Dr. Mitch Glaser

My quick trip to Israel in January broke my heart. What I heard and saw moved me so much I can not help but try to explain what I saw and heard so that you can pray more effectively.

Pain and Loss

First, let me tell you I love my people, the Jewish people. I was raised in a Jewish home that was not particularly religious, but I still celebrated all the holidays. Jewish life and my Jewish people are very dear to me and always will be.

I grew up with pictures of relatives lost in the Holocaust lining the walls of my Eastern European immigrant grandparents’ Brooklyn home. I never fully understood the scope of the atrocities, and my grandparents never talked about it! Today I recognize there are dozens, if not hundreds, of my relatives on both sides of the family whom I will never meet because of the evil and satanic Nazi efforts to exterminate my people.

I will never get over the horrors of the Holocaust. For me it is a reminder of the depth of evil we face in our world and the capacity for humankind to be hateful and cruel. This drives me into the arms of our good, glorious, and worthy Savior. He loves His own people—the Jewish people—and all nations. Unlike those who take lives, He gave His life so we might live forever. Can the gospel be more beautiful than this? The prophet Isaiah expressed what Messiah did for all of us:

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:3–4)

The suffering of the Jewish people did not stop with the Holocaust. Israelis are fragile because of this terrible war that resulted from Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, as well as the subsequent Hezbollah, Iranian, and Houthi missile barrages into Israeli territory. Israeli soldiers are dying every day—as are noncombatants in Gaza and other places where terror groups put their own people in harm’s way. So many in our world today do not remember how this gruesome conflict started, forgetting the atrocities Hamas unleashed on Israel on October 7. More than a thousand terrorists stormed the Gaza/Israel border to kill, rape, kidnap, and torture Israelis. Remembering this keeps what we read and watch about the conflict in perspective.

Israel is fighting for her very life!

My time in Israel was very emotional. I spent a late night in what is known as “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv. So many hostages are dead, and even though some returned alive, we still grieve over the hundreds of innocent Israelis and foreigners living in Israel who died at the hands of Hamas terrorists.

In Hostage Square, Israeli families—moms and dads, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts—were beside themselves with grief and rage, as they held up posters with pictures of their loved ones who either died or are still in captivity. You could sense the emotions and ongoing anger, which was about as raw and heartfelt as you could ever imagine. I listened to the agony and screams of one mother, who had just seen a video from Hamas of her daughter’s “proof of life,” hoping to see her daughter released. 

I stood in the vast crowd of Israelis with my heart broken because of the despair and mourning of my people, Israel. It reminded me of the passage in Jeremiah (who was also known as the weeping prophet), which was quoted by Matthew in the New Testament in the context of Herod’s efforts to murder the Messiah (Matthew 2:13–18).

Thus says the Lord, “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Thus says the Lord, “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord, “and they will return from the land of the enemy.” (Jeremiah 31:15–16)

I identify with the anguish of the prophet who reflected upon the captivity of his own people in Babylon and cried out to God for the return and release of his fellow Jewish people. I cannot tell you how much and how hard I pray for the return of today’s captive and for a true and lasting peace—which is different than a fragile truce.

Hope

And yet Jeremiah also speaks about hope as he called upon the people of Israel to trust in their God who had promised them a glorious future in the land of Israel. He also knew that our promise keeping God would one day wipe away their tears of His suffering covenant children.

What a beautiful promise and future hope He gave to the people He chose from among the nations. We see this partially fulfilled as right now about half (7.5 million) of the Jewish people in our world today live in Israel. The Lord promises a greater and more complete deliverance in the future. 

The day is coming when the Jewish people will not only return to the land, fulfilling the promises, but will also be delivered from sin and turn to Jesus (Romans 11:25–29). At that point, He will return and establish the Davidic throne in Jerusalem. He will reign as the true king of the Jewish people, Lord of the nations, and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6–7).

