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.

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years.  And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.  And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. —Judges 2:7-10

One of the great tragedies in the Word of God is the story that unfolds in the book of Judges.  God fulfilled His promise to take the children of Israel to the land He had given to Abraham.  They saw miracle after miracle as God did the impossible to free them from Egypt and give them the victory over more powerful foes.

Moses trained Joshua to take his place and lead the people.  As long as Joshua and the people who served with him lived, the Israelites followed God.  But then a new generation came on the scene.  No one had passed on the knowledge of God to them.  And the people quickly turned away from God as a new group of leaders came on the scene.

The young people of today are the leaders of tomorrow.  If we want the to continue to stand with and for God’s Chosen People as those who came before us and those of our generation have done, we must reach them while there is still time.  That’s why the Ambassador Program is so important.  It is impossible to overstate the importance of passing the torch to the next generation.  And though this generation is young now, we must not underestimate what God is able to do through them as they learn to obey, trust, and follow Him.

The destiny of the nation of Israel—the things that are happening right now—can be traced back to my obedience when I was young.  God told me to go to Israel and meet with the Prime Minister.  There was no reason to think he would see me, but he did.  And it was on that trip that I met Benjamin Netanyahu, then a young man who had nothing to do with politics.

When I prayed over him and told him he would be the prime minister one day, he thought I was crazy.  His father called me a “moron” in Hebrew, not knowing that my mother was Jewish and I understood him.

Now we must reach the next generation.  When I was in Jerusalem with my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu recently, he gave the Ambassador Program his wholehearted endorsement.  We will be inviting young evangelical leaders from many nations to join us in Israel.  We are going to extend to them the call God gave to Abraham—to leave behind the ungodly world, adopt a biblical worldview and take a stand for Israel now and in the future…and to use their influence to encourage the next generation to join them in that stand.

This will be followed by online training, social media outreach, threat identification, and so much more.  The Ambassador Program will be the launch of the most important wave of support for Israel…a wave that will still be there long after you and I are gone.  It can be our eternal legacy.  

The greatest threat facing Israel right now may surprise you.  It’s not the Iranian nuclear program.  It’s not the Palestinian terrorists.  It’s not the United Nations or the International Criminal Court.  Each of those are a threat, but they are not the biggest threat.

The single biggest threat that Israel is facing, and may ever face, is demographics.

Right now almost two thirds of the people on the whole planet—more than five billion of them—are under the age of 40.  Why is that a threat?  It’s a threat because support for Israel is concentrated among older people.  For the younger generation…the majority of the planet…support for Israel is casual at best, and often opposition and condemnation of Israel is the default position.

There has been a concerted effort made over the past few years to turn the hearts and minds of young people away from supporting Israel.  Demonic principalities and powers have used the Internet and social media to spread lies about Israel and the Jewish people and convince the next generation that Israel does not deserve support…in fact, that the Jewish state does not even deserve to exist.

As you read this magazine today, a war against truth is being waged, delegitimizing Israel’s very right to exist.  The youth of our generation by and large have rejected a biblical worldview and are embracing the lie that Israel is an apartheid state robbing Palestinians of their homeland.  In the name of social justice, they are turning against Israel.

A shocking survey showed that 56% of Americans under 30 say they have an unfavorable view of Israel.  56%!!!!  These are the leaders of tomorrow.  What will happen if this trend continues?

Tragically, this is not just happening in the secular world, but it is happening even in the church as well.  Almost half of younger evangelical Christians do not have a positive view of Israel.  While the number among older Americans is still strong (nearly 80%) in support of Israel, the future is coming, and that is cause for alarm.

Years ago I spoke with then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington, D.C.  As we talked I asked him, “What is your eternal legacy?”  He was very concerned about his legacy on earth.  He hadn’t given any thought to what came next.  He said “Mike, no one has ever asked me that question.  I need time to think, come back in 90 days.”  He had a stroke not long after our first conversation and  was never able to answer the question.

Today however, is your chance to answer that same question—what is your eternal legacy—because you can be part of our Ambassador Program.  We are working hand in hand with the government of Israel to reach the next generation…and it’s going to be amazing.

This is your chance to leave an eternal legacy.  This is nothing less than a global effort to change the future and protect the future of Israel by reaching the next generation.

This is vital.  Do not think that the young are not important or that we can wait and see if they will change their opinion of Israel.  Many of the people in the Bible who had the greatest impact were in that same under-40 range when God first spoke to and worked through them.

• Daniel was a teenager when he was taken to Babylon
• The disciples were in their teens or early twenties when Jesus called them
• Esther was a teenager when she saved the nation
• Ruth was still in her twenties or early thirties when she chose to go to Israel with Naomi
• David was a teenager when he was anointed by Samuel and fought Goliath
• Joseph was a teenager when he had a vision for the future
• Mary was a teenager when Gabriel came to announce the birth of the Lord
• Jesus’ ministry here on earth ended when He was 33

Today we have an open door to reach the next Joseph, the next Esther, the next young person who will grow up with a vision to save God’s Chosen People and change the future of the entire world through the Ambassador Program.  And we must reach them because they are the target of a coordinated attack both with and without the church.  There are two major areas of attack on support for the Jewish people, and they are both aimed squarely at young people.

