Israel. Hamas. War. An Interview with Joel Rosenberg
Insights from the “Lead2Serve” Podcast
Season 5. Episode 12
Understanding the Impact of the Hamas Invasion on Israel: Insights from Joel Rosenberg
In a recent episode of the “Lead2Serve” podcast, host Ed Taylor sat down with Joel Rosenberg, a renowned author, prophecy expert, and founder of AllIsrael.com, to discuss the devastating events that unfolded in Israel on October 7th, 2024. The conversation covered the invasion by Hamas terrorists, the rise of anti-Semitism, and the spiritual and emotional toll on the Israeli people. This blog post aims to break down the key insights from the episode, offering actionable advice and a deeper understanding of the situation in Israel.
The Invasion by Hamas: A Firsthand Account
The Significance of October 7th
Joel Rosenberg began by highlighting the significance of the date of the invasion. October 7th was not just any day; it was a significant religious holiday in Israel. The timing of the attack added a layer of emotional and spiritual complexity to an already devastating event.
The Nature of the Attack
Joel described the unprecedented violence that characterized the invasion. Civilians were targeted, and the brutality of the attacks shocked the nation and the world. This surge in violence also led to a rise in anti-Semitic sentiments globally, further complicating the situation.
The Aftermath in Gaza
Joel recounted his visit to Gaza, where he witnessed the aftermath of the conflict. He described discovering terror tunnels and hostage cages, painting a grim picture of the atmosphere in Gaza. The sense of darkness and evil was palpable, yet Rosenberg also spoke of the powerful experience of praying for liberation for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The Emotional and Spiritual Toll on Israelis
Interactions with Hostage Families
One of the most poignant parts of the conversation was Joel’s recounting of his interactions with Israeli hostage families. The uncertainty and grief these families face are unimaginable. The emotional toll on the Israeli community is profound, with widespread shock and mobilization of reserves adding to the strain.
Spiritual Awakening
Interestingly, Joel noted a spiritual awakening happening in Israel amidst the turmoil. People are beginning to question the existence of God and seeking spiritual answers in these trying times. This spiritual quest is a significant aspect of the current situation, offering a glimmer of hope and resilience.
The Call for Compassion and Peacemaking
Standing with Israel
Both Joel and Pastor Ed emphasized the importance of Christians standing with Israel during these difficult times. This support is not just political but deeply rooted in biblical imperatives to love and support our neighbors.
Compassion for Palestinian Neighbors
While standing with Israel, the conversation also highlighted the need for compassion towards Palestinian neighbors. The conflict affects both communities, and showing empathy and support for all those suffering is crucial.
The Role of the Joshua Fund
Joel discussed the ongoing efforts to support local believers in Israel through the Joshua Fund, a ministry he and his wife founded 18 years ago. The fund provides financial support to local ministries and believers, helping to strengthen the community during these challenging times.
Steps for Listeners
Stay Informed
One of the key takeaways from the episode is the importance of staying informed about the events in Israel. Joel and Pastor Ed encouraged listeners to visit AllIsrael.com and JoshuaFund.com for up-to-date information and resources.
Support Local Ministries
Supporting local ministries and believers in Israel is another actionable step. Financial contributions to organizations like the Joshua Fund can make a significant difference in the lives of those affected by the conflict.
Promote Peace and Oppose Injustice
Promoting peace and opposing injustice are essential actions for anyone looking to make a positive impact. This involves not only standing against violence but also advocating for the rights and well-being of all individuals affected by the conflict.
Conclusion
The conversation between Ed Taylor and Joel Rosenberg on the “Lead to Serve” podcast provides a deep and personal insight into the challenges faced by the people of Israel. The invasion by Hamas terrorists has had a profound impact, leading to a rise in anti-Semitism and a significant emotional and spiritual toll on the Israeli community. However, amidst the darkness, there are also stories of resilience, compassion, and spiritual awakening.
As listeners and readers, we are called to stand in solidarity with Israel, show compassion for Palestinian neighbors, and support local ministries and believers. By staying informed and promoting peace, we can contribute to a more just and compassionate world.
For more information and to support the efforts in Israel, visit AllIsrael.com and JoshuaFund.com.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Intro VO:
Here’s Ed Taylor with today’s episode of Lead2Serve, a leadership podcast.
