land does not satisfy the totality of the Abrahamic promise, as Israel must inherit the land and dwell in peace with her neighbors:

In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:24–25) 

As we well know, this has yet to happen! However, it will come to pass when Jewish people turn to Jesus, and He returns to reign as King. Jerusalem, Israel, and the world will then be transformed.

Too often, we end Israel’s story at the cross and see Jewish people replaced by those who follow Jesus—including Jewish people and Gentile nations—without understanding the day will come when Jewish people return to the Lord and Messiah. Only then will the world be blessed as the Holy One promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

Darrell Bock, a New Testament scholar, often says the inclusion of the Gentiles does not demand the exclusion of the Jewish people from the purposes of God (Romans 11:17–18).

Another incredible blessing we look forward to when Jesus returns is God Himself will once again rule over His creation without the limitations the fall caused. As Jeremiah wrote:

They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

For those who follow Jesus, part of this verse has already come to pass, as God has forgiven all our sins because of our faith in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. However, this prophecy has obviously yet to be fulfilled entirely. Nevertheless, I believe the universal reign of the one true King is one of the glorious results of the second coming of Jesus!

Passover not only reminds Jewish people of God’s plan of redemption but also reminds those who love the Jewish Messiah today He will come again to deliver our beautiful-but-broken world from the darkness and frailty of sin once and for all. 

Passover makes me cry out: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Happy Easter and Passover from your Chosen People Ministries family,
Mitch

P.S. My heart still breaks for the hostages. We must not forget about them but continue to pray for their release from captivity, especially during Passover!

Reflections on the Eclipse

My wife and I had the joy of traveling to South Carolina in 2022 to watch the last eclipse. It was quite remarkable. It was at that time that we began planning to go see the next eclipse, which took place a few days ago. The next one will be in 2044, and chances are I might see that eclipse from a true heavenly place—but, you never know!

There has been a lot of discussion, especially in various social media channels, about the spiritual implications of the eclipse. The fundamental questions are “is the eclipse in some way tied to end-time events?” and “is God trying to tell us something through the eclipse?” These questions involve discussions that imply, in one way or another, the eclipse is connected to some type of prophetic event involving Israel and the Jewish people. So, of course, these discussions always have my ear!

I have heard a variety of theories about the linkage of this eclipse to the end times, and I thought that maybe I could add a bit to the discussion by writing something biblically sound. I prayed and asked the Lord for some insight and then it hit me . . . there is a major lesson from God’s Word to learn from the eclipse that involves Israel, the Jewish people, and the end of time! May I share this with you?

The End-Time Vision of the Prophet Jeremiah

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lorf, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (Jeremiah 31:31).

This passage continues through verse 34 and shows that the original audience for the new covenant message was the Jewish people. Yet, the application of the prophecy expands beyond the children of Israel and is, in part, fulfilled among both Jewish and Gentile Christians today (Hebrews 8:7–13). Christians are now enjoying a foretaste of what the Jewish people will experience when that great day comes when all of Israel will be saved and turn to Jesus as Savior (Romans 11:25ff).

So how are believers in Yeshua experiencing the new covenant today? First, both Jews and Gentiles who enter the new covenant through faith in Jesus the Messiah have the law of God written on their hearts, which causes those who are born again by the Spirit of God to obey God rather than disobey Him. Secondly, they receive the forgiveness of their sins through the shed blood of the Messiah Jesus on Calvary. 

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

What will one day happen to the nation of Israel has now already taken place among both Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. And one day this will happen to the Jewish people at the time of national repentance, also predicted by the prophet Zechariah:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zech 12:10).

On the other hand, there is more to come! And this “more to come” is related to the second coming of Jesus as, when He comes to establish His earthly kingdom, the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters fill seas. Also, there will be peace among nations and all peoples, as even the torn Middle East will no longer be in conflict. According to Isaiah 19:23–24, Israel, Egypt, and Assyria will walk arm in arm in the kingdom.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

So, What Does the Eclipse Have to Do with This Glorious Future Day?

It is necessary to continue reading and move past Jeremiah 31:34 to verses 35–37 where, according to my dear friend Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (with tongue firmly in cheek), the prophet instructs his readers on how to destroy the Jews!

Jeremiah prophesies,

Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord (Jer 31:35–37).

So, what does this have to do with an eclipse?

Let me offer my simple definition of an eclipse: an eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun (fully or partially). But thankfully, an eclipse is not permanent, it is a temporary phenomenon. Otherwise, it would mean that somehow the order of creation had changed, and this is impossible for neither people nor nature can alter the order of God’s creation.

According to Jeremiah—the weeping prophet—not only is it impossible to change the course of the sun, moon, and stars but it is also unrealistic to think we can change the tides of the seas. Have you ever noticed that the oceans stay within their divinely ordained boundaries?

Indeed, as we read in the first chapter in the book of Genesis, God created the heavenlies according to His sovereign pattern. And if the planets were to align in a way that was contrary to creation, then this would be a temporary, heavenly anomaly. Certainly, the seas sometimes cross their divine boundaries as we saw with Hurricane Sandy and the Thai Tsunami of 2004 but, thank God, the seas always return to their God-ordained limits. In other words, the order of creation is miraculous and established by God himself. Momentary changes do occur, but creation usually snaps back to its original design as ordained by the heavenly designer.

According to Jeremiah’s words, the only way to destroy the Jewish people is to do what is impossible and that is to permanently alter the course of God’s creation. If you can destroy the sun, the moon, and the stars and instruct the oceans to overflow on a regular basis, then you can force the hand of God to revoke His covenant of faithfulness to the Jewish people.

As much as God is committed to the order of His creation—the heavens and the earth—He is similarly committed to the unshakeable nature of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Neither Hamas, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, Isis, Iran, Syria nor any other country or group will be able to destroy the Jewish people any more than we might alter the very order of God’s Creation.

According to Zechariah 12:9–10, the day is coming when we will see the nations perched on the doorstep of Israel, seething with hostility, and prepared to destroy the Jewish people. Yet, in that day the Jewish people will cry out to Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only begotten Son. Then, in Zechariah 14 we read that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which will be split in half and the enemies of Israel will be conquered. The Lord Jesus will return in power and glory and sit on His rightful Davidic throne throughout the kingdom period.

Thus, we see that God will not allow the nations supposed to be blessed by Israel to turn on Israel and destroy His chosen people. He made sure and certain promises to the Jewish people that are irrevocable. Hallelujah!

Next time you look at an eclipse, wearing the proper glasses of course, and see the light of the sun blocked by the moon, you will remember that it is a passing phenomenon, as God set a heavenly order in place that cannot be destroyed. And the same goes for the Jewish people who are bound by an unconditional covenant and destined to fulfill His plan for the nations. We cannot destroy what God has created, and we cannot annihilate the people He created and called for His holy purposes to be a blessing and light to the nations. The Jewish people cannot be permanently eclipsed any more than His creation. And you don’t need to wear special glasses to see it.

Reflections of a Jewish “Jesus Freak”

I hope this letter finds you rejoicing in the Lord. This year, April is a joyful month for me as my birthday falls one day before Passover! Most years, my birthday falls during Passover, and I have to endure eating unleavened birthday cakes. The only tolerable ones were those made with chocolate fudge. This year, I can eat a normal birthday cake (strawberry shortcake is my favorite!).

