Our Guest Jonathan Bernis
SID: So the question that a lot of you were asking, Jonathan, why should believers care about Israel? Why? I mean, it’s just another nation. That’s what many say.
JONATHAN: Right, but that’s not what the Bible says. So two reasons: One, the debt of responsibility when we realize that the salvation of the nations, the salvation of everyone watching is the result of the obedience of the first Jewish believers that took the Gospel around the world, including the Apostle Paul who was a Jewish rabbi. But the other is the future forward, Sid, life from the dead. Paul says, “If their rejection brought you salvation, what’s going to happen when they come back?” And by the way, he talks about the responsibility of every Christian to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy. Because of the rejection, salvation has come through to them with the responsibility to provoke them to jealousy.” So the greatest blessing that you can give a Jewish person, of course, is the Gospel, to pray for them, to proclaim, to share your faith with them and to bring them into the Kingdom of God. And then Paul says, “Life from the dead, the result of their return will bring life from the dead.” So if you want your family saved, if you want your city saved, if you want your nation saved, if you want to see the world saved, it’s the Jewish people coming back, it’s the catalyst to release that revival.
SID: And that’s the word that I’m hearing also, “catalyst”. There is a catalyst in the last days. There was a spark at the first coming of the Messiah and it was salvation and was through the Jew. And I believe that just before Messiah returns there will be a great revival in Israel, there will be Jewish people that will be ablaze with the fire of God.
JONATHAN: Absolutely.
SID: In fact, what does Joel say about that?
JONATHAN: Well Joel talks about this final day. And Sid, I don’t believe it’s far in the future. It started already and I have lots of stories about Jewish people in the Land of Israel, ultra-Orthodox rabbis being saved. I have great stories about Jews that have been scattered to other nations. We’ve seen an incredible revival in Russia. That’s part of the last days’ revival that’s grown. There’s going to be this crescendo and every believer is called to be part of it. That’s what Joel is talking about. The outpouring of the Spirit in the last days, it’s going to overshadow every other revival in history including Pentecost. And we get to be part of it, Sid.
SID: There is such a presence of God on what we’re talking about because this is so close to God’s heart at this moment that you understand this. This is why we have Project 77. This is why we are mailing books to Jewish people throughout North America, the former Soviet, close to three million, Jonathan we have mailed now. And now we’re mailing, under Project 77, to millennials because for the first time there’s a segment of the Jewish society that is so open to the Gospel. The latest Barna Poll said 21 percent of Jewish millennials already believe in the deity of Jesus. You know, Jonathan, this travail opened up one of the greatest ministries I know of to reach Jewish people. This travail opened up. I preached thousands of Jewish people over the last few years. When we come back, could you pray a prayer of impartation because I know when he prays people start moving into this travail. It’s going to change your life. We’ll be right back.