Pastor Ed Taylor :
Hey, welcome again to another edition of the Lead2Serve podcast. My name is Ed Taylor and I am the pastor here at Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado. We’re so grateful to provide for you this podcast. Just really open discussions about life and ministry, knowing that the better that we learn how to serve, the better leaders we’ll become. Today’s a special edition of Lead2Serve because I had the privilege recently on our live radio program here in Denver to interview Joel Rosenberg. And many of you know Joel Rosenberg. He is a prolific author, prophecy expert, Bible teacher. He’s got, like, over 5 million books in print. He just started a brand new news agency in Israel to give us true, accurate reports of what’s going on in Israel from an evangelical perspective. It’s called allisrael.com. And he, also, for 18 years, is providing humanitarian relief to Israel and surrounding areas, not only Israel, but through the Joshua Fund. At any rate, I want to share it with you on the podcast because of what happened in Israel on October 7th, just to hear his perspective. We had a fine conversation. I love Joel. He’s a good friend of the ministry here and all that the Rosenbergs have brought into our lives. So enjoy this episode. I know it will bless you.
Pastor Ed Taylor :
October 7 changed the world. Let’s start there.
Joel Rosenberg:
Well, it certainly changed Israel, and it is changing the Middle East, and it has changed the world. At the moment, we’re seeing mostly negative effects. When more than 3000 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7th, it was a Saturday morning. So it was a Shabbat, it was a Sabbath for us in Israel. The whole country slows down and does almost nothing. Even for people who are not religious, It’s a quiet day in Israel. And we only get one. You don’t get a whole full weekend like in America. And it was also a religious holiday, Simchat Torah, which is a Jewish holiday that celebrates, it’s called “the joy of the Torah,” really. And it celebrates and commemorates when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the first five books of the Bible. So it should have been a joyful day. And people were sleeping in and just enjoying a quiet morning. And then, sirens. Rocket sirens. Indicating that inbound missiles are coming. And then we started hearing eight rounds of missiles at Jerusalem, where I live, my wife and I and our sons, we almost never have rockets or missiles fired at Jerusalem. And so that was a bizarre experience. That’s what we woke up to and just kept happening and happening. You’re sitting in your bomb shelter and you’re turning on the news, and then you’re seeing this, this crazy…like we’d never. We’d been through a lot of rocket wars over there, Ed, but…and I’ve been traveling to Israel for 35 years, and I…you know, we’ve been citizens there and living there, for 10. We’d never seen anything like this. This was an invasion. There were people being butchered in their own bedrooms, in their own homes. Jews burned alive in their houses. Mothers shot to death in front of their children. Children beheaded and brutally, just tortured, in front of their parents. Holocaust survivors riddled with machine guns. People killed with axes. I don’t even want to tell you. So that’s what Israel…it was a sneak attack. And it happened to be on the 50th anniversary of the biggest sneak attack in Israel’s modern history, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Syria and Egypt invaded on our highest holy day of our calendar, where literally nobody does anything. There’s not even a car on the road. Nobody watches television because there’s nothing on. It’s just totally dead silence. And it’s a day of prayer. And for Jews who don’t know that Jesus is the Messiah, who’s already come to give the only sacrifice that we need, this is a day of asking God to….pleading with…begging with God to give atonement for our sins. My team doesn’t know that the Messiah has already done this. So were actually marking the 50th anniversary of the worst attack ever, and then this happened. But it has smoked out, Ed, in the world…anti-Semitism like we haven’t seen since the 1930s and 40s. And we’ve seen world governments turn against Israel and condemn us in the United Nations every chance they get. We’ve seen college campuses all across the United States, thousands of students turning out on the side of Hamas, and against Israel. The World Court has us on trial. The South African government put Israel on trial, claiming that we’re committing genocide, in a war of self defense. So the world has gone, you know, to cite Superman, “we’re in the Bizarro World,” Ed, where light is dark, day is night, up is down, black is white. Everything is on its head. And we can talk in a moment, and I’ll certainly talk this weekend about sort of the prophetic implications of all this. But we’re in a moment where I think God is really…He’s watching to see which side people are on. This comes out right out of Matthew, chapter 25, and we’re seeing which countries are “sheep countries” and which country are “goat countries” (Matt 25:32). We can get into that a little bit. I’m a bit of a monologue here.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
That’s okay. We want to hear it. I mean, here at Calvary, our commitment to the Word is a commitment to the God of the Word, which is a commitment to the people of the God of the Word, our Jewish friends in Israel. And for years now, coming up on 25 years, I’ve taught our church to look to Israel like you’ve taught us. Look to the epicenter, Jerusalem. Eyes on Israel…at the epicenter…the unfolding of God’s prophetic events. I love taking groups there. I love visiting there. I love serving there. We’ve got quite a big relationship with Israel, and we’re grateful for that. And now this wave of anti-Semitism. I mean, right when it happened, you remember way back toward the beginning, there was that large gathering in London, 300,000 people gathered in London declaring, “the disease of Zionism,” needs to be eradicated. And we know racism is evil at its core, but man’s hatred toward Israel has a demonic root to it, this anti-Semitism.