Now, to get down to the more serious part of why I am rejoicing in the Lord this Passover.

This year is my fifty-third as a believer in Messiah. Next month, I will celebrate the twenty-seventh anniversary of leading our historic Mission to the Jewish People. I began serving as the president of Chosen People Ministries on May 1, 1997. So, I have many blessings to enjoy this April, including celebrating Passover—my favorite Jewish holiday—and reflecting on continuing to lead this incredible work among Jewish people. 

I would like to tell you how I came to believe in Jesus and ultimately become a missionary among my Jewish people! 

GROWING UP IN NEW YORK AND HEADING WEST

I was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Queens, and lived in a very traditional Jewish home. I had my bar mitzvah (a Jewish rite of passage) when I was thirteen and then, like so many of my Jewish friends, stopped attending synagogue regularly. Each year, my parents sent me to Orthodox Jewish summer camp when we were not going to the Borscht Belt—the Catskill Mountains—where many Jewish people went to spend cooler summers outside the heat of New York City.

Eventually, my parents moved our family to central New Jersey, where I graduated high school at seventeen. My high school career had gone rapidly downhill when I started doing drugs. I still went to college, but only briefly before dropping out a few months later.

While at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, I made some new friends, Fred and Joan. Fred and I decided to move to Sausalito, California, to build a houseboat with his brother Bruce and best friend Jhan. In early spring 1970, we hitchhiked to San Francisco and eventually landed in Sausalito. 

At the time, I knew nothing about the Jesus movement going on in San Francisco. I did not read Christian literature and gave no thought to Jesus. After a while, I was tired of doing drugs. We also had to move out of our houseboat because the building inspector condemned it. We left thousands of dollars of wood and supplies—as well as our dreams—floating on Sausalito Bay. We moved into a hippie commune called the Freaky Dude Ranch, which, though not a proper dude ranch, was quite freaky! I was there with about seventeen other people and lived in a closet with someone who eventually turned out to be a Satan worshiper!

I started doing transcendental meditation but was not very successful at it! I slowly moved away from drugs and got a job through the Marin County Board of Education, teaching in their outdoor education program at a campground near Pescadero, California. 

THE REVOLUTION BEGINS

I loved the 2023 film Jesus Revolution. Seeing our lives reflected in a movie made me laugh and cry. I lived through it, and I can tell you the film is accurate. In the 1960s and 70s, the Lord moved powerfully among young adults, and many of us were Jewish. I believe He can do it again, in any place and at any time, regardless of social conditions and even above and beyond our evangelistic efforts. I believe this outpouring of the Spirit upon my generation was perhaps due more to prayer than evangelism. As the movie portrays, there were hundreds, even thousands, of young seekers who were simply hungry for God! What a time!

One weekend, I went back to Sausalito to visit the spot where we used to keep the houseboat docked and ran into my friend Joan. She had also dropped out of college, stayed with us for a few weeks, and then left for Oregon to try to find some answers to life. She was picked up hitchhiking and brought to a commune in Coos Bay, Oregon, where she accepted the Lord. Finally, after some months, she came south from Coos Bay to San Francisco to tell Fred and me about Jesus.

Of course, she began witnessing to me by telling me the world was ending and other comments I perceived as foolishness. I tried to talk some sense into her as I felt she had either been drugged or hypnotized. Yet, she seemed happier, and after some convincing, she and Fred left for Coos Bay, and I was “left behind!” I was still working at the kid’s camp and enjoying the job quite a bit. 

Eventually, I visited Fred and Joan and met the Christians at their commune, or “ranch.” It was one of the unnamed small Christian cooperatives started by a couple who believed God had told them to love and feed all their visitors. The first night I came to the ranch, I was picked up by rowboat. I was anything but a believer in Jesus then, and the whole experience was quite exotic and spooky but also intriguing!

I met wonderful people, and every time I had a question, they pointed me to a Bible, which I began reading. I had read the Old Testament before, but it was mainly in Hebrew, which I did not understand very well. Now, I was reading it in English and enjoying it very much. I think I was probably beginning to search for God and was tired of my ragged lifestyle. 

I was already thinking about going back to the New York area to return to college as I was frustrated with the selfishness and drugs. 

HOW I MET JESUS

So, I was open to God but not very open to Jesus. I grew up in a strong Jewish community, was raised in a loving Jewish home, and could not possibly imagine how a Jewish person could believe in Jesus the Messiah and remain Jewish!

When I returned to the campground, all I could think about was God and Jesus. I kept reading the Old Testament, and finally, one day, I called out to God and said, “If You are real, show me.” A few hours later, I found a copy of Good News for Modern Man glowing in the moonlight, sitting where there should have been a phone book on the ledge of the only phone booth in the camp. Of course, I stole the book, which turned out to be a copy of the New Testament in modern English! 

I could not stop reading the New Testament. I fell in love with Jesus. I thought He was great. I finally realized He was God in the flesh and felt much more comfortable with Jesus than I did with Eastern religions.

So, I told the Lord if He could possibly forgive and use someone who had almost destroyed his mind and soul, then I would do anything He wanted. I knew there was only one decision to make—whether I would dedicate myself to Jesus. Frankly, it was not a very hard choice. I knew He was the true Messiah of Jewish people and the Lord of my life, and all I wanted to do was follow Him. 

I am happy to identify as a Jesus-movement baby or even a Jesus freak! I wear it as a badge of honor, but the true honor goes to the God of grace, who saved me and has given me an abundant life. There is so much more to say! Just imagine the testimony book we will all write together when we have eternity to sing of His greatness!

JOINING WITH CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES

After I came to faith, missionaries from Chosen People Ministries discipled me, and the Mission paid my way through Bible college! I am personally grateful for our Mission, and I hope my story inspires you to pray for Chosen People Ministries as we have entered our 130th year of ministry. 

Israel’s Enemies Will Fail

This month, we celebrate one of our most joyous Jewish holidays—Purim, the Festival of Lots. Every Jewish holiday has its unique traditions, and Purim is no different! One of the central customs of Purim is dressing up in costumes, which the children especially love! We also read the book of Esther and put on plays retelling the story. Purim is a family holiday viewed as a grand celebration of God’s goodness toward Jewish people.

The origin of Purim is found in the book of Esther, which recounts the story of how God worked behind the scenes to deliver His people from annihilation. This story focuses on Haman, a powerful Persian government official who convinced the Persian King Ahasuerus (possibly also called King Xerxes I, 486–465 BCE ) to exterminate all Jewish people. But God intervened through Esther and Mordecai. They turned the tables on Haman, and in the end, he and his co-conspirators were put to death while the Jewish community survived and prospered.

Haman was one of the most influential people in the empire. The king placed him “over all the princes who were with him” (Esth 3:1). His evil plot garnered support from the king himself. From a human standpoint, going against Haman was foolish and risky. Yet his position did not shield him from God’s justice. His plan fell back on his own head, and the king ordered Haman hanged on the very same gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esth 7:9–10).

Most importantly, Purim reminds us of God’s faithful love for Jewish people based upon His everlasting covenant with Abraham. The story of Esther is the perfect object lesson for understanding the Abrahamic Covenant. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” God pledged blessing for those who bless His people—the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob—and curses upon those, like Haman, who seek the destruction of His chosen people.

