The Middle East Conflict, Part 3

Thank you for joining us today. Pastor Hegy and I are here to discuss one of the most important issues happening in our world and in our lifetime. It's anti-semitism. How does it impact you? How does it impact our children? How does it impact the future of this nation and the world?

Dad, before we jump into all the details of unpacking what we just discussed, I think it's important for you to share with our audience how you became a lover of Israel. And what was it about that experience that made you the defender of Israel that you are today?

Man, I fell in love with Israel hearing Bible stories. You have to understand my father was a pastor and my mother was a a Bible school graduate. She was a scholar. >> She was a Bible scholar. and she would read to me Bible stories as a young boy of David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Jesus and his 12 disciples.

I fell in love with Israel again when I visited the Holy Land in 1978. I was the pastor of a church. I took a small group of church members with me to Israel. I wanted to see the places where Jesus had walked, the Sea of Galilee, the place called Calvary, the Garden Tomb.

But I went to Israel, a pilgrim, and I returned home a Zionist. In your lifetime, you've seen widespread anti-semitism unlike really any point in history. What's the source of it? >> The source of anti-semitism is infecting our country because the gospel of Jesus Christ has become so attacked.

The church must be the light of the nation. Churches by the thousands are closing every year. The pastors in present churches are preaching what I call uh hot tub Christianity is how to make you feel good without being good. You don't confess your sin, you adjust to your sin.

We don't tell you to repent, we will get you a counselor. This that is a garbage Christianity. as a country club Christianity. The Christianity of the Bible is a reconciliation with Jesus Christ, the confession of your sin, and the obedience to God's word. The source of this evil is the same source of all evil.

In fact, Jew hatred, the hating of the apple of God's eye, his chosen people, is the root of evil in America and the world. The goal of anti-semitic hatred is death. Death for the Jewish people, death for their faith, death and the total destruction of Israel. But as he stated on numerous occasions in the word, the Lord will never allow Israel's enemies to destroy her.

And we Zionist all will never again allow the children of Israel to stand alone in this world. Israel, you are not alone. We are with you. In our conversations that we've been having about your latest book, The Middle East conflict, we've discussed the various sources of anti-semitism, historical, religious, political.

There are multiple forms of it and each in their own way are blatant and brutal. But what we saw happen on October the 7th and the corresponding violence that broke out in the United States on colleges, campuses, and universities. It's not subtle. It's not hidden. It's loud. And if you're going to ignore it, you're turning a blind eye to it and a deaf ear.

You're you're playing pretend. You're not facing reality. Why is this blatant anti-semitism and sudden anti-semitism happening at this time? Quiet evil and loud evil are both evil. Cowardice in the face of Jew hatred, which is one part of what you're describing, is no better than hatred itself. As Dietrich Bonhofer put it, quote, "Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.

God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. If you allow your campus to become a cesspool of anti-semitism, you are responsible for what ensues. Organize. Speak up. So, in many cases, what we're seeing happen in the United States is reaping what we've seown.

We we've seown a culture of of distortion when it comes to historical truth. We've swn a culture of rebellion. And now we're seeing the fruit of it in a generation of young people. Correct. >> Right. >> What are some of the most effective and impactful ways that individuals watching this program can stand up, speak up, and do something about anti-semitism? >> The first thing to do is join and become an active member of Christians United for Israel.

Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States of America and we're doing something about it. We are the primary Christian entity through which God moves mountains for Israel in the United States. We are the leading Christian voice combating anti-semitism. We have more than 10 million active members.

Yet our work is far from complete and we cannot do it without every bibleelving Christian in the country committing to combating Jew hatred and standing with the children of Israel wherever and whenever it's needed. When we return, more on Christians united for Israel. >> The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything.

In my new book, From the Tomb to Triumph, I take you through this resurrection truth from the suffering of the cross to the empty tomb and into the authority every believer is called to live in today. >> This month, for your gift of any amount to support the work of Hegy Ministries, we want to send you Pastor John Haggy's new book, From Tomb to Triumph: Claim the Victory of the Resurrection.

And with your love gift of $125 or more, we'll send you our handcrafted Genesis 123 Olivewood Anointing Oil Set Box from Israel. And with your gift of $500 or more, in addition, you'll also receive the Prophecy Study Bible and His Glory Revealed. >> The Risen King reigns now and his power is at work in you. >> Call the number on your screen, use the QR code, or go to jhm.org/ org/spring. >> And part of Christians United for Israel is to be a source of support for the Jewish community in your area, host a night to honor Israel, but also be active in moving the needle politically. >> Absolutely. >> One of the things that Christians United for Israel has worked diligently towards is creating a definition for anti-semitism.

Isn't it true that there are many government leaders who do not have a definition for anti-semitism? >> They don't want to have a definition because their conduct is anti-semitic and that's an issue they don't want to address in any way. >> The second you define the problem, you then have to do something about the problem. >> Right?

