ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry

Why Israel? | Teaser | TBN What if the story of Israel is really a story about God’s love for all of us?   What does God’s enduring covenant with the land and people of Israel mean for our faith today?   Join Dr. Erez Soref in Why Israel? Season 1 from One for Israel, as he travels across the Land of the Bible to uncover God’s lasting covenant with His people. From the wedding at Cana to the Mount of Olives, you’ll see how every promise and prophecy points to Yeshua (Jesus), the Bridegroom who’s coming back for His bride.   Join us for the season premiere Saturday November 8th | 9:30 Eastern - 8:30 Central - 7:30 Pacific New episodes will be released each week on Saturdays and Tuesdays.    Filmed on location in Israel, this series connects the story of the Jewish people with the hope and faith we share in the Messiah.

Shabbat Shalom!

In this conversation, we explore why the return of Jesus should bring hope, not fear. While no one knows the exact day or hour, Scripture calls us to stay ready, remain faithful, and make the most of the time and opportunities God has given us!

What to know! -The concept of a Messiah is not foreign at all to Orthodox Jews, with the Lubavitcher Rabbi, Menachem Schneerson, being one of the more popular ones (even though he fulfilled very few of the messianic prophecies). -There are about 30,000 Messianic Jewish believers in Israel, where there are just over 9 million people, about 7 million of which are Jewish. However the number of believers who follow Jesus in secret may be much higher. -Observing Jewish (oral) law is far more important to Orthodox Jews than to other Jews. In fact, nearly eight-in-ten Orthodox Jews (79%) say observing Jewish law is “essential” to what being Jewish means to them, compared with just 19% among Jews overall. -Jews who accept Yeshua as their Messiah often become outcasts, sometimes with their family going so far as to pray the “Kadish” over them, a prayer said for those who have passed away. It is not unusual for Jewish believers to keep their faith in Jesus secret – even from family members. How to Pray? -Pray for protection around those that decide to follow Yeshua. -Pray for this family – that they would all be saved! -Pray for Jewish believers to have the boldness to talk about faith with others -Pray that all Israel, regardless of background, may be saved!

Will you end up with the mark of God on your forehead in the end, or the “mark of the beast”? A few years ago, an American woman auctioned off her forehead to the highest bidder. Karolyne Smith accepted $10,000 to have a tattoo of “GoldenPalace.com” etched onto her forehead forever. The company’s payout for a lifetime of advertising was made all the more lucrative by the media attention generated by such a ridiculous enterprise.  “The problem with face tattoos is there is no coming back from one,” says tattoo artist, Kevin Paul. “Having face tattoos myself, I know how people look at you and judge you differently. I personally wouldn’t have it done if I could go back again.” There’s just no hiding it. Our foreheads are about the most prominent part of our whole body – the polar opposite to the “unpresentable parts” as 1 Corinthians 12 calls them – the parts we treat with greater honor and protect with greater modesty. Your forehead, on the other hand, is just right out there, whether you like it or not. In the Bible the forehead is often a metaphor for brazenness or boldness, but it also has connotations of identity and decided destiny. Click here to read more: oneforisrael.org/brass-or-fl…

We've witnessed something remarkable: Muslims who come to faith in Yeshua and discover a new love for the Jewish people. It's a powerful reminder that God's work in the human heart can transform even deeply rooted attitudes! Click here to watch more: youtu.be/O8yYx-Xj7Wk

“Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people” (Psa 113:5-8). Biblical allusions bring with them the theological freight of the passages they invoke. Psalm 113:5-9 cites, nearly word for word, Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 (vv. 2, 5, 7-8). Hannah’s prayer not only sets the stage for David’s rise in 1-2 Samuel, but its horizon extends beyond David to the exalted Messianic King who will establish God’s kingdom (1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 22:51; 23:1). It is simply impossible, therefore, not to associate Hannah’s prayer with the Messianic hope, a connection Luke himself underscores through Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). That is no accident. These very words, together with their theological connotations, stand strategically at the head of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113—118). Remarkably, these are the very psalms Yeshua sang with His disciples at the Passover Seder on the night He was betrayed (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26). As He sang these words, Yeshua embraced Hannah’s prophetic prayer, one that anticipated not only David’s life but also the life of David’s greater Son. God would indeed “raise Him from the dust” and “lift Him from the ash heap” (Psa 113:7), not only to “sit with princes” (Psa 113:8), but to sit at His right hand (Psa 110:1). Like David, He would be rejected and suffer terrible persecution. Yet before Gethsemane, before His arrest, and before the cross, Yeshua sang the words that celebrated the joy of His salvation, and ours: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psa 118:22-24).

“Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the LORD and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them. O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, and yet an avenger of their evil deeds” (Psa 99:6-8).   Given the many references to Moses and allusions to Israel’s wilderness wanderings in Psalms 90-106, it would be appropriate to call Book IV the “Book of Moses.” Specifically, Psalms 90-106 draw invaluable lessons about God and His character from Israel’s time with Moses and God’s self-revelation through him.   Within Book IV, Psalms 93-100 envision the time of a new exodus in which God will assert His power over all the gods (Psa 95:3; 96:4; 97:9) and come to Zion to rule over Israel and the nations with righteousness and equity (Psa 96:13; 97:8; 98:9; 99:2). Throughout this collection of psalms, the establishment of God’s universal reign is emphasized by the repeated use of the words “peoples” (amim; Psa 96:3, 5, 7, 10, 13; 97:6; 98:9-99:2) and “nations” (Psa 94:10; 96:3, 10; 98:2).   It is within this “new exodus” context that the allusion to God’s forgiveness of Israel in Exodus 34:5-7 (Psa 99:6-8) packs its greatest punch. What is it about God that will inspire all the nations to abandon their gods and worship the God of Israel? It is His amazing grace toward the people of Israel, demonstrated in His forgiveness (“You were a forgiving God to them”). But as Moses understood quite well, and as all who claim that the church is now the true Israel of God need to learn, a God who replaces the very people to whom He swore an everlasting covenant is not the kind of God who would inspire the nations to abandon their gods and come to worship Him!

Shabbat Shalom!

When Jewish people move to Israel, the ordinary word for immigration does not cut it. Instead, we talk about “making Aliyah”. The Hebrew word Aliyah means to ascend, due to the Biblical idea that we go up to the Holy Land.  Similarly, when we’re in Israel we go up to Jerusalem, which is why many of the Psalms about going up to the temple are called “songs of ascent”. It’s a step up, ascending Godward, as we go to meet Him in the place He chose to put His name. Aliyah is such a special concept, and Jewish people returning to the land of our forefathers is such a profound phenomenon, that we have a day to celebrate it: Yom HaAliyah. Aliyah Day! It is marked on two dates — on the 10th of Nisan, the date that Israel finally crossed over into the Promised Land, and also on the 7th Cheshvan in the fall, in the week when we read the part of the Torah where God tells Abraham: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Click here to read more! oneforisrael.org/aliyah-goin…

What to know! -Jews who accept Yeshua as their Messiah are often outcast from their family, with their family going so far as to pray the “Kadish” over them, a prayer said for those who have passed away. -The concept of a Messiah is not foreign at all to Orthodox Jews, with the Lubavitcher Rabbi, Menachem Schneerson, being one of the more popular ones (even though he fulfilled very few of the messianic prophecies). -There are about 30,000 Messianic Jewish believers in Israel, where there are just over 9 million people, about 7 million of which are Jewish. However the number of believers may be much higher. -Observing Jewish (oral) law is far more important to Orthodox Jews than to other Jews. In fact, nearly eight-in-ten Orthodox Jews (79%) say observing Jewish law is “essential” to what being Jewish means to them, compared with just 19% among Jews overall.   How to Pray? -Pray for protection around those that decide to follow Yeshua. -Pray that he may be a light in the darkness, and be able to explain what he believes. -Pray that he would continue to meet with other believers and come to know Jesus himself. -Pray that all Israel, regardless of background, may be saved!

