Recently I had an amazing encounter with a man named Walid Shoebat. Walid used to be a Palestinian terrorist, but amazingly he’s now a follower of Jesus Christ and spends the majority of his time convincing Christians of the importance of supporting the nation of Israel.

During our conversation, he helped to confirm a lot of things that have been on my heart for a while now, giving me tons of Scripture verses and convincing arguments for the case of Israel. I had to keep pinching myself, as I couldn’t believe I was hearing all of this from someone who used to kill Jews for a living! Walid helped me to see the Bible through the eyes of an ex-Muslim.

He strongly believes that Islam is the spirit of anti-Christ in these last days, and in the end it will be our treatment of Israel and the Jewish people that determines whether or not we are part of the true Body of Christ.
When Jesus said, “Whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to Me”, He was talking about the Jewish nation! Look it up and decide for yourself.

Many Christians believe that God is finished with Israel. He’s taken all those wonderful promises to the Jewish nation away from them and given them to the church instead.

This is called ‘Replacement Theology’and I believe it’s rotten to the core.
As time goes on, these wrong ways of thinking will come to the surface, and all Christians everywhere will be forced to evaluate their position towards Israel.

In fact, it’s already starting to happen. After speaking to Walid, I seriously made up my mind about two things.
First of all, I will do everything I can to bless the nation of Israel. God says if you bless them you’ll be blessed. If you curse them, you’ll be cursed. It’s really that simple. So with my prayers, with my money, with my time, I choose to bless Israel.

The second thing is this. I will do everything in my power to convince Christians of the importance in their treatment of Israel. That includes you! If you’re reading this right now, and if what I write has any influence in your life, then I pray you will see as I have seen that Israel is at the very heart of God’s purposes in the earth right now.
But I can’t make up your mind for you.

So what will you decide? You can learn more about God’s plans for Israel and read more of Walid’s story by logging onto www.shoebat.com

God’s Mind

• “I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.” Genesis 12: 2-3
• “Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, ‘When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?’ The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.’” Matthew 25: 37-40
• “Our God has said: ‘Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the LORD, made you pay double for your sins.’” Isaiah 40:1-2
• “If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too. But don’t think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember that you are not supporting the roots of that tree. Its roots are supporting you.” Romans 11:16 & 18

More:
Isaiah 66: 7-10, Micah 5, Jeremiah 33:6-26, Ezekiel 36-39, Amos 9

Your Mind
What is my position regarding the importance of Israel and the Jewish people?
Compare Matthew 25:31-46 with Joel 3:1-16. What are the similarities?

If my treatment of the Jewish nation really is so important, how must I change?
What can I do to practically bless Israel right now?

(With special thanks to chipK. Excerpted from “The Mind of chipK“)
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Nes Ammim (Hebrew: נס עמים‎, lit. Banner of the Nations) is a Christian community in the northern district of Israel. Close to the towns of Acre and Nahariya, in the western Galilee region, the community is under the jurisdiction of Matte Asher Regional Council. It was founded by European Christians as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish People after the Holocaust. Its theology emphasises the need for dialogue with Jews and also with adherents of other religions.

More information you will find on there website or on the blog of Fam. Bos (dutch)
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In the aftermath of the slaughter of six million European Jews in the heart of Christian Europe, in the 1950s a movement sprung up of Christians who were not only profoundly shocked by this event, but also sought to give expression to a desire for a different relationship. This was to encompass the rejection of attempts to convert Jews to Christianity, and the desire for dialogue and mutual respect in place of confrontation and triumphalism.

Among those thinking this way, were some who thought a concrete expression of this new approach could take the form of building a living Christian community in Israel. It would work the land and participate in the hardship of what was still a poor country under threat of war. This idea, after fund-raising and promotion among churches in Germany, Holland, Switzerland and the USA, resulted in the purchase in 1960 of 250 acres (1.0 km²) of land from a Druze sheikh in the Galilee. The first inhabitants moved into the village in 1963. Prominent among them was Dr. Johan Pilon, who was to be its guide and inspiration for over ten years until his death in 1975.

Name and logo

“Nes Ammim” was chosen as the Hebrew name for the new village. It is taken from the Bible, from Isaiah 11: 10, and means “Banner of the Nations”. The pioneers from different nations saw it as their calling to show their friendship and solidarity in the Land of Israel.

The Nes Ammim logo consisted of a fish outline crossing a blade of wheat. The fish is a symbol of the early Christian church that refers to Jesus. The fish is meshed with the wheat, to represent a community growing in the country.

History

Early days (1963-1978)

As for every other village in Israel, the early years were characterised by hard work on the land. Simple accommodation was built, and a communal dining hall and other facilities. It was similar to a kibbutz or more exactly to a moshav shitufi, a collective settlement but where families were living with their children in their own houses. Agriculture was the main activity, and avocado orchards were planted as a long-term venture.

The presence of Dutch inhabitants gave an opportunity to add another element to the project. Apart from solidarity and support for people facing antisemitism and the threat of war, the community could assist by bringing technical experts from the Netherlands to develop the cut-flower industry as an export crop. Glasshouses were built, which would expand over the years and be the mainstay of the community’s income for many years.
Expansion and development (1978-1990)

During the latter part of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s Nes Ammim expanded rapidly and diversified into the booming tourist trade. Numerous groups of Christian pilgrims visited the community during their visit to Galilee. A youth hostel and guesthouse were built. The population rose to 140 adults and 60 children. A lively community life ensued, and hundred of young Christians worked there for short or long periods before returning to their churches in Europe with the knowledge learned there.

Economic difficulties (1990-2005)

The two Palestinian intifadas hit the Christian tourist trade hard. Nes Ammim was seriously affected. To make matters worse, Israel’s high-tech economy pushed up costs and made the cut-flower trade no longer viable. Retrenchment was required as debts mounted.

Nes Ammim today

The community has made the tough decisions in order to survive. The community is smaller than it was, and houses built for the community are now rented out to Israelis. Nevertheless, the spiritual aims of the community are still expressed, because in some ways the need for inter-faith dialogue is still more urgent than in 1960. The community has added another expression of its commitment to reconciliation: it promotes peace-making in the region by providing a neutral location for Arabs and Jews to meet and talk over their differences.

Aims of the movement

The movement still maintains its aims as they have been developed over the years. These are:

* To show practical solidarity to the Jewish People by living a concrete community in Israel .
* To learn about the origins of Christian faith by studying Jewish tradition. A starting point is the shocking realization: that the Nazi Holocaust directed against the Jews was facilitated by a centuries-long negative image of Jews and Judaism, promoted by numerous church leaders.
* To contribute - in a modest way - to peace-making, by organizing seminars of encounter and dialogue between Israeli Jews and Arabs.

Nes Ammim trivia In 1975 the Jerusalem Post included a two-page spread on the community. However, either by bad translation or worse proof-reading, the name was rendered across two pages as : “BANKER OF THE NATIONS”.

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