Forty-five years ago, God directed me to go to Israel…without telling me why. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I was supposed to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, which was ridiculous. I didn’t know anyone on his staff, and there was no reason to expect the leader of the Jewish state to meet with a completely unknown minister of the Gospel from America.

But the Spirit of God had spoken to me through the wonderful promise of Isaiah 43:19 about the new thing He was going to do in my life. I was at a very low point then, suffering from a serious medical condition that made it very difficult for me to speak and minister to others. I even considered leaving the ministry and finding something else to do. But God was about to replace my desert with springs of water that flowed freely.

In obedience, I made the trip. Through a series of contacts that could only have been the result of divine intervention, I eventually did meet with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in his office on June 30, 1980. That was my birthday. After a few moments of small talk, he asked why I had come to see him. Of course, since God hadn’t told me, I couldn’t tell him! So I changed the subject as best I could.

After that happened a couple of times, he pressed the point. Reluctantly, I told him God sent me, but hadn’t told me why. I was so embarrassed, but I didn’t know what else to say! The Prime Minister laughed and said to his secretary, “Shake hands with him—you’ve finally met an honest man!” After we talked a little while longer, Mr. Begin told me that when I found out the reason I was supposed to meet with him, I should come back and see him again. I promised him that I would and left his office.

July 4th was the anniversary of the death of Yonathan Netanyahu in the daring raid that freed more than 100 Israeli hostages from the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. As I read the story in the newspaper that morning, the Spirit of God led me to go to the family home and express my condolences. It was on that visit that I met Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time, beginning a friendship that has lasted for decades.

That day as I prayed over him, I prophesied that one day he would be the prime minister of Israel. He was still in his twenties and not involved in politics at all—he laughed. But it was the Spirit of God speaking. On July 5th I met with Menachem Begin again. I told him I had met the prime minister the day before. He said, “You’re mistaken, we met on the 30th.” I told him it was the future prime minister, and asked him to give Benjamin Netanyahu his first political position, which he did.

On that second visit, I also told him that God had revealed His purpose for my trip—to build a bridge between Christians and Jews. With a laugh he asked, “Like the Brooklyn Bridge?” “A bridge of love and understanding,” I replied. “Then let’s build it together,” he said. And for the rest of his life, I had the privilege of working with Mr. Begin and being his closest Christian friend. The great worldwide prayer movement of the Jerusalem Prayer Team was born that day in the Holy City in the office of the leader of the Jewish state.

I was unable to protect my mother from the abuse she suffered at my father’s hands. It is no wonder that she thought Christians hated Jews. In addition to my church-going dad getting drunk and beating her on a regular basis, she lost many members of her family to the Holocaust. Her grandfather was burned to death inside his synagogue in what is now Belarus as those outside celebrated while shouting “Christ-killers!”

When I was just four years old, I was watching cartoons on television one morning. When that program ended, they began airing a Billy Graham special. My mother quickly came in and turned off the television. She told me, “Christians hate Jews. Christians kill Jews. Jesus is dead. Don’t dig him up.” So many Jewish people have never seen an act of love and compassion from a Believer, and we are working hard to change that.

Our first major public event was held in Dallas, Texas, with Jerusalem’s mayor at the time (and later prime minister), Ehud Olmert. Christians from around the country gathered and committed their support to the Jewish state. It was a powerful beginning. Over the years God has opened more and more doors for us to work in defense of His Chosen People.

I had no idea what God had in mind when we started out. I certainly was the last person anyone who knew me would have expected to be meeting world leaders and speaking to thousands on behalf of Israel. I was terrified to speak in public because I stuttered so badly. My life was gripped by fears, and I had horrible ulcers. I didn’t have any hope—but when God has a plan for us, He equips us to do the work to which He calls us.

When He makes a new way, no one can oppose His plan. No physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental opposition can overcome His mighty power. “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8).

God has given us unique favor with the state of Israel like no other Christian ministry has ever had. A large part of that is the relationship we have developed with the Netanyahu family—and before we talk about God’s next step for us, the Ambassador Program, it is worth taking the time to look back at the role these remarkable people have played in the creation and survival of the modern Jewish state.