The BDS Movement

A demonic plot has been birthed in hell to destroy the nation of Israel—to literally bankrupt her and curse the nation. It is known as BDS: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. It is all about money. The plan is to turn worldwide public opinion against Israel, to isolate the Jewish nation and turn it into a pariah state which no one will be willing to defend. It is a “Curse Israel” movement.  And sadly, it is a fast growing and very popular movement.  Nowhere is this effort more effective than on college and university campuses across the country.

The BDS campaign officially started on July 9, 2005, when nearly 200 Palestinian organizations met together and called for a worldwide economic boycott to attempt to force concessions from Israel.  The main stated goals of BDS are to end the Israeli “occupation” of the Bible lands of Judea and Samaria, and the so-called “right of return” for Palestinians into Israel.

The unstated goal is much darker.  The Palestinians have repeatedly rejected the “two state” solution.  They do not want to live side by side with Israel in peace.  They want the Jewish state to be destroyed.  Some are more open about their aims than others, but the desired end result is the same.  The popular chant among Palestinian supporters (sadly, often heard here in the United States) goes like this: “Palestine must be free, from the river to the sea.”  Of course, the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is where Israel currently exists—those who join in this chant are calling for nothing less than the complete and total end of Israel.

Many young people here in the United States have accepted the propaganda that the Palestinians are an oppressed people, who are occupied by a foreign power.  This false portrayal of events shapes the way news is reported, and it shapes the way people think.  Often people say they want a two state solution, without remembering that 1948 offered a two state solution, which was rejected by the Arabs and Palestinians who immediately launched a war to destroy Israel.  They did not want peace then, and a great majority do not want peace now.

Many Christians are shocked to find out their church or denomination is actively working against the interests of the Jewish state…but sadly it’s all too true.  On one of my trips to Israel, I met with six leading pastors from the United States who are part of this movement. I could not comprehend the venom exploding from their mouths. I would have sworn they would have made wonderful pastors in the days of Adolf Hitler. As heartbreaking as it is to admit, this is precisely what happened in Nazi Germany before Hitler ushered in the Holocaust.

The anti-Semitic movement that was gaining momentum in Germany at that time did not employ guns or tanks. It was all done in the name of social justice, and Jews were the scapegoats. Unfortunately, the Church was part of it then and is part of it now.

Replacement Theology

There was a time when support for Israel among almost all American evangelical denominations was a given.  Today, especially among young Christians, that support can no longer be assumed.  The evangelical churches are currently following the footsteps of the mainline Protestant denominations.  When Israel was reborn in 1948, there was widespread support.  But over time that was worn away.

The combination of a carefully crafted propaganda campaign and a false doctrine known as Replacement Theology undermined support for Israel…and tragically that pattern is repeating itself. What we today call “replacement theology,” or “supersessionism,” is a doctrine that has filtered down through the centuries to the modern church. Replacement theology feeds anti-Semitism through ignorance and lack of understanding. For instance, the Jews were labeled “Christ killers” because of the crucifixion. This led to attacks of every imaginable nature being launched against them. They have constantly faced lack, banishment, attacks, or the threat of eradication. I believe any theological idea that separates Christians from their Jewish roots is unscriptural, with the practical result being that it stunts their spiritual understanding and growth.

Supersessionism is defined as: The theological concept that because the vast majority of Jews in the first century did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, God unilaterally terminated His covenants with the Jewish people and transferred them to the followers of Christianity. It relegates Judaism to an inferior position and recognizes Christianity as the “true” or “spiritual” Israel. Replacement theology rejects the concept that the promises God made to Israel are for this present hour; that instead, they were canceled at Calvary. As a result, this doctrine contends, these promises now fall to the church, which has replaced Israel. The absurdity of this dogma is that if Christian leaders believe God ended His promises to the Jewish people, they must also believe He might revoke His promises to them as well!

This doctrine was widely accepted within the church by the fourth century and has led to a great deal of persecution of Jews by Christians. Some Protestant reformers, however, began to question this practice by the end of the 1500s. Replacement theology, like other misconceptions, rears its head from time to time in an attempt to disavow the relevance of Israel. Although the Catholic Church reversed its stance on replacement theology in the 20th century, many conservative Protestant groups still subscribe to this doctrine.

Embracing replacement theology has led to rampant anti-Semitism in some Christian churches. Jews have continuously faced lack, banishment, violence, or the threat of eradication.  This devious doctrine propagates the age-old practice of blaming the Jews for the world’s ills, weighing them in the balance and finding them wanting. It also frees these misled believers from their responsibility to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all whom He came to seek and to save, including the Jewish people.

The primary target for the anti-Israel crowd is the 18-to-30 generation—the millennials—all too ready and willing to depart from the literalism of the Bible and verses such as Genesis 12:3 which states, “I will bless those that bless you [Israel], and curse him that curses you.”   Rallying behind Palestinians is today a politically correct way of hating Israel and assisting those who seek her obliteration. Israel is a lightning rod for worldwide anti-Semitism. Rather than attack a Jew, anti-Semites now attack the collective Jew, Israel, while hiding behind the cloak of what passes as social justice.

