In 1844, Willem ten Boom started holding a prayer meeting for the Jewish people at his home in Haarlem in the Netherlands.  His family home was also his place of business, a watch shop.  The tradition of making and repairing clocks and watches was passed on to his son Caspar.  So was the tradition of praying for God’s Chosen People.  Long before World War II began, the ten Boom family were noted for their love and generosity to the Jewish people.

When the Nazis began deporting Jews to the death camps, the ten Boom family opened their home, risking their lives to provide the famous Hiding Place.  Today that home and watch shop in the Netherlands is owned and operated as a museum by our ministry.  We are doing everything that we can to keep this vital story from being forgotten.

In 1944, the ten Boom prayer meeting came to an end when the Gestapo raided the home, arresting Caspar ten Boom, his daughters Betsie and Corrie, and his son Willem.  Because Caspar was 84 years of age, they offered to let him go if he would promise to stop helping and hiding Jewish people.  He refused, saying, “It would be the greatest honor of my life to die for God’s Chosen People.”  Two weeks later he passed away and was buried in an unmarked grave.

Betsie also died in a prison camp, but Corrie ten Boom survived Ravensbrück—released through a “clerical error” not long before all the prisoners in the camp were killed.  She traveled around the world telling the story of her family.  I had the privilege of meeting her in Texarkana many years ago.  I did not know who she was, but saw her carrying her luggage into a hotel and went across the street to help.  We shared a meal together, and I was able to tell her my family story and listen to her firsthand account of all that she endured.

Today we are carrying on in the spirit of love for the Jewish people that motivated the ten Boom family to risk and sacrifice so much.  We are continuing that 100-year prayer meeting.  The Jerusalem Prayer Team has united millions of Believers together to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the protection of Israel.  The largest prayer army in the history of the world has its headquarters at your Friends of Zion Center located just 600 meters from the Temple Mount in the Holy City.

From this place we are not just praying, but like the ten Booms did we are putting feet to our prayers.  We are delivering food to thousands of poor Holocaust survivors each week.  We are welcoming those who have suffered injury and loss in terrorist attacks to help them heal.  We are hosting elderly Holocaust survivors as they come to the Holy City, showing them Christian love in a way most of them have never experienced.  We are bringing all the members of the IDF—the Israel Defense Forces—to the Friends of Zion Museum as part of their training.

The list goes on and on.  But it is all made possible by the generous support of friends like you…Friends of Zion who are truly making a difference.  Thank you so much for being part of this vital ministry, and for all you are doing for the sake of God’s Chosen People.

”Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” – Corrie Ten Boom

At a crucial moment in the history of the nation of Israel, God gave a vision to the prophet Isaiah.  After a long and peaceful reign, King Uzziah had died, and the people were very uncertain about the future.  They did not know what was coming, and they needed to hear from the Lord.

The call that Isaiah heard and answered—“whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”—is not a one-time call.  God is still asking that question, and you and I need to give the same answer that Isaiah did: “Hineni.”  When we say “Here am I, send me,” we are accepting a challenge and a commission that has life-changing consequences.

I know because I experienced this first-hand.  I heard this call of God at a very difficult time in my life.  I was struggling to find direction and purpose, knowing that something needed to change, but I was completely unable to see what I should do.

Then God called me to go to Israel and meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

After decades of ministry to and with and for the Jewish people, it is easy to take for granted today the relationships I have with the leaders of the nation.  Back then, however, there was none of that.  There was no reason to expect anything from my obedience except mockery.  Friends told me I was delusional.  The idea that the prime minister of Israel would meet with an unknown minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from America who had no connections, no influence, and no particular following was beyond human belief.

I ignored the doubters and the skeptics 

and my own fears, and went to Israel because I heard the call of God and said “Hineni.”  

Everything in my life and ministry changed as a result of that trip.  God miraculously opened doors, and I found myself sitting in the office of Prime Minister Menachem Begin…and a door to minister to bless God’s Chosen People in ways I had never imagined before opened.  Please understand this vital truth: Everything that we are doing—the Friends of Zion Museum, the outreaches to feed hungry Holocaust survivors, and the new Friends of Zion Ambassador Institute we are working to launch—is the direct result of that one single moment of obedience.

I am sharing my heart and my vision with you because you are such a dear partner to me as a member of the Jerusalem Prayer Team.  The work that we are doing together is having a huge impact in Israel and all around the globe, and I want you to know not only how God is using us today, but what He has in store for us tomorrow.

The story that you and I are part of—the fight for Israel’s future—did not begin in our day, and the response that we must make does not begin with us.  The willingness to respond to God’s call goes back through the centuries.  It is the call that was answered by Abraham…and Moses…and David…and Nehemiah…and by so many others.  It is a call to service, to commitment, to sacrifice.  It is a call to accept the anointing of God for His work.

Living in the Anointing

The rebellion of King Saul led God to make a choice: to choose a young man named David to lead His Chosen People.  God sent the aged prophet Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the next king over Israel because He knew that while David was not perfect, he was set on following God’s heart as a guide for his steps.