Joel Rosenberg:
It certainly does. And I…and I think I’m even used, you know, anti-Semitism is the right technical word, but I’m starting to use just the word “Jew hatred” because it really cuts through to what it really is. But where does that come from? And, you know, the verse that I find the most helpful for people is a verse that you might not expect. You might, but most people wouldn’t think of it in this context. John 10:10. Now, in John 10:10, so now we’re talking the New Testament, the gospel of John. And Jesus is speaking about Satan. And he describes Satan as a thief, right? And He says, “the thief comes to rob, kill and destroy.” But then He speaks about Himself. Jesus does. He says, “but I came, that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Now, in that one verse, you get so much rich theology. What you learn is that Satan is the exact polar opposite of Jesus. They’re not equals, but they are opposites. And so everything that God wants, everything that God loves, everything God says that Jesus says, since Jesus is God, Satan is 180 degrees. Again, it’s like a photographic negative. Satan’s against everything that Jesus is for. So, right? So, when you apply that to what God has said about Jewish people in the Old Testament, right, starting from Genesis 12 and going forward, what we realize is if God has said, and He has, that “He has chosen the Jewish people to bless us,” now we understand that Satan has chosen the Jewish people to curse us. When we see the scriptures that tell us that God has said, “I’m going to give the Jewish people a land, the land of Israel, the promised land,” we can now understand that Satan says, “Yeah, I’m going to come and take it away.” When God says, “I’m going to make Jerusalem a city of peace,” we understand now that Satan comes to say, “Yeah, fine, I’ll make it a city of bloodshed.” When God says, “I’m going to take the Temple Mount, the Mount Zion, right in this, the absolute center of the world, right in the middle of Jerusalem.” When God says, “I’m going to make that spot holy to My Name and that’s where I’m going to put the temple. The first and the second and the third and the fourth,” Satan says, “Fine, that’s the place that I’ll desecrate.” Because everything that God says “I’m going to do, I’m going to bless, I’m going to give,” Satan says, “I’m going to rob and kill and destroy.” And so, Satan has hated Jews uniquely because God loves us. What in the world is happening? Why is Israel at war again? And how can Christians not only stand with Israel…absolutely, that’s critical…but how do we show compassion for our Palestinian neighbors who are suffering? It’s really critical to me biblically that we bless Israel and her neighbors. That we not just say, just because God loves Israel doesn’t mean he only loves Israel. And yes, God makes it very clear that he has a very special and unique love for Israel and the Jewish people. But John 3:16 still rules, “for God so loved the world,” all people, and “that He gave His only Son Jesus, that whoever would believe in Him,” in Jesus as our Messiah, as our only way of salvation, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, “shall not perish,” die and go to hell forever and ever with no way of escape, “but shall have eternal life.” And you know, Jesus commands us to “love our neighbors” (Matt 19:19). And you say, “well, Joel, the Palestinians of Gaza, they’re not your neighbors, they’re your enemies.” Well, okay, many of them are. But Jesus commands us to “love our enemies” (Matt 5:44). People are like, “Oh, come on, that covers everybody.” Yes, it covers everybody. And unless you’re filled with the Holy Spirit and really trying to follow the word of God by his Spirit’s help, there’s no way to love your neighbor, much less your enemy. Most people have trouble loving their own families. So how do you love Palestinians? How do you, it’s very important and maybe we can talk about it a little bit today. But it’s important for Christians to hear the whole gospel, right? And it’s very important to me to, even though I am an Israeli, but because I’m an Israeli and a follower of Jesus and Jewish, to be biblically whole on this biblically fair and accurate. And that means that I have to lean in and ask the Lord, show me how to love my Palestinian neighbors, especially in wartime.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
You went into Gaza recently?