We look forward to that great day and, quite frankly, I saw some sparkles in Israel of the anticipation of this great future in the eyes of many young people I met at our current Messianic center in Tel Aviv. At a Sabbath dinner I had the joy of preaching to seventy-five young adults about hope. Israelis desperately need hope today, and we know that Jesus is the embodiment of God’s promises offered to all, Jewish and Gentile, who call upon Him today (Romans 10:9–10). This is why it is so critical that we proclaim the message of salvation and thank God our staff in Israel is growing!

I was so encouraged by some of the young people I met, especially the new believers who had come to faith within the last year. Two of these young people came to believe through reading our book, Isaiah 53 Explained. I sat through dinner with a young woman who was only nine months in the Lord. She told me her story about how her life turned from darkness to the light.

During her search for God, someone gave her the Isaiah 53 Explained book in Hebrew. She read it and discovered a Jewish Messiah who had died for her sins, conquered death, and offered forgiveness and joy to her. And she described her experience with the most beautiful smile you have ever seen in your life. She told me that when she accepted Jesus into her life, she was completely transformed. Wow! This conversation was worth everything to me.

Just imagine what will happen through our incredible staff in Israel when we move into our new Tel Aviv center, which will be completed this month! 

And it is now paid for because of you.

Our Partnership

Dear friend, we cannot do any of this without your support and encouragement. I could sense your prayers while I was walking through the streets of a very busy and vibrant Tel Aviv witnessing the pain and anguish of my people at rallies and protests.

Yet, my sadness was tempered by the reality and joy of what faith in Jesus does for a person who gives their life to the Lord. This is what it is all about. It is what my life has been about, and it has been the purpose of Chosen People Ministries for more than 130 years. 

May God bless you for everything you have done to help us fulfill our ministry “to the Jew first” and also to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). 

As we prepare for Passover and Easter, remember to pray for Israel and for the millions of Jewish people all over the globe who need to understand that these two holidays are linked together in the person of Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the One who rose from the dead to conquer death and ultimately reign as King.

My heart is bursting with love for my people and gratitude for you and our partnership in reaching Jewish people for Jesus.

God bless you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As this world becomes more dangerous and finding peace becomes more and more elusive, we are reminded of just how important it is for us to consider the signs of the times, particularly in light of the teachings of Scripture. 

Matthew records the disciples asking Jesus about the timing of His return.

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) 

The disciples were responding to Jesus’ earlier prophetic predictions about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem: “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:38–39), which was fulfilled in 70 CE with the Roman invasion of Jerusalem (Luke 21:20–27). 

Jesus answers by delivering the prophetic address known as the Olivet Discourse, which He begins by comparing the signs of the times to the pangs of childbirth. 

You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Matthew 24:6–8)

Jesus is describing for His disciples of yesterday—and informing us today—that, as we get closer to His return, the signs of the times will escalate and intensify. 

He expects us to be mindful of these signs and to wrap our view of the present around what is going to happen in the future. 

We live today in light of tomorrow! 

As we watch the news or glean from our favorite digital streams, it is difficult for us to miss the birth pangs of global conflicts, especially in the Middle East. What transpired recently in Syria—the downfall of the Assad regime grabs our attention not only because it changes the landscape and balance of power in the Middle East but because it could very well be another sign of the times appearing without our expecting it! 

The entire world was stunned, shocked, and surprised by the military agility of the band of revolutionaries who have now replaced Assad. Very few expected that these Isis- and Al Qaeda-inspired rebels would be able to overthrow the Assad-Ba’ath Party and the Alawites, an Arab religious minority in Syria. Now, these Sunni Islamists are in control of Syria. This turnover is the dawning of a new day in Syria but not necessarily a better day for relations between Israel and Syria, which remains to be seen.

But what does the Bible tell us about Syria, and how can we better understand recent events through the lens of the Word of God?

SYRIA IN PROPHECY

The future of Syria and its capital city, Damascus, is detailed explicitly in the Bible. 

The Scriptures tell us that, one day, Syria will be destroyed. By this, we can surmise that Syria’s ultimate posture toward Israel will be hostile. The long-term fate of Syria will ultimately be based on the way Syria (as with any nation) treats Israel and the Jewish people as declared in the covenant God made with Abram, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). 