There are many lessons we learn from the book of Esther. Allow me to discuss three of them: God’s faithfulness to His promises, His power to orchestrate life’s events, and His love for Jewish people.

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS PROMISES

One of God’s most important—and encouraging—attributes depicted in the Bible is His faithfulness. People, even those closest to us, can sometimes let us down. God, however, is always true to His Word. The promises God made to Abraham were without conditions and founded upon His faithfulness, not Abraham’s obedience or ability.

The book of Esther tells the story of the survival of Jewish people—a story told repeatedly in Scripture. However, God pledged the nation of Israel would never be destroyed (Jeremiah 31:36). Haman’s plan was not only wicked but—even without his knowing—a threat to God’s plan for all humanity. Think about it. Suppose Haman had succeeded and destroyed all Jewish people. How could Jesus fulfill the promise of a Savior born to a Jewish virgin (Isaiah 7:14)? Thankfully, as the story of Esther teaches us, no human plot can jeopardize the plan of God. Though this book does not mention God by name, we can easily see His holy handprint in every detail of this grand story of Israel’s redemption. The evidence of His powerful presence seen in the lives of Esther and Mordecai brings us to the next major lesson found in the book of Esther.

HIS POWER TO ORCHESTRATE LIFE’S EVENTS

God’s choice of Esther is the first piece of the puzzle—of all the women, why her? The Lord often puts people in the right place to accomplish His plan at the right moment. Mordecai saved the king’s life by being in a timely place to hear the plot of the two guards (Esth 2:21–23). Of course, Esther was appropriately positioned to receive the information from Mordecai to save the king’s life. Even King Ahasuerus was the right leader for the right moment—another Persian monarch might not have listened to the impassioned pleas of his wife! This incredible story reveals a powerful and comforting spiritual principle: God positions the right people in the right place at the right time to ensure the fulfillment of His plans.

Many of us have stories about how the Lord put us in the right time and place for His service. Understanding and accepting His sovereignty in every detail of our lives helps us accept our circumstances! When we are tempted to say, “Lord, why am I here . . . why this place, why this job . . . why this challenge, opportunity, or hardship?” we can say with a full heart: He has situated us for “such a time as this” (Esth 4:14).

The story of Purim is an excellent example of the apostle Paul’s message centuries later: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In this case, the plan is the deliverance of Jewish people. Haman had no idea, when he touched the children of Israel, he was, in reality, poking the apple of God’s eye (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8)!

HIS LOVE FOR JEWISH PEOPLE

In Esther’s day, Jewish people were in exile. God allowed Assyria and Babylon to take His people captive for a time because of Israel’s disobedience to the Mosaic Law. Sin stirred God to discipline—but never to reject—His people. Even in this time of exile, God was watching over His chosen people. He rescued Jewish people from Haman’s intended genocide. As a result, the community also prospered, rising from near destruction to a position of honor in Persia, as shown in the elevation of Mordecai to Persian greatness in the book of Esther:

For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esth 10:3)

God’s faithful love for Jewish people endures, even when some are unfaithful (Romans 3:3). This truth is good news for us all, as no person can earn His love. This theme from Esther is so important today when most of the Jewish community has not yet trusted in Yeshua (Jesus). God remains as committed to His people as ever. Those who hate Israel, including Hamas and all who seek the destruction of Jewish people, will fail—just like their predecessors.

The following statistics tell us we are facing a new Haman in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah, and those in both Europe and North America who are perpetrating or supporting hate crimes toward Jewish people:

In the United States, 2,031 antisemitic incidents were reported between October 7 and December 7, 2023. This figure is the highest number ever reported (by far) in a two-month period since the Anti-Defamation League began measuring in 1979!¹

In Canada, antisemitic crimes have increased 52 percent since 2020. Jewish Canadians make up about 1 percent of the country’s population but are the target of 67 percent of religiously motivated hate.²

In the United Kingdom, London police reported a 1,353 percent increase in antisemitic offenses from October 7 through October 20 compared to the same period the previous year.³

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BLESS JEWISH PEOPLE?

It is obvious October 7, 2023, was the beginning of a new wave of growing antisemitism. As followers of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, we need to pray and do what we can to bless and protect His people, as this pleases the heart of God, who promised to bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. I hope and pray this will be your commitment in these difficult and dark days for Israel.

Remember to pray for the safety and salvation of the Jewish community. What could be more important today than doing all we can to tell God’s chosen people about the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah? Chosen People Ministries is actively reaching Jewish people for Messiah throughout North America and in twenty countries around the globe. Pray especially for our dozens of staff in Israel, who are faithfully serving the Lord among the largest Jewish population in the world.

Happy Purim, and remember, if God keeps His promises to Jewish people, then He will, of course, keep His promises to you!

¹ “ADL Reports Unprecedented Rise in Antisemitic Incidents Post-Oct. 7,” Anti-Defamation League, December 11, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adlreports-unprecedented-rise-antisemitic-incidents-post-oct-7.

² “Jews Remain Most Targeted Religious Group for Hate Crime in Canada, Second Overall,” CIJA, August 2, 2023, https://www.cija.ca/jews_remain_most_targeted_religious_group_for_hate_crime_in_canada_second_overall.

³ “Antisemitic, Islamophobic Offenses Soar in London after Israel Attacks,” Reuters, October 20, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/antisemitic-islamophobicoffences-soar-london-after-israel-attacks-2023-10-20/.

A Report from Our Staff in Israel

This month, I want to honor the selfless work of our team in Israel, especially since October 7.

The barbaric Hamas massacre traumatized the nation and changed Israel forever. The bloodbath shattered Israelis’ trust in their leaders and defenses. Given Israel’s relatively small size, virtually everyone in Israel knows someone who was murdered, injured, or taken hostage.

Our staff immediately sprang into action. Though they, too, grapple with grief, fear, and the new normal of running to bomb shelters, they are doing all they can to serve others.

The following are just some of the ways our brothers and sisters in Israel are bringing practical aid and the hope of the gospel to Israelis enduring these horrific trials.

SERVING ISRAELI SOLDIERS

Some soldiers, like those stationed near the northern border, are facing harsh, cold conditions. Our staff gave out hundreds of packages of supplies to these Israeli soldiers, including socks, thermal underwear, watches, water packs, sleeping bags, and lights to wear on their helmets to see at night. Some of our staff met with believers at different army bases and distributed these essential items.

After a few weeks, we knew we needed more help as we did not have enough people to drive to every base. We partnered with those in the Messianic community who could deliver the resources we gathered for the 500–600 Israeli believers scattered among the various army bases. Since we knew believers in most units, we asked them to distribute the items to their fellow soldiers.

Among the most meaningful aid we provided was fresh, home-cooked food. On one occasion, we brought this nutritious food to soldiers guarding the Lebanese border. We had the privilege of reaching a unit on the very outskirts of the border area. Our staff member described the encounter:

The commander kept shaking my hand, and he said, “You have no idea how much this means to our soldiers. Yes, we have food, but it’s tuna fish in a can.” Home cooking means so much for the soldiers. Everyone was really grateful, and we took time to pray.

Shortly after October 7, supplies became hard to find. But, somehow, God opened doors of provision. Here is just one story from our staff about God’s faithfulness:

We needed to find battery packs to give out to soldiers. I called around and couldn’t find any. But, after looking and praying, we found one of the larger stores in Israel had 200. So, we bought 100 of them. Then, by God’s grace, we were able to contact an importer and get wholesale prices for the same items. We were very grateful for the ability to meet real needs and also do it in a way that exercised good stewardship of the funds we had. Each item was distributed with a warm smile and, of course, when asked, we told them clearly we were Jewish believers in Jesus who loved them! 