Joel Rosenberg:
I did. So that sounds about like the craziest, most insane thing a person could do. And yes, it probably is. But I was invited after asking for two months. I was like the widow knocking on the door (Luke 18:1-8). Please let me in. I asked the IDF chief’s spokesman’s office, “Look, you’re taking Fox News in. You’re taking some other reporters in.” I run a news site, All Israel News. It’s one of the leading emerging sites for evangelicals about Israel because it’s run by Israeli believers in Jesus from Israel. But I also had this Thursday night, 9PM Eastern. I guess it’s delayed. No, here it’s, I think, 7PM, here in Denver, a program on TBN called the Rosenberg Report. And it’s the only, literally, after 75 years of Israel in the modern era, Ed, this is the only primetime television news show made in Israel about Israel in the region. And how is that possible that there’s no other shows like that on all of American television? But, because I do those two things, I asked the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force, listen, “I want to go in and I want to report, I want to bring a film crew.” And it took them two months to say “yes.” But I guess they thought I was crazy enough to say to really do it. And so they called me up around 9PM on a Saturday and said, “we’re going in. If you can go in at 6AM tomorrow, you have to bring your own bulletproof vest and your own helmet. But we’ll take you in to the hottest war zone in the region.” And that’s what we did. Not just me, but Chris Mitchell, the CBN News bureau chief in Jerusalem. And, wow! I’ve been to Afghanistan, Ed. I’ve been to Iraq four times during the war, but I’ve never been into anything like this.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
What was your first initial reaction? How did you handle what you were seeing?
Joel Rosenberg:
Well, you get into an armored personnel carrier and we were in a convoy with a general who’s in charge of fighting and winning in this section, which has a city called “Khan Younis,” which for the last two-and-a-half months has been the site of the most intense fighting. So they take us right to the center of the city, and when you get out, you can hear machine gun fire everywhere. Now, were in a little cul-de-sac…we were very well protected by very heavily armed soldiers. And we’re with the general who runs the 98th Division, but you can hear machine gun fire everywhere, and you can hear bombs exploding all around you. And then he starts giving you a briefing, and nobody’s ducking down, nobody’s hiding behind anything. So you’re thinking, “well, he thinks it’s safe,” so the camera’s rolling. And so we…but that alone would have been, like, chilling to just experience that, him briefing us right in the middle of that firefight. Which must have been just a couple blocks away. I mean, we weren’t in it, but, it felt like we were in it. But what was crazy, Ed, was they decided they were taking us into a newly discovered maze of terror tunnels underneath the city. And no one had, no reporters had ever been in there. They had just found these and killed or drove out all the Hamas terrorists inside there. And it was safe, so they said. And so they’re like, “we’re going in, and we’re going to show you what this thing is, like.” 75 feet you go down underneath the center of the city, and it’s hot and it’s humid and it’s dark, and it’s very narrow. And even though I’m short, I’m still ducking down, and you’re just going, and you’re going. And there was only like, six or seven other reporters, and then they had a few, you know, camera crews with them. But what we discovered, what they showed us was, we’re taking you into the newest tunnels we found. And the reason these are significant is because we’ve discovered cages. Cages. Where Israeli hostages have been held. And we have DNA, we have other evidence that they were in these cages. And then if that weren’t creepy enough, we’re going to take you into the actual lair, the headquarters, of the top senior Hamas terrorist leadership, because we know that they were in there. And we’re going to show you why we know, and we’re going to show you how they lived. And it was astonishing. I…I…to be in a place that is, that was sheer evil, right? Where such wickedness, was done, it’s hard to describe. And we did a whole, hour-long special on the Rosenberg Report, which people can find at rosenbergreport.tv – rosenbergreport.tv. And you go, and you do need to put your email in to sign up for…but it’s free. And then you can go back and see the different shows that we’ve been doing, including that one. But the thing that was most powerful, even though that was so evil…was so powerful…was Chris and I decided, “let’s pray in these tunnels.” Let’s pray inside the cages. Yeah, we were respectful. We listened to the briefings. We asked a lot of questions. Our fellow reporters from NBC News and other networks, you know, we’re asking lots of great questions also. But when there was a moment to be alone, we just bowed our heads and started praying for the hostages, for their release, for the capture, or killing, if necessary, of