We do not know for sure, but Syria might be one of the enemies who surround Israel, as described in the book of Zechariah. The Lord will then return to save Israel on that glorious day when the Jewish people turn to their Messiah and Savior. 

And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:9–10) 

While we should keep praying for peace between Israel and her neighbors, the future does not bode well for this possibility with Syria any more than it does with Iran or Iraq! 

So, what does the Bible say specifically about the future of Damascus—as representing the nation of Syria? A key prophecy is found in Isaiah 17:1–3: 

The oracle concerning Damascus. “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks to lie down in, and there will be no one to frighten them. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and sovereignty from Damascus and the remnant of Aram; they will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,” declares the Lord of hosts. 

The Bible is very clear on the fate of Damascus. The Hebrew words for removed and fallen ruin leave us with little doubt that Damascus will one day be utterly destroyed. 

Author Joel C. Rosenberg places Isaiah’s prophecy about Damascus in the future: 

Isaiah’s prophecy about the judgment of destruction of Damascus in chapter 17 is yet to be fulfilled. Damascus has never been totally destroyed and made uninhabitable. To the contrary, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.¹ 

According to Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser, Isaiah’s prophecy is describing a city that once flourished but will one day be reduced to a heap of ruins. 

When did this ever happen in history? Even if it is hyperbolic, it surely must point to some major tragedy that is coming. So a major “fortified city will disappear and a royal power from Damascus” (Isaiah 17:3).² 

Other biblical prophets described Syria’s demise. The prophet Amos predicted, “Thus says the Lord, ‘For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke its punishment . . . ’” (Amos1:3). About a century after the destruction of Damascus described in 2 Kings 16:7–9, the prophet Jeremiah also described Damascus falling once again at a later date: 

Concerning Damascus. “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, it cannot be calmed. Damascus has become helpless; she has turned away to flee, and panic has gripped her; distress and pangs have taken hold of her like a woman in childbirth.” (Jeremiah 49:23–24) 

Neither the Assyrians nor any other significant ancient or modern Middle Eastern power has ever totally destroyed Damascus. Therefore, I must agree with Rosenberg’s and Kaiser’s view that the final judgment of Syria is future.

MODERN-DAY DAMASCUS

While Damascus has flourished throughout the years, we have witnessed a steady weakening of Syria’s military might throughout the rule of Bashar al-Assad (2000–2024), who succeeded his father, Hafez, after decades of cruel dictatorship. Also, Syria under the Assads—both father and son—has proven to be a mortal enemy of the modern State of Israel. We will be waiting to see how the new leaders of the country live as neighbors with Israel. 

Looking at pictures of modern-day Damascus, you can see it is still a vibrant city, although its governance is uncertain. What happened recently in Syria was unexpected. Within a week, a mix of anti-Assad rebel groups took Syria back while its president fled to Russia. Again, it is unclear how the new leaders will rule Syria and what their position will be regarding Israel. 

We need to remember that, just a few short years ago, the “rebel” group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS for short, led by the military leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was part of ISIS. He then merged with Al-Qaeda and finally broke with the group in July 2016. But this does not mean his ideology or jihadist commitments and a long-standing anti-Israel position has changed. We should watch and pray. Meanwhile, the United States has removed HTS from its roster of terrorist groups and the ten-million-dollar reward for the capture of Ahmed al-Sharaa has been discontinued. 

We hope that this new Syrian government will view Israel more positively, which is something Israel is still trying to figure out. In fact, Israel took immediate action to destroy dozens of arms storage facilties and naval capabilities scattered throughout Syria in case the newly formed leadership decided to wage war against it. Israel also swiftly moved into a demilitarized buffer zone within Syria beyond the Golan Heights to protect its border. 

While the details of war and peace in the Middle East are still unclear, we believe God will defend His people. The Holy One of Israel will preserve the Jewish people and His promised land. We also know that those who refuse to bow the knee to Jesus the Messiah will be judged individually and nationally.