SERVING EVACUEES, CHILDREN, AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

In the months following October 7, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon continued to fire rockets into Israel. As the Israeli Defense Forces fortified these borders, more than 120,000 Israelis living in those areas were displaced. 

We reached out to Israelis forced to evacuate their homes on the northern and southern borders. By partnering with other faithful, Bible-believing organizations in Israel, we had the opportunity to minister to individuals living in hotels. One of these ministries covered the expenses of this work. We assigned one of our young staff members to serve in a hotel filled with evacuees. 

Our hearts were especially broken over the condition of the children who fled their homes and had to abandon all their normal routines. Most of these children lost a couple of months of school! This loss not only slowed their education but added to the sense of instability both parents and children felt. The need for someone to stay home with the kids interrupted parents’ work schedules. Other households temporarily had only one parent as Israel mobilized much of its reserve force. These sudden changes wreaked financial and mental strain on numerous Israeli families. 

A few new opportunities arose to assist families and children impacted by the war. For example, we received the blessing of providing dozens of tablet devices for kids to use for their education. These children were staying at the Baptist Village in the city of Petah Tikva so they could attend school online, but there were not enough tablets for all the children. We also bought and gave toys to the kids as gifts. Additionally, we organized food distribution for dozens of Holocaust survivors too afraid to leave their houses, either because of the constant rocket attacks or the trauma from Black Saturday, as the Israelis call October 7.

Practical aid often led to the opportunity to proclaim the gospel. The assistance our staff provided stimulated many great conversations about the Lord, and our team encouraged many Israelis during this harrowing time. Most of the Holocaust survivors are in their 90s and full of anxiety and fear. Having us visit, talk, and pray with them greatly ministered to their shattered hearts. Too many of these precious elderly Israelis lost friends to the brutality of the Hamas terrorists who stormed their villages on October 7. Would you please pray for them as well?

Despite the immense, ongoing hardship, we praise God for what we accomplished. However, there is still so much more to do!

SERVING A TRAUMATIZED NATION: NEXT STEPS

We are ready to continue and expand these ministries to all the people we serve in Israel, as the Lord guides us. There are many needs, which we believe we can meet with your help.

I received this note from one of our most experienced missionaries who described the displacement of Israelis as a result of the war:

Hi, everyone!

Due to the outbreak of war, more than 120,000 citizens have been displaced and are currently seeking temporary housing. The evacuees can be categorized as follows:

• those from the war zone near the Gaza Strip who face long-term displacement due to the destruction of their homes
• evacuees from communities near Gaza with a higher probability of returning home once the war ends
• evacuees from the north who left their homes in haste

I write this letter after conversations with social workers from different hotels, each housing hundreds of evacuees from the south and north. While there is no immediate shortage of necessities like food, clothing, toys, and hygiene products, their prolonged stays in hotels have led to increased aggression and adverse social phenomena, including violence between individuals, and vandalism.

To address these issues, Chosen People Ministries Israel proposed a number of projects last year: 

• organizing activities for evacuees (including children and Holocaust survivors) in hotels, like do-it-yourself crafts, music classes, and clubs to help alleviate their restlessness and provide a sense of purpose 
• scheduling events with musicians, artists, and games to bring some joy and entertainment to the evacuees
• conducting seminars with Christian psychologists who can provide much-needed emotional support
• assisting individuals with special needs, who are not adequately supported by the state, by providing transportation for medical appointments or catering to families with children with specific requirements 
• organizing fun-filled days for children to help create a positive atmosphere and bring some normalcy to their lives during this challenging time
  

We already have shown the love of Jesus through some of these activities and through the opportunities to speak to those who ask about Him.

I am so grateful for your love, prayers, and sacrificial support.

Christian Zionism

As I write this letter, the war in Israel and its repercussions are still impacting the lives of Israelis. They are hurting and in great need of our prayers and support. Please also remember to pray for the forty-plus Chosen People Ministries staff members currently serving in the land. They are faithful amid incredible challenges to their lives and ministries! 

In light of current events, I am especially eager to present to you this current volume of our newsletter. It addresses the critical and contemporary issue of Christian Zionism, or Christian support for the modern State of Israel, which should be a central concern for all who love the God of Israel, the Messiah of Israel, and the land of Israel. This month’s feature article (pages 4–5) was written by Reverend Thomas Fretwell, who leads the Ezra Foundation and partners with Chosen People Ministries—United Kingdom. We welcome Tommy’s excellent contribution to this newsletter and are pleased to offer you two of his books as a resource. To purchase, please go to store.chosenpeople.com. 

This newsletter will answer the question: What role does the Bible ask Christians to play regarding modern Israel? 

LET US START AT THE BEGINNING!

In Genesis 12:2–3, God made a covenant with Abram (later renamed “Abraham”), which included making him a great nation, giving him a land, and granting his descendants a holy purpose. The Jewish people were also to be a bridge of blessing to the world. God did not choose Jewish people for this task because Abram or his descendants somehow deserved this role. Rather, God chose Israel because of His love for her (Deuteronomy 7:7–8). 

The Abrahamic Covenant not only established the unique role of Israel in the world, but also forged an extraordinary relationship between Israel and the nations. There were mutual obligations for both Jewish and Gentile people toward one another embedded in the covenant from the very start! God would bless all the families of the earth through Jewish people. Gentiles were also to bless Israel (Gen 12:3). 

Paul recognized the key role his own people would play in the drama of world redemption when he wrote to the Roman believers, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:28– 29, emphasis added). 

THE LAND OF PROMISE

I understand that godly and sincere Christians might not see eye to eye about how to understand the covenant God made with Abraham. But according to a recent poll, 80 percent of evangelical Christians do believe God gave the land to Jewish people based upon Genesis 12:1–3.¹ If you are one of those who do, then you are a biblical Zionist, one who believes God gave the land to Abraham and his descendants. God provided the boundaries of the land gifted to Abram so there would be no mistake regarding the parcel Abram and his descendants would inherit: “From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:18). The promise of the land and its boundaries were specific and even larger than those of the modern-day State of Israel. 

The One who created the heavens and the earth is sovereign over the boundaries of nations and holds the hearts of the kings of nations in His powerful hand (Deuteronomy 32:8–9; Proverbs 21:1; Acts 17: 24–27). We should not think it odd at all for God to delineate the specific boundaries of Israel’s territory when He first called Jewish people as His special nation. 

THE PROMISE OF THE LAND ENDURES

God’s promise of the land passed from Abraham to his son, Isaac:

Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. (Genesis 26:3, emphasis added)

God then made these same promises to Jacob, after He changed his name to Israel:

God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” (Genesis 35:11–12, emphasis added)

In summary, God created and chose Jewish people to be a holy nation and a blessing to the nations. The greatest blessing from Jewish people came when the greatest Jewish person who ever lived, Jesus the Messiah, was born into this world. The story of His first coming was set within a Jewish context, and His second coming will be the same. The Jewish people and the land of the Savior’s birth will play a major role in His glorious return. In fact, He will return to Jerusalem when, and only when, Jewish people turn to Him as Savior and Lord (Matthew 23:37–39; Zechariah 12:9–10). 