Opinion: With hundreds of millions of supporters worldwide, Christian Zionists have shaped Israel’s modern history from early restorationist theology to political advocacy and remain a powerful force in global backing for the Jewish state

By Dr. Mike Evans

The power behind Israel’s global support

Israel has utilized all of its resources to unite Jewish Zionists. But it is very important for Israel to place a higher priority on Christian Zionists.

Over 700 million people globally are Christian Zionists. As shocking as it is to admit, the vast majority of Zionists in the world are not Jewish.

Christian Zionists believe that the return of the Jewish people to Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of prophecy. Christian Zionists may differ on their political views, but not on their biblical views. The one scripture that unites them all is Genesis 12:1–3, which ends with the promise to Abraham: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee.”

For millions of Christians around the world, support for Israel is not merely political — it is deeply rooted in biblical conviction and historical faith.

Netanyahu’s acknowledgment of Christian Zionism

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it this way:

“Christian Zionists made Jewish Zionism possible. It’s hard for me to conceive of the emergence of the Jewish state, the re-emergence of the Jewish state, without the support of Christian Zionists in the United States, also in Britain, but the main thrust was in the United States in the 19th century. So Christian Zionism facilitated the rise and success of Jewish Zionism, and it’s been an enormous partnership since then.”

Netanyahu’s own family history reflects this partnership between Christian and Jewish Zionists.

In his late father’s home growing up, he saw a silver cup that said, “Dedicated to my beloved godson Jonathan.” The cup was from John Henry Patterson, a Christian Zionist who led the first Jewish fighting force in 2,000 years called the Mule Brigade. Yes, Jonathan Netanyahu was named after a Christian Zionist, John Patterson.

The forgotten origins of Christian Zionism

Yet despite its enormous influence on modern Israel, the story of Christian Zionism remains largely unknown.

In 1844, the ten Boom family in Holland began a prayer meeting based upon Psalm 122:6: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee.” The prayer meeting lasted weekly for 100 years. It ended when the family was taken to concentration camps for saving 800 Jews in their clock shop.

Long before political Zionism emerged, many Christians already believed the Jewish people would return to their ancient homeland.

When the name George H. W. Bush or George W. Bush pops up in the news or in conversations, we immediately think of the 41st or 43rd President of the United States, but not an ancestor of the two presidents who was a Bible scholar and Presbyterian pastor who taught Hebrew and Oriental literature at New York University.

Bush wrote The Valley of Vision; or, The Dry Bones of Israel in 1844, based on Ezekiel 37. Bush believed the Hebrew language would be revived, the Jewish people would return to the land of Israel, and the nation itself would one day be reborn. His book sold 1 million copies before the Civil War.

Christian Zionists who helped shape Jewish statehood

By the late 19th century, Christian Zionist advocacy had moved from theology into political action.

In 1878, 12 years before Theodor Herzl initiated the Zionist movement, Laurence Oliphant began petitioning for a Jewish national homeland in Palestine.

His secretary, Naftali Herz Imber, was a Jewish poet who published a collection of poems including “Our Hope.” He dedicated the book to his friend. Yes, “Our Hope” later became the national anthem of the State of Israel.

Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross and the first Nobel Peace Prize winner, was asked by Herzl to accompany him to the First World Zionist Congress. Herzl referred to him as a Christian Zionist, marking the first known use of the term. Dunant also helped found the YMCA and played a key role in the establishment of the Geneva Convention.

William Eugene Blackstone established the Blackstone Memorial, gathering signatures from some of the most prominent leaders in America for the establishment of a Jewish state in 1891.

Some of the 431 signers included John D. Rockefeller, Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed, Cyrus McCormick, senators, Supreme Court justices and even President Benjamin Harrison.

Blackstone later sent his Bible to Theodor Herzl with all the prophecies concerning the land of Israel marked because he heard Herzl was considering Uganda or Argentina as the homeland for the Jewish state.

The legacy continues today

When I built the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, I realized that man’s ability to confront evil is determined by the inspiration he draws from his heroes and history. I have written 120 books attempting to educate people on history and heroes.

That same partnership between Christian and Jewish Zionists continues today.

The battle Israel is fighting is not being fought alone. Bible-believing Christians are on the front lines, speaking loudly.