PROPHECIES OF PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

So, what comes next? The biblical timeline is not always easy to determine, but we are sure that we presently have new and complicated relations between Syria and Israel and a future with an increase of hostilities and destruction. But, then again, there is more to the biblical story! 

Scripture also affirms that a glorious day of peace in the Middle East is coming! Egypt and what remains of the Assyrian Empire (which could easily include parts of modern Syria!) will enjoy peace in the future kingdom as they subject themselves to the reign and rule of Jesus the Messiah. It will be a great and glorious day! 

As Isaiah wrote, 

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.” (Isaiah 19:23–25) 

Whether or not the nations in Isaiah’s prophecy make peace with Syria, we know that the Lord wants us to pray for the salvation of Syrians and for peace in the Middle East. 

We should pray for a cessation of hostilities and for the gospel to go out among Syrians, including the hundreds of thousands of refugees still living in Jordan and other countries. 

How close are we to the day when these prophecies will come to pass? We will see! The stunning beginning of a new Syria puts Damascus back on our prophetic map in a way it was not previously. All eyes should be on the Middle East, and especially upon Israel, as we see the Lord preparing the way for His return. 

Our marching orders and the work of Your Mission to the Jewish People does not change. We are committed to creatively and lovingly presenting the gospel—the good news of Jesus the Messiah, to the Jew first and also to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16). We need your prayers and your understanding of the times in which we live. 

I hope you enjoy the rest of this newsletter as we drill down on some key prophetic events detailed in Scripture. We read these in hope but also recognizing the warnings of judgments upon nations and individuals that are at the very core and heart of the biblical message. 

Jesus is coming, which means one thing for those who believe and quite another for those who do not! 

Standing for His truth with love and compassion for all!

1. Rosenberg, Joel C. “STUDU-Damascus Prophecies-R.” Joel C. Rosenberg, September 2013, http://www.joelrosenberg.com/files/2013/09/STUDY-Damascus-prophecies-R.pdf. ↩︎
2. Walter Kaiser, personal communication, email message to another. ↩︎

If you ask me, today’s events in Israel and the Middle East send a loud and clear message that the Lord is coming soon. Jesus may not want us to know the day or the hour of His return, but He did tell us to pay attention to the signs of the times! The Savior said,

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32–33)

My Confidence in the Messiah’s Soon Return

I had a strong sense of the Lord’s soon return when I first became a believer during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. I was a Bible novice at the time, but it seemed to me that the return of the Jewish people to Israel and Jerusalem’s coming back under Jewish control pointed to the signs of the times found in the Scriptures.

Then I became more “sophisticated,” or at least I thought. I grew more biblically fluent and spent more time examining the complex matters of the end times in the books of Daniel and Revelation and in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; and Luke 21). While it was a privilege to study Scripture more closely, I became somewhat cynical about the study of the end times. Maybe I was more aware of the historical prophetic miscalculations of Christians and the overconfidence of date setters in the early 1980s. I believed we should be more cautious about claiming a prophecy was fulfilled when it might not be the case. 

After all, I did not want to go out on a limb to suggest that we were seeing prophecy fulfilled right before our eyes. What if I were wrong? I did not want to be a poor testimony for the Savior by misinterpreting His Word. But—thank God—my yearning for the coming of the Lord never waned.

As the years passed, I continued to study these incredible prophetic passages of Scripture and have come back to where I started when I began this journey with Jesus—confidently awaiting His imminent return. I look at today’s events in light of the Bible’s teaching and am more convinced than ever that the Lord is coming soon. And once again, it is a game changer that Israel exists as a modern nation and is under merciless attack by enemies near and far! 

As I asked one skeptical friend, “So, how many El Al jets would it take to remove almost seven-and-a-half million Jewish people from the Land of Israel?” I smiled when I asked the question, and he, catching my point, returned the smile. We are not setting dates or declaring prophetic fulfillment in a vacuum. The presence of the Jewish people in the very land God promised to Abraham multiple millennia ago should capture our attention and become a lens through which we see ancient prophecies unfolding before our very eyes. We might be closer than we think!