Understand this: the anointing oil that Samuel poured on David’s head would have served no purpose if David had spent the rest of his life tending his father’s sheep.  He had to live in that anointing, and he had to do it even when those around him did not believe he was worthy.

To see how David was viewed by others, return in your mind with me to the day the prophet Samuel showed up in Bethlehem.  To avoid the wrath of Saul, Samuel had taken a sacrifice with him so that it would look like a normal religious observance, but the purpose of his trip was to find the man who would replace Saul.

When Jesse was told to bring his sons and present them to Samuel, he didn’t bother to call David in from the field!  I know what it is like to be disrespected by my father.  For most of my life, he hated me and held me in contempt.  It was only late in his life that I finally heard words of approval and blessing from his lips.  The opinion of his father didn’t stop David from becoming what God wanted him to be.  (The opinions of others don’t have to stop you either!)

David had to believe in his anointing even when no one else did.  When Jesse sent David to take food to his older brothers who were fighting in Israel’s army, they did not welcome him.  In fact, they accused him of deserting his responsibilities just to see the fighting.  When the giant Goliath came forth and challenged the Israelites to battle, while the others cowered in fear, David wanted to fight.  They mocked him for his youthful zeal, not realizing yet how God planned to use his life.

When David was brought before Saul, the king had no confidence in his ability to face the giant, but David knew something that mattered far more than the opinions of men: he knew God had placed him in that spot for a purpose.  He confidently strode out onto the field of battle with nothing but a sling for a weapon.

Goliath laughed and mocked the young shepherd.  He believed he had nothing to fear, but David said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).  David killed the giant, and Israel won a great victory over the Philistines.  It all happened because David was living in the anointing—even before the results became apparent to anyone else.

Over and over throughout his life, David would have to continue to believe his anointing.  He had to believe it when Saul was trying to kill him, and he was running for his life.  He had to believe it when the nation was divided, and many did not accept his leadership after the death of Saul.  He had to believe it when his own son Absalom turned against him.

Long before he became a king, David thought like a king.  He fought like a king and led like a king and carried himself like a king.  Why?  Because he was arrogant?  No!  Because he was anointed!  When we believe the anointing and do not allow anyone’s opinions to contradict the leading of God, we can do great things for Him just as David did.  Today, God is calling you and me to live in His anointing and be part of the deliverance of His Chosen People from destruction.

“But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.”
—Psalm 92:10

Why the Ambassador Institute Matters so Much

We are running full speed ahead with the launch of the Ambassador Institute as our answer to the increasing threats facing Israel.  God has called us to raise up, train, equip, and motivate thousands of leaders in the fight for Israel’s future.  We are going to bring together a great host of Believers across the globe to stand in the gap for Israel and the Jewish people.

That is what the Ambassador Institute is all about.  I have been standing for Israel and calling Believers together for this great cause for decades.  Often, I have been the only Christian minister at gatherings of world leaders who was willing to take a stand for the Jewish people and Bible prophecy.  The threats are great, and they are growing.

God has spoken to my heart that one ambassador is not enough.  There must be thousands of ambassadors in every country who support the nation of Israel.  The Ambassador Institute will find, enlist, instruct, equip, and inspire these future leaders.  We will train them in what they need to know, and we will anoint them to carry the work of leading the fight for the sake of God’s Chosen People.

God has blessed us greatly by making it possible for us to purchase the buildings that will be home to this wonderful new outreach.  We are working on developing the content and delivery systems that will bring the Ambassador Institute to life.  All of this is taking place even as we continue to reach out in Christian love to meet the needs of poor Holocaust survivors and Jewish orphans and stand with and for the Jewish people.  This is the most vital cause of our day.  This is God’s calling on our lives.  We must not fail to hear and answer.

“For Such a Time as This”

Everything we are doing together through the Jerusalem Prayer Team is for the fulfillment of prophecy.  Right now, the battle of the ages between light and darkness is being waged before our eyes.  The battle over Israel’s future is a spiritual battle.  It is a conflict between good and evil that has been fought through the centuries of human history.  Today, it is our turn to join this fight.
We are not observers!  We are participants…and the only way this battle can be won is if God’s people hear His call and make the choice to stand in the gap and defend God’s Chosen People from destruction.

If we do not say “Hineni” now, it will soon be too late.

Don’t think for a second that what is happening and the coordinated attacks against Israel right now are a coincidence.  Demonic spirits are at work.  We are not fighting against flesh and blood.  The only hope for the future is if we respond in the spirit realm in faith and obedience.  Do you believe in God’s call for your life today?  Do you believe that we are called to anoint thousands of Davids who will lead the fight in coming days?  Will you say “Hineni” today?  

Today as I was looking back at my life, I remembered the only dream I had when I was a boy—to live to be 20.  I didn’t think I would make it that long.  I had a speech impediment.  I had an ulcer.  I was afraid of everything.  My dad abused me horribly.  I didn’t see any hope for the future.  My classmates at school laughed at me when I said that my dream was to be 20, but I meant it…I just never thought it would come true.