BIBLICAL ZIONISM

The hope of Zion and the promise of God to Jewish people of a land, a purpose, and a destiny is not a political philosophy, but a truth from the Word of God. 

What, then, are the responsibilities of believers in Jesus? 

First, we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In Psalm 122:6, the psalmist tells us to pray for God’s peace to come to Jerusalem. Jerusalem also represents the whole nation of Israel, so please pray for all Israel and Jewish people worldwide. We need to pray for the Prince of Peace to return to His rightful throne in Jerusalem and reign over Jewish people and the nations with true righteousness. 

I hope that every follower of Jesus will support Jewish people as Israel is home to more than half of the world’s Jewish population. Supporting Israel, however, does not mean every Christian must agree with every decision made by the prime minister of Israel or the government of Israel. Rather, followers of Jesus should support the right of the State to exist and thrive, and ultimately be a place ready for Messiah’s return. Overall, Christians should bless Jewish people in any way possible as instructed by God (Genesis 12:2–5). 

Of course, one of the most obvious responsibilities Christians have toward Jewish people is to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Paul instructs Gentiles to make Jewish people jealous of the Jewish Messiah living in their hearts (Romans 11:11). 

Finally, it is very important to bless Jewish people by standing against antisemitism. The line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism is being crossed regularly. We see this fact in the exponential rise in global antisemitism since October 7, which is no coincidence. Today, the political, ethical, moral, and spiritual issues intertwine in ways difficult to separate. Christians must show God’s love for Israel and Jewish people by countering antisemitism on social media. There is also prejudice against Jewish people and Israelis on many college campuses; we should speak up against it at our alma maters and on campuses in our respective towns. 

In light of the massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, it is very important for those who love the Lord to make a clear, unequivocal statement of love and support for Israel and Jewish people. Supporting modern Israel and caring about Palestinians are not mutually exclusive! A testimony of your love for Jewish people and the State of Israel will demonstrate God’s love and faithful commitment to His Jewish people.

I hope you enjoy the rest of this urgent newsletter, and I encourage you to continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

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¹ “Evangelical Attitudes Toward Israel Research Study: Evangelical Attitudes Towards Israel and the Peace Process,” Lifeway Research, 2017, https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/ uploads/2017/12/Evangelical-Attitudes-Toward-Israel-Research-Study-Report.pdf. 

“Mommy, Why Do They Hate Us?”

Shalom in His grace. I am still reflecting on my recent trip to Israel and remain in constant contact with our forty-plus staff members serving the Lord in the Holy Land. The impact of the war and security challenges for Israel continue, but this is not the only problem Jewish people and lovers of Israel face today.

I am sure you have also noticed the increased antisemitism around the world and in our country, much of it occurring on our college campuses. It was encouraging how many in the global community, saved and unsaved, were supportive of Israel at first after the atrocities of October 7, 2023. But with the advancement of the ground war to neutralize the lethal threats Hamas and Hezbollah pose against the Holy Land, we now find Israel, unfortunately, cast in a negative light among the nations of the world.

Current circumstances remind me of the words of the prophet Zechariah, who wrote, “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:3).

We already see Jerusalem, all of Israel, and Jewish people once again becoming a heavy stone the nations of the world are trying to lift with dire consequences. Many countries like Iran and their proxies in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and Yemen are gathering against Israel, determined to destroy her. 

When one looks at the span of world history and the millennia of persecution Jewish people have endured, we gain a deeper understanding of what is happening today. The attacks against Israel by Iran and her proxies and the rising global vitriol foisted upon Jewish people are a new expression of an older antisemitism masquerading as noble politics and compassion for the Palestinian cause. 

WHY DOES THE WORLD SEEM TO HATE JEWISH PEOPLE?

During a recent conversation with one of our Jewish staff members in Israel, she recounted how her young son asked the piercing question, “Mom, why does the world hate us so much?” Little boys and girls have asked this very question for many years! 

We can also ask this “why” question about other events in Jewish history. Please allow me to expand the question: “What did the Jewish people do to deserve the Crusades, the Holocaust, the pogroms in Russia, or the attacks of October 7?” 

I hope to answer these questions as I think many of us might be wondering the same. From what I can see, the whole world does not hate Jewish people. Those who love the God of Israel usually love the people of Israel, both those living in the land of Israel and those in the Diaspora. There is no better friend of Jewish people than non-Jews who cherish the same Bible (at least the first half) and identify with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

The spiritual connections between Jewish people and true Christians are powerful. Most Christians I know love Jewish people, recognize the Bible is a Jewish book, understand Jesus is Jewish, and believe God chose Jewish people for a special purpose. I wish my own family could meet many of you reading this letter and sense your love for Jewish people because of these truths. 

Jewish people today are often surprised to discover there are non-Jews who love Jewish people. I myself was stunned to discover the love for Jewish people and loyalty to Israel, which unites many true Christians. Numerous Jewish people, especially in our current antisemitic environment, ask me why Christians seem to love Jewish people with such passion. In contrast, many other non-Jews seem to express the opposite. 

Those who express hate for the State of Israel and the Jewish people are not familiar with the promises of God to Israel and are inspired by demonic plans to wipe out Jewish people. My reading through the Scriptures leads me to believe the underlying reason Israel is so hated is because the devil knows God’s plan for the people of Israel and the triumph of Messiah’s kingdom. Is it any wonder our adversary is trying to get all the help he can to put an end to God’s plans? 

HOW WOULD YOU DESTROY JEWISH PEOPLE?

From the start, the devil wanted to destroy Jewish people to prevent the possibility of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross! Satan understood the power of the cross, resurrection, and what history’s most critical and transforming event would do to his plan to usurp God’s throne. Perhaps the easiest and most thorough way for the devil to prevent Jesus from ever being born was to annihilate Jewish people beforehand through agents of evil, like Pharaoh, Haman, and those who followed after them. Yet, against all odds, they all failed! Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was born into a Jewish home in Israel, as the Hebrew Scriptures predicted, and God’s plan of redemption came to pass. 

Destroying Jewish people would have prevented the Messiah’s first coming and solved the devil’s problems. Now, the evil one is again using the nations of the world to try to prevent the second coming. The devil knows when Jewish people turn to Jesus and say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” He will return (Matthew 23:39). I believe this is a foundational biblical teaching embraced even by Christians who hold differing views on the end times. Believers representing almost every theological perspective believe a day is coming when, according to the apostle Paul, “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26)—which refers to all Jewish people alive when Jesus comes back. 

Since the devil is trying to prevent the second coming, he once again needs to wipe out Jewish people! If the devil can annihilate Jewish people, then he thinks he can foil God’s plans for the ultimate redemption of the world, overthrow the holy one of Israel, and 

remain the god of this world. Remember, according to Scripture, the devil is not all-knowing or all-powerful and will fail in his mission. He will never be successful, but he can cause considerable suffering along the way. 