the Hamas leadership and for the liberation of Gaza, not from Israel, but from the reign of terror of Hamas. And when were done, when we came out after several hours, my colleague Chris Mitchell turns to me and he says, he sort of conspiratorially almost, but he’s like, “hey, before we have to go back to civilization, you want to take communion?” I was shocked. It hadn’t even occurred to me to bring elements to take the Lord’s Supper. But he had thought of it. And so we took communion. He brought crackers, he brought grape juice. We bowed our heads, and we prayed that the Lord would break the stronghold of Satan, who has come to rob, kill and destroy all the Palestinian people as well as Israel. And we pray the Lord would redeem this bloodied, desecrated strip of land and not just set the captives free, literally. We did pray that out of Psalm 61, I’m sorry, Isaiah 61. “Set the captives free,” Lord, please. But also “set the Palestinians and Israelis free out of their spiritual bondage to Satan.” Free to know Jesus is the Messiah and let them “know life and know it abundantly.” Right out of John 10:10, it was a…it was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced spiritually in my life.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
So you…you took the time to go into harm’s way, see it firsthand, I’m sure. I know. I’ve been in a lot of places around the world where you actually feel the evil. You don’t just see it. You feel the atmosphere of darkness and everything pressing in. And I know that I kind of jumped to Gaza first, but I think also what listeners would want to hear. And we’ve got about 15 minutes, so I’m going to fit a couple things in the 15 minutes we have. You’ve spoken to some Israeli hostage families. How is that? How are they? How are those discussions? What is the climate right now, generally, of Israelis living their life every day? Like, walk us through for a few minutes your perspective on that.
Joel Rosenberg:
Sure. Well, as you started out, the whole segment, the world has changed. Israel has changed. And so the first few months were sheer grief, shock, anger. And, of course, suddenly were at war. 400,000 Israelis called up to Reserves. Israel is not a large enough country, as you know, Ed, to maintain a regular army of hundreds of thousands of people. So we only have tens of thousands of people on duty any given moment. And then everybody else is a plumber, a dentist, a fireman, an accountant, a teacher. And they get a call and they rush to their base, suit up, and suddenly they’re at war. And that’s what happened on October 7th. And so we were dealing with all that grief and anger and shock and dislocation. Every husband of the women in my wife’s Bible study, her discipleship group, all but one of them were called up and were suddenly “at war,” either inside Gaza or in Judea and Samaria, what the world calls the West bank. So you’re dealing not just with your own grief and shock and rockets coming in all the time. More than 13,000 rockets in the first month-and-a-half or so – it was crazy. But you’re also dealing with friends who are now…moms who are raising children by themselves, as they don’t know where their husband is. They have no contact with them, and they don’t know if they’re coming home. And these are believers. And then you think of your unbelieving friends. And most of my crew at TBN, the TV crew, most of them don’t know the Lord because there’s not that many believers in the country, and they don’t know television. So you gotta hire good people. And so, half my crew was gone. My producer is actually an Israeli based in New York City. She was called up that day, was told to get on a plane, and the next day she became the spokeswoman for the Prime Minister of Israel. So everything was changing, at every level. But then…so that’s a little bit of the feeling of what we’ve been dealing with. There was another part to your question, but “how are Israelis going through every day,” the hostages? Well, the hostages are on our hearts with such grief, because at the beginning, there were 240. Now there was a release of over 100 of them in November. That was a miracle by itself, because Hamas had come in beheading babies, you know, as I said, slaughtering people in the most demonic. This was demon-possessed people. They literally, the videos of them, which some of them are public, a lot of…most of it is not public. I’ve seen classified versions. People chopping each other’s heads off. It is unbelievable. And they’re all cheering, and they’re always saying, “allahu akbar”, “allahu akbar,” They’re praising their God as radical Islamists while they’re doing the most horrific behaviors that I don’t even want to describe on Christian radio. Raping people. I mean, just…and so this is demon possession. So you’re watching this with your real eyes. And we’re living through this. Now, the hostages, we thought they would kill them all, like, on YouTube, on live, you know, YouTube broadcasts like ISIS did, but they didn’t. And not to their credit, but, I mean, I think God mobilized millions, tens of millions of Christians all over the world