Partner With Israel

As the church supports the restoration of Israel, revival will be poured out in our own land.
May 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the modern state of Israel. I believe it also marks the beginning of a season in which the Lord is calling both Israel and the church to arise and take their places in fulfilling their God-given destinies.

The prophet Isaiah foretold this time in his words to Zion (Israel): “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Is. 60:1-3, NKJV).

What exactly is the church’s role? I believe the church is to partner with Israel in very practical ways to help fulfill this prophecy. We are to unite with it as Isaiah 60:10 indicates: “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you.”

Christians are called to be those foreigners. Many are to be “kings of finance” who help bring restoration. It’s time for God’s word through Isaiah to come to pass—that there would be living habitations in the Negev and that the desert would truly blossom (see Is. 35:1).

When we come alongside Israel, rebuild its walls, feed its children and serve its people in other humanitarian ways, we are helping fulfill the nation’s God-given destiny. And I believe that as the church supports the physical restoration of Israel, the blessing of revival will be poured out in our own land.

During the last 20 years, much of the evangelical community has taken an idealistic view of Israel and made many wrong assumptions. One of those assumptions is that the events in the Middle East don’t affect the church.

The body of Christ must awaken to the fact that the shadow of the Holocaust has returned, and there is a looming threat. Former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this warning in Los Angeles in 2006 and reiterated it to me in an interview in 2007: “It is 1938, Iran is Germany and is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs.”

He went on to say that although Adolf Hitler’s initial focus during the Holocaust was the Jewish people, his ultimate plan for extermination extended far beyond them. It is the same with Iran. Radical Muslims believe in either converting or killing both Jews and Christians. So when we stand with Israel, we are truly standing for the entire free world.

When Netanyahu looked at me and said, “It is 1938, Iran is Germany,” the blood rushed through my veins and I wondered how we would respond to the current crisis. Will history repeat itself? Will the majority of the church be silent a second time?

After 19 years of standing with Israel, my family and ministry associates are familiar with the cost of refusing to be silent. But will the church pay the price to be a voice? To truly stand we must have a rock-solid trust in God’s faithfulness, and we must allow ourselves to be motivated only by God and His Word, not by emotions.

The evangelical community in America has an opportunity to be a strong diplomatic voice to our Congress regarding this issue. Our prayers and solidarity are needed now more than ever.

You can also do much as an individual to show your support for Israel. You can pray and, as it says in Isaiah 43:26, put God in remembrance of His Word. You can educate others about the biblical mandate to stand with Israel and the Jewish people. Our ministry and many others can provide you with materials to assist in facilitating education.

You can also help mend the relationship between the church and Israel and thus increase solidarity. You can visit Israel. You can befriend a Jewish person in your community. You can make a difference, one life at a time. It is 1938 in 2008, and you can be a modern-day Corrie ten Boom or perhaps one considered by Jews as “Righteous Among the Nations.”

Yes, Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary—but the last 60 years have been challenging. Let’s do what we can to make the next 60, and beyond, all God intends for them to be.