This campaign aimed at American churches, and especially young people is funded by people who are no friends of Israel.  George Soros, business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and political activist has long ridden the anti-Israel train. He is known for his anti-Semitism and support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Through the Telos Group, founded and funded by Soros, many people are given carefully crafted tours of Israel and Palestinian lands, designed to reinforce the notion that Israel is the villain and Palestinians are the victims.  Other well-funded groups like the New Israel Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund pour vast sums into the campaign to isolate and demonize Israel.

Liberals have a difficult time seeing moral issues clearly because most are moral relativists. They reject absolute standards of good and evil or right and wrong. In their worldview, man is capable of perfection, human nature is on a path towards enlightenment, and the concept of original sin is primitive. These humanists reinvented Arafat as a peacemaker and gave him the facade of a freedom fighter, not a terrorist. In their eyes, those who blow up Jews are driven to such acts because of injustice and provocation. The victims of these crimes are seen as the source of the problem, while terrorists are seen as the innocent and exploited. Victims are demonized and murderers are glorified

In this age of moral relativism, political correctness, fear of offending others, self-justification, and liberalism, we too often sympathize with the murderer and blame the victim; we point fingers at the rape victim and make excuses for the rapist; we blame the innocent for the attacks that kill and maim while the attackers simply become “freedom fighters.”  And today’s young people—tomorrow’s leaders—are being fed a steady diet of these lies to turn them against Israel and the Jewish people. 

US Ambassador, Mike Huckabee

It was our honor and privilege to host the official welcome event for Ambassador Mike Huckabee as he begins his work in Israel.  His strong commitment to supporting the Jewish people is well known, and he has wasted no time in publicly standing with Israel in this time of crisis.  It is a blessing and an answer to prayer to have this good and godly man in this vital position in a time of prophetic crisis.

We have welcomed Governor Huckabee to your Friends of Zion Center before, and now we were able to honor Ambassador Huckabee–a true Friend of Zion.

Max Lucado, Pastor, Oak Hills Church

“I asked the Lord today to give you good gifts; gifts of wisdom, gifts of stamina, the gift of discernment and the gift of faith.  May the Lord bless you.  May He keep you.  May He stabilize you.  May He energize you.  All the very best.”

Robert Jeffress, Pastor, First Baptist Church Dallas

“You understand perhaps better than anyone that Israel is the only nation in the world uniquely created by God, for the glory of God, with a promise of endurance by God.”

Clint Pressley, President, Southern Baptist Convention

“I want you to know that we are thankful for your leadership, and we’re thankful for all that you stand for.  We will be praying for you and thanking God that He’s going to use you in such great ways in this new position.  Congratulations and God bless you.”

A recent survey showed a majority of young people in America—54% in one survey—favor abolishing Israel and giving all the land to Hamas.

Only nine countries voted with Israel at the United Nations against the resolution to move forward with Palestinian statehood.  Imagine much of the Holy City, including the most sacred sites of both Christianity and Judaism, under control of radical Islamists.  The Palestinians demand Jerusalem as their capital, and that is what most of the world just voted to support.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders on the false charge of genocide and war crimes. He is equating Israel’s defense of itself and its people with the Hamas terrorists who attacked them.

The charges are completely false.  Israel is not starving the people in Gaza.  They have put in over half a million tons of food and medicine.  Food prices in Gaza have actually declined!  That’s not what happens when people are starving.

The sad truth is that 80% of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) support the October 7 attack.  If they are given a state, it will reward the evil of terrorism and ensure further attacks on innocent Jewish people.  Rewarding terrorism will never bring peace—only more war and bloodshed in the future.

The Jewish people are more alone than they have been at any time since the Holocaust.  The United States is foolishly turning its back on Israel.  The Biden Administration even held up arms shipments vital to Israel’s struggle to survive.

While I was in Israel on my most recent trip, family members of the hostages wept in my arms. They were saying, “We love America.  Why is America turning her back on us and siding with our enemies?”

What America is doing right now is sending a message —not just to Hamas but to terrorists around the world— that we will not stand firm against them.  Our weakness is encouraging them to strike—not just at Israel, but here in our own country.  Just 19 radical Islamist terrorists shook our country on 9/11, and we must stop this evil before it happens again.

This turn away from Israel will bring a Genesis 12:3 curse on America like nothing we have experienced before.  I don’t want to see that happen. I don’t want the country where my children and grandchildren live to fall under God’s curse.

And I’m writing to you today because America’s support of Israel is crumbling as never before. As the war has gone on and the liberal media lies spread—blaming Israel for the murder of innocent Jewish people—more and more people are speaking out publicly against America standing with Israel.

When David walked into the Valley of Elah to face Goliath he asked, “Is there not a cause?”  Today God has given us the great cause of defending and blessing His Chosen People.  Your generous gift for the Jerusalem Prayer Team is your declaration that you have heard God’s voice and are responding. Please let me hear from you right away so that this vital outreach can continue.  God bless you.