to pray for these hostages, even if they didn’t know what else to do. Pray. And I really didn’t think Hamas would let any of them out. So, over 100 were let out in a deal struck in November. But there are still 134. There was 136 ‘til about two weeks ago, when an Israeli Special Forces operation identified and rescued two of them, which was pretty dramatic and gave us a lot of hope. But there are still 134. I have been interviewing, visiting with…interviewing…these hostage families. I’ll give you one example. Her name is Ofri Bibas, B-I-B-A-S. Her brother-in-law and his wife, basically, her in-laws were taken hostage. Well, the brother was. Sorry. Brother-in-law was killed, murdered. And then the wife and two babies were taken hostage. Babies. One of them is, like three years old. So a toddler, maybe. But one was nine months old. And his name is Kfir Bibas. That little boy, he’s the youngest hostage. Both of them brothers, redheaded. Just the most adorable children you can possibly imagine. And they are in these tunnels, and it’s now, I think we’re at 145 days. I was in those tunnels. You can barely breathe. There’s no fresh air. And these people are…so we don’t know what happened to them, but we know that they’re in terrible jeopardy. Israel is negotiating, but Hamas is demanding full surrender by Israel, full removal of all troops from Gaza, and letting Hamas come back to power. Well, that’s not going to happen. So there’s a real tension. Just to wrap this part up, there’s a real tension in the society right now. On the one hand, we’ve got to defeat Hamas. We have to, because otherwise this will happen again, and we can never let it happen again, which shouldn’t have happened now. It was a terrible, massive, systemic failure of the Israeli government, Israeli military, Israeli intelligence. Just a disaster that this could have happened, and we weren’t protected. So we have to win. But we want those hostages back. And Hamas is giving us the choice. “You can surrender and we’ll give them all back,” or they’ll all die. And so that is creating tremendous tensions inside. And “grief upon grief,” is how I would put it inside Israel.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
“Grief upon grief,” is the worst. And you have the tension and you have the uncertainty, and you have the separation. It’s just a mixture of, I mean, really, what terrorists desire. They want terror, they want fear, they want uncertainty. They want, as you were mentioning from John 10:10, they want death. Well, we only have a few minutes left, and I have an article in my hand that I think is pretty relevant for the rest of our time. And by the way, on the air right now, if you’re just joining us, Joel Rosenberg is on with us live. We’re talking about all things related to Israel. October 7th. Joel has started a brand new, very popular, very accurate website called allisrael.com. Allisrael.com. He also has on Thursday nights here in Denver, but you can look it up in your local listings, or, you can google it for the Rosenberg report. Rosenberg is R-O-S-E-N-B-E-R-G. Rosenbergerport.com. And he’s on TBN every Thursday. I just got a text real quick. Somebody texted in. I just want to read it to you, Joel. Let me pull it back up. She says, “I follow Joel Rosenberg. He’s such an important link to the truth for me, especially on Thursdays on TBN. And thank you, Joel, for coming, and for everything that you do.” So there you go.
Joel Rosenberg:
Well, that’s very kind. I appreciate it. And we’ll talk about hope on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Because what we haven’t gotten to is this is shaking Israel so badly, people are starting to ask, “maybe there is a God.” “Is there a God?” “How do we know God?” This is a big development going on spiritually that’s very positive in Israel. So I don’t want to leave everybody like, “Wow, I don’t want to hear that. That’s the most depressing hour I’ve ever listened on Ed’s show.”
Pastor Ed Taylor:
But you know what’s valuable, Joel, though, is this. What’s valuable for what you’re sharing is, there…there aren’t really any sources for the type of information. Like, like for me, if I…if I want to ask a question, I can text you. I can read All Israel News. I have friends that are in Israel. We have a lot of connections there that I’m able to get information and share it. But with this firsthand report, you know, when, if they are watching any sort of news or even local news, I mean, even the local news is twisting everything, away from, the atrocity…I mean, even local governments here. And again, we only have a short amount of time, so I want to set that aside. But, I appreciate the topic of hope coming. Joel will be here at Calvary this weekend. March 2nd and 3rd. Saturday night. We have service 6PM, Sunday morning. Just go to our website, calvaryco.church. But you wrote an article. I have it in my hand. December 31st, “Heading into 2024…six biblical truths Evangelicals need to embrace when it comes to Israel and the Arab/Muslim world” We have about five minutes, and I’m wondering if. Would you like me to read them by a reminder for you, Joel?