One of my dear friends, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, founded Ariel Ministries, an excellent Bible-teaching ministry. He entitled his sermon on Jeremiah 31, “How to Destroy the Jews.” Sarcastically, he presents Jeremiah 31:35–37 as a manual on how to annihilate Jewish people, which includes the disruption of the solar system, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the trajectory of the planets. Jeremiah wrote: 

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:35–37) 

This extraordinary passage of Scripture teaches us Jewish people are indestructible—not because of human greatness but because of the power and plan of the one true God who created and called Jewish people to be a light and a blessing to the nations. It seems ironic how the very nations called to bless Jewish people will attempt to destroy the nation God created to bless them. 
STAND UP FOR JESUS AND FOR JEWISH PEOPLE 

How should followers of Jesus respond to the devil’s diabolical efforts to derail the plan of God? 

We cannot sit idly by while the devil uses nations to annihilate Israel and Jewish people. He will never be successful, but he can deceive and cause great harm. What, then, can we do? 

• The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and promises blessing to those who love Jewish people (Psalm 122:6). 
• The Scriptures tell us to bless and not curse Jewish people, who, in turn, will bless all the families of the world (Genesis 12:1–3).
  

Some Christians may have objections to supporting the modern State of Israel. However, God wants non-Jews to support Jewish people, which might mean standing with the State of Israel even if you do not believe the modern state is the fulfillment of prophecy or has a biblical right to the Land.

Blessing Israel includes the modern state and Jewish people more broadly. Since the majority of Jewish people live in Israel (7.5 of 14.5 million), in order to bless Jewish people, we need to extend love, mercy, grace, and understanding to Jewish people within the Land of Israel and worldwide. 

God wants Gentile believers to bless Israel so she can, in turn, bring blessings to the world. Therefore, we must help Israel survive and fulfill her divine destiny. Jewish people need our support, for when Israel is left on her own, she is far more vulnerable to the efforts of her enemies—and the evil one—to destroy her. 

The text in Jeremiah and many others make it clear: no one can utterly wipe out Jewish people because God made an indestructible covenant with Israel’s patriarchs. On this subject, Paul wrote, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28–29).

We are not suggesting the government of Israel is God’s government, nor are we claiming disagreement with the policies of Israel is unchristian. Sinful people lead governments and are subject to human frailty, sin, and bad decisions. 

What we saw transpire on October 7, 2023, in Israel was not simply one nation rising up against another but rather an all-out effort to destroy Jewish people. It was genocide! I believe followers of Jesus should love what God loves and hate what God hates, which means nothing less than loving Jewish people and working toward the benefit and against the destruction of the Jewish community. 

So, to return to the simple question of a small child to his mother, “Why do they hate us?” Sometimes, simple questions have complex answers. But sometimes, they do not. Those whom Satan influences will hate Jewish people. Those who belong to the God of Israel—Jewish and non-Jewish—must be steadfast in their love for Jewish people. Moses wrote about this love:

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7–8)

Let us imitate God’s love for His Jewish people. Have you considered this . . . one of the most effective ways to show your love for God and Jewish people is to share the good news of the gospel with His chosen people? Thanks for caring.

P.S. Please take another look at the statement we wrote in support of Jewish people in light of the Israel-Hamas war and the global rise in antisemitism—and please sign it! Go to chosenpeople.com/affirmationofisrael. Also, pray with us as construction on our new Tel Aviv center is moving along—praise God!

Transformed by His Grace

Thank you for your prayers for Israel during these difficult days. I recently spent a week in the Holy Land visiting with our staff. The entire nation is mourning over those murdered by Hamas and the many hostages yet to be found and released.

During my trip, I witnessed our staff serving the displaced and evacuated, helping to provide food for the elderly who are unable or frightened to go out of their homes to shop. The sirens were blaring during most of my time in the Holy Land as Hamas fired hundreds of rockets into Tel Aviv neighborhoods and many other cities within Israel.

Despite this, we are still progressing with our new Messianic center in Tel Aviv. Though delayed because of the war, we hope to complete the work by the end of this summer.

TRANSFORMED BY THE POWER OF GOD

Our Israeli staff told many stories about Israelis turning toward heaven for answers to life’s most profound questions. They have lost trust in their leaders, especially in Israel’s military and intelligence agencies, leading to a number of Israelis coming to faith in Jesus, the Messiah. We baptized one young woman who recently became a believer within a week of the October 7 attacks!

I well remember the day when Jesus came into my life. I was raised in a traditional Jewish home in New York City. At the age of nineteen, I ran out of answers to the deeper questions of my heart and turned to the Messiah Jesus. Ever since then, the Spirit of God began transforming my life! The Bible describes this change, in the words of the apostle Paul: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I never tire of hearing the stories of others, both Jewish and Gentile, who have been transformed by the power of God. Helping Jewish people find eternal life through the Jewish Messiah remains the focus of Chosen People Ministries as it has from the very beginning of our ministry 130 years ago.

May I share some testimonies of Jewish people who recently came to faith in Jesus?¹

Leah, for example, found Jesus when facing a dangerous medical condition:

In 2018, I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition causing abnormally fast heartbeats due to an extra electrical connection in my heart. While recovering from surgery, I was stuck at home and depressed. My mother encouraged me to read the Bible. One day, following the voice of the Lord with a deep feeling that repentance would save me, I decided to go to the beach to repent before God, and at the beach, I had an encounter with the Lord and was filled with His peace.

A few days later, I woke up with a new “spiritual” heart. Words could not describe the joy. Though my faith was so new, and I often thought my physical heart would fail me, it did not because God was so faithful. I give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Yeshua (Jesus). He enables me to stand firm today, encouraging others, loving others, and sharing my story of salvation. Though the journey has started, it is not over until He returns.

Anya, who came to Israel from Eastern Europe in 2014, discovered hope as she saw believers helping people like her flee from Hamas rockets:

A couple of months ago, when the war started, we were running away from rockets in the city where we lived. Days later, I saw some people coming to help us, giving us a place to live and some food . . . but, it was not just physical food they gave us as we began to talk about spiritual matters. They helped us sacrificially without asking for anything in return, and this caused me to think about what made them different.

I looked at their lives, relationships, how they related to one another, and I thought I wanted to be like them. Over time, I came to understand Who was behind this. I came to love not only this community of believers but the God they loved and the Messiah they worshiped. I see the change not only in me but in my ten-year-old daughter too. She has become not just more friendly but is starting to pray and understand more about the Lord. Before, I believed in myself, but now I know God exists and wants us to follow Him.

God used logic to reveal Himself to Miriam, who now has a passion for sharing her faith:

Though I grew up in a secular, atheistic Jewish family, God showed Himself to me in a special way. He had to get hold of my intellect before He captured my heart. One of my teachers in high school was a Messianic Jewish believer. He did not make a big deal about it, but I remember one of the students pressing him about what he believed one day, and he said, “Yes, I’m a Messianic Jew; I believe in Jesus.” Later, I dated a guy who also said he was a Jewish follower of Jesus. We had lots of theological arguments.

By then, I was more open and wanted to learn about his point of view. At first, I tried to prove him wrong. He gave me a Bible (including the New Testament). I remember reading the Gospels and writing my questions in a notebook. My boyfriend later invited me to attend a congregation with him. I was glad to because I had all these questions I wanted to ask. I was not convinced of everything at first, but then it made sense to me, and I put my trust in the Messiah Jesus. I was baptized soon after.

Reading the Gospel of Matthew changed the life of Doron, a former Orthodox Israeli:

My family moved to Israel from Russia in 1998. After I joined the army, I became Orthodox. I followed a religious lifestyle for about three years—observing the Sabbath, eating kosher, and reciting the daily prayers, but I was never fully convinced. I wanted more evidence than just taking someone’s word for it. So, I continued searching, and after slowly abandoning religious Jewish practices, I led a secular lifestyle for about six years.