And we recently saw Senate hearings where the leaders of major colleges and universities who are supposed to be the best and the brightest educating the greatest could not answer clearly that question. What is anti-semitism? In your book, The Middle East Conflict, the origins of anti-semitism, chapter and verse, page after page, sections of scripture and sections of history, you clearly create a definition of anti-semitism.

What is it that we as individual churches can do to get this issue of the Jewish people, the state of Israel and anti-semitism right in our lives? >> The Lord said that the entire world will be blessed through Israel and that has already come true. Israel has blessed the world from the first family of Christianity, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

To all of the apostles to the modern medical and technological innovations, every aspect and every element of our life has been touched and made better by the light of the Lord through the Jewish people. The Bible records God speaking to Abraham, "And in you, the Jewish people, all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

That has happened. We are already richly blessed by the God of Israel. He is already keeping his promise to us, but the Lord's blessings are boundless. The statement that he who blesses Israel will be blessed is as true today as when God first uttered that blessing like all his pronouncements will remain true for all time and eternity.

So God's word which cannot be broken has a covenant with the Jewish people that is not only connected to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That's a very important fact because people want to claim that Abraham's other children are part of that covenant. That's not what the Bible teaches. >> No.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the land of Israel. That's his agreement with them. It's ongoing today. When we as Bible believing Christians stand for those principles, there's blessings that are poured out not only in our lives, but for generations to come. The United States when it was founded had significant contributions from Jewish patriots.

People who were in Europe who supported the cause of liberty contributed to the revolutionary effort. >> Absolutely. >> And what was birthed is what we now call the United States of America. >> Right. And in the early days of our government, our leaders wanted to pay tribute to the Jewish contribution and recognized it.

And you've taught this many times about the significance of the symbolism in the American $1 bill. >> Yes. >> However, many Americans are ignorant of that. >> Yes. And when you consider the contribution that they made to the revolutionary effort, we are blessed because their contribution helped us win a fight that gave us the freedom and liberty we enjoy. >> That's exactly right.

Let me flesh that story out. That one person who led that was Haim Solomon. He was an investment banker. He himself was wealthy when the revolution began. when he went and saw how poorly armed George Washington's army was after they had been defeated two times in a row by the British army.

The British army was the best army on the face of the earth. Correct. He then took his money and bought for the entire army weapons, food, shoes, clothes, >> basic needs. >> Basic needs. They won the next uh fight when George Washington crossed the river and fought the Hessians.

And that fight and victory in that fight was made possible because of Haim Solomon's contributions throughout the war. Haim Solomon went to Europe and got the European Jews to help him help America. And when it came down to six years of war and they were coming to the final fight at uh in New York and Washington went to his secretary of state for money, he said, "We're broke.

We don't have any money in our national treasury." He said, "Bring to me Solomon." Haim Solomon's brought to him Solomon raised the money. He went broke himself and gave everything he had to George Washington and George we won that battle that ended that war and America became a free nation.

Washington went to Haim Solomon and said what can I do for you? He said I want nothing for myself but for the Jewish people. I would like for some form of remembrance. So in every $1 bill that you have in your pocket right now, you will look inside the star bus burst and it is the star of David and it is a tribute to the Jewish contribution to the revolution of the United States of America.

It fulfills Genesis 12. In you shall all the nations of the world be blessed. George Washington himself said, "We would not have won that war without Haim Solomon's contributions." >> When we return, the discussion on anti-semitism continues. >> Israel is under attack. Missiles from Iran rain down, sirens sound through the night, and innocent families rush into bomb cellers, praying they will see another sunrise.

This is not a geopolitical conflict. This is a prophetic moment. The Bible tells us that in the last days, Jerusalem would become a cup of trembling to the nations. What we are witnessing today is history moving exactly as scripture predicted. And in moments like this, the question is not what is happening.

The question is where do we stand right now? Your support delivers life-saving care, emergency medical facilities, and supplies and protection to families living under fire. When you stand with Israel, you stand on the side of God's covenant promises. This is a prophetic hour. Stand with Israel. Give now.

In a world filled with noise, one message still brings peace. At Hegy Ministries, our mission is clear. Proclaim the truth of God's word. Equip believers and reach the lost from the sanctuary of hope to feeding the hungry and caring for the sick. We go where God sends us.

This mission is accomplished because of you. Your heart for the kingdom. Partner with us today at jhm.org/partner. know that those stories in history are forgotten because they're not being told. And one of the things that I'm privileged to have in my life is a father who educated me.

You shared those nuggets of history as you learned them and educated yourself. One of the Bible commandments that God gives to fathers is that they train their children. They educate their children. It starts in Deuteronomy and it echoes through the writings of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.

At no point in time are we relieved from duty when it comes to making sure that our children know the truth. Many parents are watching and they're saying, "Well, I I don't know where to begin." I would recommend that that you begin with this book. Pastor, you've written a very important work here and it's got a modern title, the Middle East conflict.