Recognizing God’s Plan for the Future

I also recognize that parts of the future outlined in the Bible can be quite unsettling and overwhelming. The future holds good news for some and very bad news for others. How harshly this falls on our twenty-first-century ears. Yet, it is true! I have so many family members who are not yet believers, and it is my sincere prayer and highest hope that they might come to know Him before He returns! I am sure you feel the same about your family and friends who do not yet know the Lord.

The future God has for the world is unstoppable! And we cannot sidestep His plans. We are called to discover His agenda and join in His mission of redemption. Humanity is not simply meandering through the ages, as God has a plan and purpose for the conclusion of our present age.

The Importance of the End Times

I know that Bob Dylan is not a prophet, but he eloquently expressed my feelings about the return of the Messiah in his song, “When He Returns”

Like a thief in the night,
he’ll replace wrong with right

When he returns . . .

Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace,
that the war won’t cease

Until He returns? . . .

Of every earthly plan that be known to man,
He is unconcerned

He’s got plans of his own to set up His throne

When He returns.¹

Did you know that the future was one of the Messiah’s favorite subjects? Jesus never avoided talking about it!

In an article, popular American preacher Chuck Swindoll listed some statistics about Jesus’ return:

One out of every 30 verses in the Bible mentions the subject of Christ’s return or the end of time. 

Of the 216 chapters in the New Testament, there are well over 300 references to the return of Christ. 

Of the 27 New Testament books, 23 mention Christ’s return.

Christ often spoke specifically about His own return to earth.

Throughout the centuries, Christ’s disciples and followers have adamantly believed, written, and taught that Christ would someday return to earth.²

Swindoll is correct in his assessment: The future is a major concern to the biblical authors and to the Savior, who was the greatest of all the prophets.

Our Role in Light of the Future

We also have starring roles in His forever story! We need to study the Bible to discover what His plans for the future are and to allow them to inform the way we live in the present.

Jesus calls His disciples to live today in light of tomorrow.

We recognize our days are numbered. Life, as we know it, will soon end. We have very little time to let the world know that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). I have come to believe that our greatest motivation to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20) is knowing that He is coming back soon—and when we least expect Him.

Notice that Jesus said He would always be with us—even till the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). His second coming was always on His mind, even as He was ascending to the right hand of the Father. Thoughts of His soon return need to fill our thoughts as well and motivate us to faithfully proclaim the gospel until we see Him face to face!

Your Mission to the Jewish People

I wish I had time and space to tell you what Your Mission to the Jewish People is doing to proclaim the gospel among Jewish people today. And we need your help now as we reach Jewish people for Jesus in these last days.

So, what can you do to enable God’s chosen people to hear the gospel and to get ready for His return?

• Tell your Jewish friends about the Lord.
• Pray for the salvation of Israel.
• Generously support our ministries in the United States and in twenty countries around the globe.
• Introduce your pastor and local congregation to Chosen People Ministries.
• Pray and work toward the peace of Jerusalem and for the welfare of Jewish people so the Jewish community can see that our love for Jesus gives us a love for His kinsmen according to the flesh.

I just returned from a five-day ministry trip to Israel. We have thirty staff members in the Holy Land, and they are reaching out to elderly Holocaust survivors, secular young Israelis, Orthodox Jewish people, and those still displaced from their homes because of the war.

It is so hard to see Israelis suffer hardship (as well as Jewish people globally due to rising antisemitism), but we know the Lord is coming soon, and He uses difficult times to turn our hearts to the only One who can give us hope.

So, please help us reach Jewish people across the globe through your generous support and prayers! We probably have less time to accomplish the task of reaching His chosen people in these last days than we might ordinarily think. 

The signs of the times remind us that the Lord is near.