I still believed in God and was always interested in spirituality. I read books about Jewish mysticism, Buddhism, Japanese philosophy, etc. Then, I began listening to sermons on YouTube about Jesus. Though I knew very little about the New Testament then, I found what this “preacher” said was extremely powerful, and I wanted to hear more. The videos helped me connect a lot of the dots about how Jesus fits with the Old Testament. So, I started reading the Gospel of Matthew and soon became convinced Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and gave my life to Him.

I hope these testimonies touched your heart as they did mine. We pray many more Jewish people will join the remnant of the redeemed the apostle Paul described in Romans 11:5: “a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”

Your prayers and financial support are essential to us, and we know we could not fulfill our calling without you. One quick way to proclaim the message of the Messiah to Jewish friends is to send them a link to one of our testimonies on http://www.ifoundshalom.com.

Please keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for our work among Jewish people in Israel and beyond. Your gift today encourages us to proclaim the gospel, and God is answering your prayers and filling our dedicated staff with power from on high to be His instruments of grace, leading Jewish people to Jesus.

¹ These stories are based on personal interviews and were lightly edited for clarity. All names changed.

We Are Helping the Hurting in Israel

Shalom in the wonderful name of Jesus our Messiah. My wife Zhava and I, and the entire global staff of Your Mission to the Jewish People, wish you a happy New Year and pray 2024 will be a joy-filled and fruitful year of service for you and your family.

We cannot thank you enough for your generous prayers and support over the past year. 

I just returned from a week’s ministry in Israel. It was difficult but also a privilege to hear about the burdens and suffering of our staff and the many Israelis who needed to evacuate their homes. There are still more than 200,000 displaced Israelis who could not remain near the southern and northern borders because of the constant bombardment of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon. 

 Our staff has been active 24/7. They are bringing food to hungry Holocaust survivors, initiating children’s programs for those kids unable to attend school in person, and meeting the emotional and spiritual needs of Israelis. 

I spent quite a bit of time praying with our staff for the hostages and their friends and family, elderly Holocaust survivors, young adults, and soldiers. We especially prayed for those with friends and family who lost their lives or were seriously injured on and since October 7. 

After spending a week talking to Israelis on the ground, I am more convinced than before my trip they are now looking toward heaven more than ever before for the answers to life’s deepest problems and for the comfort they seek. 

THE FUTURE OF THE HAMAS-ISRAEL WAR

 We know the conflict will continue but expect it will de-intensify over the next few months, though some say the overall operation might take as long as a year. These precious Israelis, especially the younger people, will now face many years of difficult recovery. It might be decades—if not longer—before they will feel like they can trust the Israeli government, military and intelligence services, and their next-door neighbors. If there is one common theme uniting Israelis today, from young adults to elderly Holocaust survivors, it is the overwhelming sense of insecurity. They cannot overcome their now-apparent vulnerability! 

Israelis do not really know where to turn to regain the sense of stability they felt before October 7. In some ways, I feel the same way about October 7, 2023, as I do about September 11, 2001! That day changed my life and transformed an entire generation of Americans. As someone who lived and ministered through this tragedy, I met many in Israel, including members of our staff, who felt like life would never be the same after October 7. I imagine it is similar to how I cannot look up at the New York City skies when I hear the roar of a plane without feeling just a little twinge of anxiety in the depths of my soul. For me, the skies were friendly and New York City skyscrapers, including the Twin Towers, were signs of America’s strength, not weakness. Yet, planes flying gracefully over Manhattan remind me how easily a seemingly harmless event can turn into an attack in a matter of seconds. 

God did bring healing to our country, and I believe He will do the same for Israel! I know the sting of defeat and death will grow slightly dimmer as time goes by, and many Israelis will return to a somewhat tenuous normal. They will return to work, go to school, celebrate the holidays, get married, have babies, and improve their lives. It will take time, but it will happen, as God made our people so very resilient. 

We hope, pray, and strive to introduce Jesus as Messiah, Savior, and Comforter to Israelis as they persevere through this challenging future. Therefore, we are taking four significant steps in the days ahead. We have our eyes on the future of ministry in Israel. 

1. We are increasing our staff in Israel as the events of October 7 have caused some younger Israeli believers to make serving Jesus more of a priority than ever before.
2. We are continuing to build out and furnish our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center and hope to have it done in the next six months, as God provides the funding and labor!
3. We are placing more online ads than ever before, and you can see at the end of this letter some examples of our Hebrew Facebook campaign through which we are connecting with hundreds of hurting Israelis looking for answers.
4. We are nurturing our staff families by providing counseling opportunities, family retreats, and much more to help them develop coping skills for themselves and for helping others.

Please pray for and support these efforts. Especially pray for our beloved staff in Israel during the difficult days of healing ahead, as well as for those innocent among the people of Gaza who are suffering because of the actions of Hamas.

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS AND COUNTING!

By the way, did you know Your Mission to the Jewish People is entering our 130th year of ministry? Hallelujah! I often meet believers who think Chosen People Ministries started within the last few decades. A few months ago, I was even introduced as the founder of Chosen People Ministries. I told the group I was a “well-preserved” founder! 

Actually, I am the seventh leader of this great mission to Jewish people, and I am privileged to continue our founder Rabbi Leopold Cohn’s vision of reaching God’s chosen people with the gospel. 

Remembering God’s hand throughout our history gives us strength in tough times. 

Chosen People Ministries persevered through two world wars, the Great Depression, the Holocaust, the wars following Israel’s establishment as a modern nation, the fall of the Soviet Union, and many more life-changing events. We not only survived hard times but thrived! Why? Because God is faithful to His people and always keeps His promises. God Himself wants Jewish people to come to know Him through Jesus! We will endure the war with Gaza and the terrible events of October 7, 2023, but we will need your prayers and support to do it!

Since the founding of our Mission in 1894, our love for Jesus and our theology have not changed, nor have we veered off course from our mission to reach Jewish people with the gospel. We continue to field new missionaries, plant new congregations, establish centers for outreach, and we now have ministries in twenty countries around the globe. 

What a thrill to be part of God’s covenant faithfulness to Jewish people!

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Romans 1:16, written by the apostle Paul. I like to remind our greater Chosen People Ministries family—including you!—of this passage every January. We begin the new year by rededicating ourselves to the task of bringing the message of Jesus to Jewish people first, and also to the Gentiles. As the apostle wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

I am excited and optimistic during these difficult days because the Lord uses times like these to open the hearts of Jewish people. We cannot and must not slow down or reduce our ministry because times are hard. 

We must press forward, with hearts resting in His grace and filled with His Spirit. Through Him, we will continue this great work of reaching His chosen people for His Son in Israel and around the globe.

LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTEST IN DARKNESS

Thank you so much for being part of Chosen People Ministries through your prayers and financial support. As the Lord promised, He has been faithful to His chosen people. Just think—we are still less than a century past the horrific decimation of the Jewish people in the Holocaust. But as God promised in the Scriptures, Jewish people survived, and over the last several decades, tens of thousands have come to know Jesus as their Messiah. 