Joel Rosenberg:
Sure, yeah.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Okay. So number one was, evangelical followers are called to:
Love Israel and her neighbors, not just one or the other
Be peacemakers
Oppose injustice and care for those who are suffering
Strengthen our Gentile Christian and Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters, providing financial support when the Lord directs
Make sure that everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to at least hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and understand it
and finally,
To never stop praying
I would ask you to speak to, let’s end with strengthening our Gentile, Messianic Jewish brothers. Providing financial support. People listening in right now. How can they participate in the financial support part of this, Joel?
Joel Rosenberg:
Well, I appreciate that. And so, 18 years ago, my wife Lynn and I started a ministry. God called us to do it, and it’s called the Joshua Fund. The Joshua Fund. People can learn about it at joshuafund.com. Again, joshuafund.com. Now, what does it do? Well, it’s a “fund,” right? So think of it like a mutual fund. Rather than pick your own stocks. Maybe you think, “I don’t know how to pick stocks.” I don’t know. But you thought, “well, I want to help a ministry in Israel, but I don’t know any ministries in Israel.” “Yeah, I was on a tour once, and we met some interesting people, but I don’t know who they are…I don’t know if their theology is healthy…I don’t know if they do with their money what they say they’re going to do if I gave them $25 or $100 or whatever…I don’t know.” Ok, then don’t pick your own stocks and don’t pick your own ministries. The Joshua Fund, basically, you could give $25, you could give $25,000. But, we have a team, and we’ve been doing it for 18 years, who are the believers. Have a lot of coffee with them. And I joke that “our number one line item in our budget is coffee and baklava.” Because you’re basically building relationships with Arab, Palestinian, Jewish, Messianic, Evangelical people all over the country and getting a sense, “All right, Lord, what are their needs, and are you asking the Joshua Fund to help, and if so, how much?” Humanitarian relief, discipleship, Bible colleges, Bible distribution, evangelism training, what…pastor encouragement and refreshment, expository teaching, how do you do it? All these different things. And that’s what the Joshua Fund funds. And humanitarian relief, of course, is a huge one, especially now. But over the last 18 years, Ed, I’m blown away by this. God has brought in more than $100 million through the Joshua Fund, all at like $10, $15, $20, $25, usually. And that’s, and we have learned to be good stewards, to invest in the local believers, yes, to be a blessing to unbelievers. But you start by strengthening the core, right? “Strengthening what remains,” Jesus says in one of the letters in Revelation. And so that’s what we do. And there’s no “Joshua Fund,” logo on our truck that delivers food or on the bags of food. All of it is delivered through the local Messianic and Evangelical congregations. They’re the local believers. They know the language, they know the culture. So they are the ones with the relationships. We don’t want to be a “brand,” in Israel. We’re behind-the-scenes to help our brothers and sisters. And that’s what the Joshua Fund does, as well as educate Christians all over the world, “What is going on in Israel and the regions and how should we be helping?” That’s mostly my side of it. And so I’ve been doing, I’m the one doing the educating of the church through all these different ways. And my wife and my sons and our team, thank God, it’s a great team. They’re the ones every day on the ground serving Israelis and Palestinians in the name of Jesus.
Pastor Ed Taylor:
Hey, thanks again for listening today’s episode. It was a special one. I hope you were encouraged. We didn’t because of the limitation of the radio program we didn’t have a lot of time, but the time that we did have was very fruitful. If you want more information on the ministry of Joel Rosenberg, you can go to his website, allisrael.com, allisrael.com, or joshuafund.com. Or email us, we can connect you with him and all that God is doing. But, appreciate your feedback. Your reviews. Share this podcast, it helps with the algorithm. And then tune in, we’ll get back into other topics next time.
Outro VO:
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Lead2Serve with Pastor Ed Taylor, a leadership podcast from Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado. If you have a leadership question you want to hear answered on a future Lead2Serve podcast, please email it to pastored@calvaryco.church
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anks again for joining us, and we’ll see you next time right here on the Lead to Serve podcast.
Israel, invasion, Hamas terrorists, anti-Semitism, compassion, Palestinian neighbors, spiritual significance, Gaza, hostage families, Israeli, Palestinian communities, Christians, love, enemies, spiritual awakening, Joshua Fund, ministry, believers, peacemaking, injustice, solidarity