I am especially burdened for Israelis whose lives are so unsettled because of the wars and rumors of wars we see unfolding and intensifying in Israel and throughout the Middle East (Matthew 24:6). The prophetic future detailed in Scripture is upon us, and time is short. 

So, your help today in reaching Jewish people in Israel and around the globe is critical.

Looking ahead to a glorious future through the One who died for our sins and rose from the grave, may the Lord fill you with His joy and the hope of His return!

1. “When He Returns,” Slow Train Coming, lyrics and music by Bob Dylan, accessed December 11, 2024, http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/whenhereturns.html.
   ↩︎
2.  Chuck Swindoll, “Scriptural Support for Christ’s Return,” Insight for Living, June 15, 2009, https://insight.org/resources/article-library/individual/scriptural-support-for-christ’s-return. ↩︎

Shalom during this delightful season of the year, which begins with Thanksgiving and ends with Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year. This is a time of great hope as we look forward to all the Lord will do in the days and months ahead. I am hopeful because of the dedicated and effective team at Chosen People Global Ministries, which consists of about 200 of us serving the Lord faithfully among our Jewish people worldwide. It is a privilege to serve with each staff member, and I appreciate your prayers for our ministries among the 15-plus million Jewish people around the world.

Israel in Need of Hope 

But, as you know, there is a very special l and where hope is elusive—our beloved Israel. Hope should abound in the Holy Land, but at this time in the history of the modern state, Israel has endured tragedy upon tragedy, including one of its worst on October 7, 2023. As I write, Israel is defending itself on several fronts—in Gaza, southern Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and even Syria and Iraq. Another front in this raging war for survival extends beyond the borders of this tiny state as antisemitism is growing rapidly in many different countries, including our own.

Furthermore, there is a growing and unfortunate lack of support for Israel on the part of democracies around the world. Israel is not perfect. Like any country, it makes mistakes, but the scrutiny and accusations hurled at Israel are unfair, as Israelis are fighting for their existence. And if not for October 7, Israel would still be working out the Abraham Accords, a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, and other diplomatic solutions to the challenges of building a modern Jewish state in a sea of hatred and hostility.

Courage Abounds in Israel

The stories of heroism today, in the face of grave danger, are innumerable. They remind me of the great stories of Hanukkah where the Jewish followers of Judah Maccabee were outnumbered by the Syrian Greeks and their leader, Antiochus Epiphanes. This mad leader attempted to turn Jewish people into Greeks and thereby rid the world of Jewish people. But he failed as God proved faithful once again and promised to sustain His chosen people. The promise in Jeremiah 31:35–36 says it all:

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.”

And God always keeps His promises. The Lord is using today’s Israelis to fulfill His promises to Jewish people. He always works through people! I think of what our own staff, dozens of dedicated ministers of the gospel, are going through with their families. They have my heart and respect for staying the course and going beyond the call of duty to serve those suffering while they are enduring adversity themselves.

May I tell you about one way we are providing spiritual and emotional healing to Israelis in the Holy Land?

Our Growing Ministry in Tel Aviv

In June 2017, we opened a rented Messianic center in Ramat Gan, a busy suburb of Tel Aviv, one of the largest municipal regions in Israel. Over the first seven years of ministry, HaMercaz (Hebrew for “the center”) became a thriving spiritual home for Israelis of all ages, including many young families and elderly Holocaust survivors.

Our outreach and discipleship programs were so well received that every month hundreds of mostly young Israelis—believers and not-yet-believers—began attending our events. Our concerts, Sabbath dinners, and worship nights were bursting at the seams, as our 1,600-square-foot space accommodates fewer than a hundred people at a time. We have known for a while we have outgrown our rented space, and we have prayed about how to expand.

The New Tel Aviv Messianic Center

In 2022, after years of praying and searching for a desperately needed larger facility to keep pace with this growing demand, the Lord graciously provided a 4,000-square-foot space for a new center. It is near Tel Aviv’s downtown area with convenient access to its light rail system. We will be surrounded by Israelis who have never heard the gospel message!