I was 11 years old the night I tried to defend my mother from my father’s abuse.  In response, he strangled me and left me for dead in our home.  That was the night everything changed in my life…that was the night I saw the Lord face to face.

I saw those amazing eyes, smiling, with every color of the rainbow in them.  And I could see eternity through those eyes.  I saw the nail scars—not in the palms, but high in the wrist.  And I heard the most amazing words I had never heard in my life before.  The first one was, “Son.”  My father never called me that.  The second one was, “I love you.”  My father never told me that.  And the third one was, “I have a great plan for your life.”

From that moment on, I have dreamed, not of surviving, but of fulfilling God’s purpose for my life.  And I want you to know how grateful I am to Him for bringing you into my life and for you being part of the amazing work to defend Israel that is the Jerusalem Prayer Team.

You are my family.  I don’t know if you truly realize how much I mean that, but I do with all my heart.  Everything God has done through me and this ministry He has been done also through you, my beloved partner.

Today God has directed me to speak His Word over your life regarding your dreams.  I’ve got a jar of mustard seeds on my desk right now that came from Israel.  Mustard seeds are amazing—really small—and Jesus said that just that tiny amount of faith would be able to move mountains.
What are you dreaming about today?  Does the world tell you your dream is impossible?  Do sincere friends tell you it can’t happen?  Are you about to give up?

DON’T STOP DREAMING!  
DON’T EVER GIVE UP 
ON YOUR DREAMS!

Nothing is impossible with God.  No disease is incurable.  No relationship is beyond healing.  No financial need is insurmountable.  No child or grandchild is beyond God’s deliverance.  No dream that God places in your heart is over as long as you live.

I could fill a book with stories, but let me share just one with you to show you how God can bring dreams to reality.  In July of 1980, I met with Prime Minister Menachem Begin in his office in Jerusalem.  The meeting itself was a miracle.  There was no reason for the leader of the Jewish state to meet with an unknown Gospel minister from America.  But God opened the door, and the meeting happened.

He asked me, “Why did you come?” three times in a half hour.  I repeated the question instead of answering it.  When he insisted, I finally said, “I don’t know.  I know God sent me, but He didn’t tell me why.”  Mr. Begin laughed and said, “You’re an honest man.  You believe God sent you but you don’t know why.   Shake my hand.  I finally met an honest man.  When God tells you why come back and tell me.”  That was on my birthday, June 30, 1980.

By the time I left Israel to come home, I had met Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time on July 4th, 1980, told him that he would one day be Prime Minister of Israel (he laughed because he wasn’t in politics back then) and on July 5th, I asked Mr. Begin to give Benjamin Netanyahu his first position in the government, which he did.

That day I also told the Prime Minister that God wanted me to build a bridge between Bible-believing Christians and Jews and the world headquarters would be in Jerusalem—a place where true Christian love could be shown to the whole House of Israel in an unmistakable way.  Many years passed, and though that dream never left my heart, it didn’t seem like it was getting any closer to becoming reality.
I never gave up on that dream though.  Jesus told me when I was 11, “I have a great plan for your life,” and I knew Israel was that plan.  My call is to pastor the nation of Israel.

But God was working in his timing, and in 2012, He opened the door for us to purchase the building that is now home to the Friends of Zion Museum, and the first building on what became our Friends of Zion Center campus.  This wonderful facility, located just 600 meters from the Temple Mount, is a lighthouse of Christian love brighter than anything since the first century.  It is an embassy where the nation of Israel and the nations of the world gather.

I knew that for the Friends of Zion Center to reach its full potential, we would need to establish credibility with the people of Israel.  God laid it on my heart to reach out to Shimon Peres, the ninth president of Israel and ask him to serve as our international chairman.

I’ll never forget what he told me.  “Mike, my staff didn’t want me to work with you, so they investigated you.  One of the things they found out that you were named after your great-grandfather, Rabbi Michael Katz-Nelson.  But here’s what you don’t know.  My hero in everything, I did in my life was my grandfather, Rabbi Metzner.  He was my Talmud teacher before we moved to Israel.”

“He was my hero…but he also had a hero—and it was your great-grandfather!  He was the cantor in the synagogue where your great-grandfather was the rabbi.  Both of them were burnt to death with 2,000 other Jews locked in the wooden synagogue in Vishnef, Belarus.  You and I are family.  We both go back to that wooden synagogue.  We are partners.”

I had the privilege of working with President Peres until he passed away.  That was a miracle that could only have happened because God scripted it and made it happen.  And He did that so that the dream He had placed in my heart decades before could come to life.  Twenty-five world leaders have now received the Friends of Zion Award that Shimon Peres commissioned, including President Trump when I presented it to him in the Oval Office.

Now God is opening a new door for us—the fulfillment of a dream.  When we opened the Friends of Zion Center in 2015, on the wall was the name Ambassador Institute.  We’ve been pursuing that dream through setbacks and delays, through COVID and wars, and now God is bringing it to pass!