What if we missed something, something that was there all along?   The Hebrew idea of fisfus is more than simply “missing” something.  It’s the realization that something important passed right in front of us, and we failed to recognize it. Click here to watch more! youtu.be/Fd12wplW5bA

“Deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon, who were destroyed at En-dor, who became as dung for the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, ‘Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God’” (Psa 83:9-12). In Psalm 83, we gain insight into how inspired biblical authors read and apply earlier Scripture. Because of the references to Sisera and Jabin (v. 9), Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna, it is clear that Asaph is appealing to God’s victories over the Canaanites, Midianites, Amalekites, and Ishmaelites through Barak, Deborah, and Gideon in Judges 4-8. God’s mighty acts in the past are transformed into prayerful expectations that he will act again by defeating the satanic alliance of ten nations (vv. 6-8). By asking God to grant a future victory like those accomplished through his anointed judges, Psalm 83 contains an implicit yet significant Messianic hope. In essence, Asaph is asking God to raise up a future judge who will “pursue” (Psa 83:15 [16]; a key word in Judges: Judg 4:16, 22; 7:23, 25; 8:4-5, 12) and defeat Israel’s enemies (vv. 13-17) so that all nations will know that the LORD is the Most High over all the earth (v. 18). This implicit messianism becomes even clearer when we consider that the prophet Isaiah also compared the Messiah’s victory over Israel’s oppressor to Gideon’s miraculous defeat of Midian (see Isa 9:4-7). Because God does not change and his deeds are consistent, the past shapes our prayers and expectations for the future. What God did in the past, he will do again, only on a much greater scale. For this reason, we can never fully appreciate Yeshua’s words and deeds without noticing how they repeat and amplify the deeds of Israel’s past. To read the Gospels well means reading the stories of Yeshua while being constantly reminded that he is like, yet far greater than, the heroes of the Hebrew Bible.

What does it mean to leave everything behind and make Israel your home? In this conversation, Seth shares his family’s remarkable story of Aliyah, beginning with a relative who left Poland for the land of Israel in the 1930s - a decision that ultimately saved part of his family from the Holocaust. We also explore Seth’s own journey from New Jersey to Israel, the moment he realized “I’m home,” and the larger biblical questions surrounding the Jewish return to the land. From family history and antisemitism to prophecy and the modern State of Israel, this conversation looks at why Aliyah remains such a deeply personal and important part of the Jewish story.

“We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, nor is there any among us who knows how long” (Psa 74:9). There is a YouTube video about a Vietnam veteran who purchased a watch for $300 while in Thailand. When he returned to the US, he put it in a safe and left it there for the next 50 years. Years later, when he needed some extra cash, he remembered the watch and decided to sell it. He literally fell over when he discovered that it was now worth half a million dollars. The veteran failed to recognize the true value of what he possessed. This true story can also serve as a parable for my people’s failure to appreciate the value of the Prophets. There was a time when the absence of a prophet was a sign of God’s wrath, quite literally a national disaster for a people called to be a kingdom of priests (see 1 Sam 3:1; Lam 2:9; Ezek 7:26; Amos 8:11). With a long history of rejecting God’s prophets (see Jer 7:25–26; 25:4–7; 26:4–6; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4–5), and with the rejection of the greatest of Israel’s prophets, the prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15; Acts 7:37), Judaism has shifted almost completely from an authority grounded in the Prophets to one grounded in the rabbis. While we have fixed our attention and affection on the oral law (Mishnah, Talmud, etc.), we have quietly set the Prophets aside in a proverbial safe, failing to recognize how invaluable they are for our well-being and prosperity as a people. Praise be to God, more and more Israelis are returning to the message of the Prophets and, consequently, finding Yeshua. But for now, our leaders and the vast majority of our people have yet to discover that the solution to all our problems is not a larger military, more religion, better PR, a different government, or America. We as a people will find peace with God, and peace in the world, only when we stop following the wisdom of human authority and give our full attention to the message of the Prophets.