The buildout of the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center, which will be completed in early spring 2025, slowed down because of the war. The center will more than double our capacity for outreach and events. It will play a vital role in providing our ministry staff with an excellent place to continue to serve the needs of Israelis now dealing with trauma, job loss, war injuries, personal loss, and grief. The new center is a step toward the future of God’s work in Israel and will also allow us to plant a much-needed congregation. 

Ministry Post-October 7, 2023

I love Proverbs 16:9: “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” We had plans to develop this wonderful property, but He had His own plans. The attacks of October 7, 2023, took Israelis—including the Israel Defense Forces and one of the best intelligence service in the world—by complete surprise.

At first our staff, like most Israelis, were stunned by the magnitude and viciousness of the attacks, but soon the Lord began turning the tragedy into an opportunity to bring His love to hurting Israelis.

Serving Israelis in Need

Almost immediately our staff efforts shifted to war relief among those Israelis we were already serving, and many others we met for the first time. During the first three months of the war, our Messianic centers in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv served the needs of Jewish people of all ages, providing housing, relief aid, food, and supplies that our staff delivered to those in need.

Our staff and volunteers continue to serve the practical needs of Israelis, as these everyday needs are still great. Yet, the spiritual and emotional need is far greater. By God’s grace and the prayers and generous support of our fellow believers, we have been able to continue and even increase our number of Bible studies, prayer meetings, and worship events, along with retreats for children, families, and elderly Holocaust survivors.

The overwhelming challenges of ministry in the midst of tragedy and war reminds us so powerfully that the Prince of Peace is still our only hope for peace and His peace only comes through our accepting Yeshua as Messiah and Lord.

Proclaiming the Gospel in Israel

This is why we cannot separate our support and prayers for the State of Israel from our efforts to bring His peace to Jewish people in Israel and around the world. If we love Israel and do not proclaim the gospel, then there will be no lasting peace in the hearts and lives of Jewish people we love. 

Bringing the good news of Jesus to our Jewish friends and neighbors in Israel and around the globe is vital. We live in a day when hope so easily slips through our fingers, yet we can be a great blessing to our friends and family by telling them about the magnificent hope we have through Jesus the Messiah.

We cannot live without hope. And hope is superficial when it is not rooted in our personal relationship with the One who conquered death through His resurrection from the dead. We bear the message of true hope and joy, forgiveness of sin, and the promise of eternal life. We cannot remain silent. The hour is late, and the gospel is desperately needed in the Land of Israel.

Forgive me for taking a moment to talk about myself and my ministry as president of Chosen People Ministries. I know you pray for me and for all our staff, especially our faithful workers in Israel, where God is still at work. So, thanks for taking the time to read and pray.

My Full November Calendar

This is an especially busy month. We have leadership and board meetings in Chicago and then a major conference all day on Saturday, November 9, entitled, “Summit on Opposing Antisemitism,” to be held at Moody Bible Institute, our partner for this important event. The speakers include Mark Jobe, President of Moody Bible Institute; Michael Rydelnik, Vice President and Academic Dean at Moody; and Don Sweeting, Chancellor of Colorado Christian University. We will also hear from Saleem Shalash, a wonderful Arab pastor from Nazareth and several Israeli Moody students who served in the Israel Defense Forces during the current war. You can register at http://www.chosenpeople.com/moodysummit/.

Immediately after the event, I fly to Korea where I will participate in a Bible conference with our Chosen People Ministries team in Korea. I will be exploring locations, homes, and youth hostels where traveling Israelis find housing and enjoy Korean Christian hospitality. Many Israelis are interested in Asia and sometimes prefer going East instead of West. There are so many wonderful Christians in Korea who love the Lord and love Jewish people, and I hope to meet those who want to be part of our hosting network.

Hosting Israelis is the topic of our November newsletter as well. Please pray and consider hosting traveling Israelis. This is a great way to meet them and present the gospel right in your own home. All you need to do is love them and open up a room in your house for two or three days. I know you will find this to be a great way to build lasting friendships with Israelis and have a loving testimony of God’s grace in Jesus the Messiah through your family. We have seen tremendous fruit through this ministry. All you need to do is be your Jesus-loving self and allow the Lord to work through you.