Praise God—Chosen People Ministries staff members are praying with many Jewish people each year to receive the Lord! I believe the future is bright because the promises of God are true! So, rejoice with me as you see your prayers answered, and please continue to pray for and partner with Your Mission to the Jewish People as we look toward advancing the future of evangelism to God’s chosen people. 

Thanks for being part of Chosen People Ministries and for praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

Jesus: The Hope of Hanukkah

Shalom in His peace, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy Hanukkah!

Most of what we know about Hanukkah comes from the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which Jewish people and Christians view as history, not Scripture.

Though Hanukkah is not one of the major festivals listed in Leviticus 23, it was a recognized Jewish holiday when our Messiah walked the earth. The apostle John explicitly mentions the Feast of Dedication—Hanukkah—in John 10:22. Jesus celebrated the holiday and used it as the occasion for one of His most straightforward statements of His deity, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

THE HANUKKAH STORY

Allow me to present a brief summary of the holiday story. We begin with the role of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Syrian Greek ruler of the Holy Land during the second century bce. He persecuted Jewish people, trying in every way to turn the children of Israel into Hellenists and worshipers of the pantheon of false Greek gods. His nickname among Jewish people was Antiochus the Madman, and he did not win many popularity contests in Israel at the time!

He sent representatives to towns throughout Israel, demanding Jewish people bow to his statue as an expression of their political and religious loyalty. As with similar pagan leaders, Antiochus presented himself as a god and not as a mere mortal.

The Jewish citizenry in the little town of Modi’in, still a vibrant city today in modern Israel, refused to bow to the pressure of idolatry. They killed the emissaries of Antiochus and began three tough years of guerilla warfare led by the Levitical priest Mattathias and his sons, whom we know as the Maccabees. They won the war and overthrew Antiochus’ rule over Israel.

However, the Maccabees discovered Antiochus had commanded his soldiers to slaughter a pig on the holy altar within the Temple. This desecration was tragic and infuriated Judah Maccabee and his small cadre of priestly warriors.

Judah and his brothers considered cleansing the altar but tore it down to the last stone and built a replacement altar instead.

THE MIRACLE OF THE OIL

In Jewish tradition, there is another story of a miracle taking place at the same time. It seems the Maccabees only had enough olive oil to fuel the eternal light in the Temple for one day, and it took eight days to crush the olives and cure the oil to make a new batch. The great miracle of Hanukkah is the one day of oil lasting for eight, which is why we celebrate Hanukkah for eight nights. This tale is wonderful and charming, but since this miracle does not appear in the Bible, we cannot be sure it really happened. Nevertheless, I grew up enjoying this story as it became the basis for receiving eight presents during the holiday—one for each night!

Soon after becoming a believer in November 1970, I began to ponder the relationship between Hanukkah, the holiday with which I was raised, and Christmas, a holiday brand new to me. The holidays were just around the corner, and as a new Jewish believer, I felt I had to choose between the two. Often, our friends and family who do not know the Lord believe the holidays identify whether you are a Jewish person or a Christian when we know we can be both! We have a saying I like, “Christmas is really a Jewish holiday,” which celebrates the birth of the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world.

PARALLELS BETWEEN HANUKKAH AND CHRISTMAS

Some of my brothers and sisters might differ on the date and details of Christmas and various traditions associated with the season. Yet, we all agree Jesus—or Yeshua (His Hebrew name)—was born of a Jewish virgin, as Isaiah predicted (Isaiah 7:14).

He is God in the flesh, and the deliverance we experience through Him is greater than the deliverance Jewish people experienced at the first Hanukkah. Our salvation brings the gift of eternal life and enables us to overcome slavery to sin and death. The national deliverance celebrated during Hanukkah commemorates the deliverance of Jewish people from Greco-Syrian rule and a return to self-governance.

Both are wonderful, but there is no comparison between the two, as Jesus Himself said, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

These two great holidays are “joined at the hip,” yet the bonds go much further than giving presents, lighting candles, and even the wonderful family togetherness we enjoy during this season. The most profound linkage is this . . . if it were not for Hanukkah, there would be no Christmas. Had Antiochus destroyed all Jewish people during the first Hanukkah, the Messiah could not have been born to a Jewish virgin, as promised.

GOD PRESERVES HIS PEOPLE

We might also look at the continued existence of the nation of Israel as another Hanukkah miracle! Every year, Hanukkah reaffirms our belief in God’s faithfulness to His covenants and promises (Genesis 12:1–3 ff.). The Lord will keep His covenant with Israel—His chosen people will never be destroyed (Jeremiah 31:35–37; Romans 11:29).

We can never forget what happened to innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023. Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel with the sinister purpose of destroying human life in the most gruesome ways. They came to kidnap, rape, and slaughter—in effect, trying to burn Israel to the ground. The attacks were inhuman!

The hatred of Jewish people we see today is part of the devil’s plot to destroy Jewish people, embarrass God, and prevent Israel from fulfilling her role in the plan of God!

Jewish people have been the object of Satan’s ire for millennia, and the evil one has used complicit nations to attack His chosen people. We know the battle will be over one day as our one true and all-powerful Messiah, the son of David, will ascend His rightful throne to reign as King over a redeemed and renewed earth.

The Lord promised to preserve His people:

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the Lord, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:35–37)

We need to remember the future is glorious, according to the prophets of Israel. Isaiah wrote, “The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Isaiah 62:2–3).

HOPE DURING WAR!

We have hope for tomorrow, but we also are grateful for all He is doing today during the difficult and dark days of war. The staff of Your Mission to the Jewish People in Israel is providing love and comfort, meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of those Israelis suffering during the war.

We are serving Israelis who are displaced and evacuated from their homes active soldiers who need blankets, toiletries, food, and more. We are also serving the elderly by providing nourishment and spiritual comfort. So many of them cannot even make it to bomb shelters. They are alone and scared and desperately need our prayers and the comfort that only God can give.

I recently heard from one of our staff serving the Lord in the North, where they are under attack from Hezbollah operating in Southern Lebanon.

Here in Nahariya, we are in a war and waiting for the fighting to spread. Nahariya is a massive military base, and the IDF has set up fighting points on the beaches and main highway. There are armed soldiers all over the place.

The artillery fire on the border six miles away can be seen and heard almost every day. Surprisingly, there have only been two red alerts in the past two weeks. I am reminded we are at war, and the artillery is a harsh reminder.

Pierre and I have been out giving away our soldier gift bags, which have been well received. We are preparing a second wave of gift bags. Or HaGalil Congregation is holding regular meetings and trying to encourage one another.

HOPE FROM HEAVEN

Israelis are now looking for hope beyond this world. Our missionaries are bringing the message of Jesus to Israelis person to person and heart to heart. God will use your support to help our staff help those hurting and grieving in Israel today and tomorrow. Our staff is what our Mission is all about.

Thanks so much for your faithful prayers and very generous support. Israel will survive. God’s work among the Jewish people will continue until He returns, so please help us this holiday season when we think about His gifts to us and our gifts to others!

Israelis will need our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center more tomorrow than today, considering the growing spiritual openness of Israelis due to the suffering of the last few months. The world has changed, Israel has changed, and Israelis are changing. Help us meet the needs of those suffering, especially the spiritual needs of Israelis, young and old, who are now seeking answers to life beyond politics and are more open to God’s help for earthly problems than ever before.

Thank you for standing with us and for caring!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!