Raise Your Voice on Behalf of Israel and the Jewish People

Shalom!

I am thankful to report that we had a very fruitful High Holiday season of ministry! Chosen People Ministries continues to grow and we thank you for your prayers and financial support which make our work possible! And yet, as I write this letter, my heart is heavy.

RAISE YOUR VOICE ON BEHALF OF ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

Israel became a nation in 1948—just a few years after the horrific discoveries of the death camps. To this day, I still meet soldiers who discovered the camps: the buried bodies, and the survivors barely clinging to life. Soon after the simple phrase “six million” became well known. Some people wonder, “Was it really six million Jewish people who died? Despite Holocaust deniers, the evidence is overwhelming that at least six million Jewish people died at the hands of the Nazis.

I believe it is fair to say that the modern State of Israel grew out of the ashes of the Holocaust. Next year, thankfully, and against all odds, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of modern Israel.

A CONCERN FOR HOW THE CHURCH VIEWS ISRAEL

My chief concerns for Israel today are her safety and the well-being of all those who live in the Promised Land. But I am also deeply concerned about the way my brothers and sisters in Messiah—the Church— view Israel and the Jewish people today.

In the church today, are two fundamental views regarding Israel and the Jewish people.

STILL PART OF THE STORY

The first view is that God still has ongoing favor for the Jewish people—favor that was established with the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) and reiterated in the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:14ff.). His plan also unfolds in the books of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-35) and Romans (Romans 11:11-29).

This view holds that the Lord will return one day, His feet will rest upon the Mount of Olives and He will conquer the enemies of Israel (Zechariah 12:10, 14:3ff). Next, He will establish a literal throne in Jerusalem and rule as the Messianic son of David.

NO LONGER PART OF THE PLAN

The second view that many born-again Christians hold is that the Jewish people rejected Jesus in the first century and, because of this, God no longer has a role and plan for the Jewish people. Adherents to this view do not see a literal expression of the various covenants where God promises the Jewish people that they would dwell in the land in peace and that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, would reign on His glorious throne in Jerusalem—the capital of His kingdom.

There are wonderful and godly Christians on both sides of this fence!

As a mission to the Jewish people, we simply cannot be silent on these issues. I am hoping that the resources we are providing will increase awareness in the Body of Messiah of the ways the Bible describes God’s relationship to Israel and the Jewish people.

Yours in the Messiah,

 

Dr. Mitch Glaser
President of Chosen People Ministries