Shabbat Shalom!

Pleasing People or Pleasing God? The temptation to seek approval can show up in every stage of life. Faithfulness means choosing what honors God even when it costs us acceptance, comfort, or the approval of people we respect. Click here to watch more: youtu.be/imCjetGgnKA

What to know! -Observing Jewish (oral) law is far more important to Orthodox Jews than to other Jews. In fact, nearly eight-in-ten Orthodox Jews (79%) say observing Jewish law is “essential” to what being Jewish means to them, compared with just 19% among Jews overall. -Orthodox Jews primarily study The Talmud, not the Torah. The Talmud often contradicts the Bible. -Jews who accept Yeshua as their Messiah are often outcast from their family, with their family going so far as to pray the “Kadish” over them, a prayer said for those who have passed away. -The concept of a Messiah is not foreign at all to Orthodox Jews, with the Lubavitcher Rabbi, Menachem Schneerson, being one of the more popular ones (even though he fulfilled very few of the messianic prophecies).   How to Pray? -Pray for protection around those that decide to follow Yeshua. -Pray that they may be a light in the darkness around them. -Pray that they would be able to meet other believers and enjoy fellowship together. -Pray that all Israel, regardless of background, may be saved!

Like a gas leak, bitterness can be barely discernible at first – perhaps there’s the slight whiff of something not quite right – but if you’re not wide awake and alert, it can be fatal. It is dangerous, and a spiritually deadly trap to fall into.  Bitterness can creep up on us (or in us) like a cancer that grows undetected… but mercifully, God has given us a surefire method to deal with it. Like me, I suspect, you may have friends who are full of righteous indignation about one cause or another. There have been times when I was reading various passionate outbursts online that I detected something that seemed vaguely ‘off’. Even though they were believers It didn’t feel clean somehow. I couldn’t understand why at first, because it is quite right to object to injustice and to be a voice for the voiceless. Righteous anger is good, isn’t it? What was it that I was picking up? It took me a while to realise: It was bitterness. A trap I have fallen into myself far too often. Click here to read more: oneforisrael.org/get-rid-of-…

Behind the political headlines is another story: Arabs and Muslims encountering Yeshua through Gospel outreach coming from Israel. Could Israel’s restoration ultimately bring blessing far beyond the Jewish people? Click here to watch more: youtu.be/O0oAnT9GJIA

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary… Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! … Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; they stumbled and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses…. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD” (Psa 107:1-2, 8, 12-13, 43). I realize that the phrase “wisdom literature” is a technical term for a specific genre of books in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes). But because the Scriptures are God breathed, this title can also be applied to the Bible as a whole. God’s Word is wisdom literature intended to make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim 3:15). One way it imparts that wisdom is by teaching us how to understand God’s dealings with His people. Psalm 107 invites all who are wise to meditate on one particular attribute of God: His chesed (i.e., His covenant loyalty, faithfulness, and lovingkindness). God’s chesed is revealed not only when He hears Israel’s cries in their distress (Psa 107:6, 13, 19, 28), but also when He disciplines His wandering people by causing or allowing distress (vv. 4-5, 11-12, 17-18, 39). To be clear, God’s lovingkindness and covenant faithfulness are no less present when He breaks us and leads us to the “gates of death” (Psa 107:18) than when He redeems us from our enemies (Psa 107:6, 13, 19, 28) and provides for all our needs (Psa 107:9, 35-36). It is only when we realize that it is by God’s chesed alone that we are preserved and protected from the enemy without as well as from the enemy within that we become not only wise but also genuinely thankful and content all the days of our lives. We learn to give thanks not only for His deliverance but also for His loving discipline. So let God’s wise people say, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psa 107:1).