After I return from Korea, I travel to San Diego to be part of the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meeting where I will present a paper on the growth of the modern Messianic movement—and it is growing, praise God, both in the United States and in Israel! I will then have the joy of speaking at our local Messianic congregation in Orange County and will finally return home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.

Sound busy? It is! But I know you are busy, too. As believers, we are not just busy for busyness’ sake, but we are called to be fruitful in making the gospel known. What matters in this life more than serving the Lord?

My life verse is the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” These are most comforting and encouraging words. They remind me, whatever we do for the Lord—whether it seems big or little—is an expression of our heartfelt devotion and love for Jesus.

Life in Israel 

I will try to get to Israel during December to see how our staff is faring and also to encourage those in charge of our Messianic center building project. We now expect our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center to be completed by the end of January. I am including some pictures of the building on the way to completion. 

May I tell you a little bit about the new facility? First, we are installing an elevator, even though there are only two floors, because we have many elderly Holocaust survivors and others who come to our events who cannot easily navigate stairs. We love these precious Israelis and want them to be able to attend our events and services. 

We will also have an advanced sound system as there are one hundred apartments above us filled with Israeli families. Talk about the Lord bringing the mission field to your doorstep! We are busy soundproofing so the instruments and our joyful singing will not annoy those we hope to reach! We will hold concerts once or twice a month, which are an incredible draw for younger people.

After I signed the contract with the builders some months ago to buy this 4,000-square-foot, two-story facility, I went back to our rented center, a facility we have been using for the last seven years. It was filled with more than a hundred young people enjoying a Messianic gospel concert in Hebrew. Our current space can only comfortably handle seventy or eighty people, so we recently needed to turn people away and invite fewer people as the Lord’s work continues to grow. By January this will change!

Our new space will enable us to seat 140 comfortably for a concert and more than 100 for a meal. So, our ever-increasing activities at the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center will be able to go forward in this wonderful new space.

We are also excited about our new children’s classrooms, which are so needed as we draw many kids. These classrooms will also be used for our various adult Bible studies. The completed new facility will allow us to finally fulfill my long-term dream of establishing a Messianic congregation. Adults can worship upstairs while we teach and care for fifty or sixty of their children downstairs.

You can see our new center is mission driven. We will be serving adults, youth, elderly Holocaust survivors, and children. Please pray as we finish the building.

With all transparency, the overall cost of the center is $6.5 million. The good news is we already have raised over $6 million toward the purchase, renovation, furniture, and equipment. We are left with about $500,000 needed to complete this beautiful center. 

I cannot wait to repeat the words of Nehemiah when he said, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days” (Neh 6:15). What a moment for the hero of this great story as his embattled team finished the task.

I believe we will complete the work sometime in December or January. Can you believe we are so close? The Lord has shown His grace amid what might be the most difficult period in the life of modern Israel since its founding in 1948.

A Bright Future for Tel Aviv

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this possibility. I know it will transform lives in the greater Tel Aviv area. We also know many ministries in Israel will use this facility, and we hope to let them use it for free. This is God’s gift for the whole body of Messiah in Israel, and you are our partners whom we love and appreciate. Thank you for all you do you to help Israel is, especially in this difficult season, hear the gospel.

On behalf of the Chosen People Ministries staff and board, I want to thank you for your help inreaching the more than 4.7 million Jewish people living in the greater Tel Aviv area. We can do this together and enter the new year with a paid-for building and the opportunity to open this building as a center for the proclamation of the gospel in the greater Tel Aviv area.

Now you know how to pray for me this month and also for the future of Your Mission to the Jewish People in the city with the largest concentration of Jewish people in the world. Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday because it is an opportunity to fan the flames of gratitude for the Lord and all He has done for our family and ministry. I pray your Thanksgiving will be rich with the presence of the Lord and you and your family will experience His love and joy.