But this Middle East conflict that's in the present newspapers and on the headlines has a very ancient root, >> right? >> And the ancient root is the origin of anti-semitism. 67 years of ministry, 85 years of service and and living here on the earth. Why do you believe that this message is a message that you want to leave for your children and for your grandchildren?

And why is this a resource for generations to come? >> The answer is the world is backtracking. Freedom is not on the march, it's on its heels. Our society has allowed anti-semitism to rear its ugly head in full view and on both ends of the political spectrum. Our international institutions have become so widespread with due hatred that their words have no meaning and their actions are a hindrance at best.

The world is not a better place than it was years ago because we have failed to learn the lessons of history. The book brings some of those important lessons to the forefront in the hopes that we can stop our regression into the sewer of anti-semitism. So, what is your hope for our audience when they read this book?

What do you pray the information does? What are some of the conversations that you want them to have >> when you read this book? I want you to prayerfully ask the Lord to reveal the contents to you in a personal way. I want you to think about it.

I then want you to share it and then I want you to act on it. If you read the book and lay it down and nothing happens, it's failed. At the end of the day, God gives us so much ability and potential, but do we use it? Every reader will know a group of three or four people are the people in your Sunday school class.

Readers of this book will learn about the origin of Jew hatred, its modern in incarnations, and will have their eyes open to its evil existence in our world. Utilizing that knowledge to combat anti-semitism is a privilege and a responsibility that will take on different forms for different people.

Some will need to address it in their churches. Think about that. Others at work, others at school, others at the universities, and others yet among elected officials. No matter where Jew hatred is found, it's a cancer and it must be stopped. Defend yourself against it through education and combat it with your voice.

Be informed and take action. You know, there's a part of your story in your life that I'm aware of because I was there for it. And you mentioned in the earliest part of our program that the first time you went to Israel, you went in 1978 and you were in essence a pilgrim, just a traveler.

But when you came home, something changed. You you were now a Zionist. And Zionist is a term that gets used today both in the positive and in the negative. But as you just mentioned the information that's in your book, The Middle East conflict and the origins of Jew hatred, that wasn't something you were aware of when you went to Israel. >> That's true. >> You were ignorant of it.

But as you have shared so many times in front of audiences that you were praying at the Western Wall and you know in summary of that moment the Lord gave you instructions to bring Christians and Jews together, >> right? I'm standing at the Western Wall praying and for whatever reason I turned and looked over my left shoulder and I saw an elderly Jewish man sitting in a rocking chair, white hair, white beard, rocking back and forth kissing the Bible.

And I'm looking at him and the thought went through my mind that had to come from heaven. That man is your spiritual brother. He's afraid of you and you don't know anything about him. >> You're at the same wall. >> At the same wall. >> You're praying to the same God. >> Yeah. >> You're holding the same Bible. >> Yeah. >> But you have no relationship. >> Yes.

And then then the voice says, "I I want you to do what you can to bring Christians and Jews together." And I turned and faced the wall and I Where did that come from? And it just would not go away. It was so impactful that I stopped praying.

I left the prayer wall and went and your mother Diana, she was praying with the ladies and she came and uh she said, "You look puzzled." I said, "I've just had something happen to me that I want to share with you." I said, "I feel like that we should do everything in our power to bring Christians and Jews together without any conversionary motive and to express the love of God to them."

And she said, "How can you ever do that? Christians and Jews have been fighting for 2,000 years." I said, "Well, it's time for the fight to stop." So I went to the Harp of David and bought $400 worth of books, history books, because in seminary we leaped from the resurrection to the second coming after 18 months of this study.

Uh I'm sitting in a my chair in in our home and uh straining how can how can I get this? How can you reconcile 2,000 years of offense? >> Yeah. How can I build this bridge? And right at that time over the television came uh the newscast that uh Manakim Bean, the prime minister of Israel had authorized the Israeli air force to bomb the nuclear reactor at Osiris uh liberating the world from the threat from this lunatic.

And I said, "This is the open door. What I'm going to do is rent the uh M municipal auditorium. I'll take our church and every church in San Antonio that wants to join." And the Orthodox Rabbi, Rabbi Shinberg, got involved. And he came to my office and said, "Uh, pastor, what is it that you're trying to do?"

And I said, "Rabbi, I'm just trying to express my appreciation, our appreciation to the Jewish people for the many wonderful things they've done for our nation and for the world." He said, "I think I can make you I think that I can help you with that." The night of the event, the building was packed.

We had a wonderful, wonderful event. Now we have pro-Israel organizations functioning not just in America but in Canada when in Europe in London. We as a people in this nation need to become extremely focused on growing this organization. We've got 10 million. We need 20 million because the more you have, the more influence you have.

And the days in the future when Israel is going to need us desperately are here. They're not coming. They're here. What you've heard is just a brief discussion of almost 50 years of life and ministry for Pastor Hegy. He's taken that knowledge and that wisdom, those hours of study and these endless years of effort and written a book, The Middle East conflict, the origin of Jew hatred.

The purpose of that book is not only to inform, but to inspire. And prayerfully, the inspiration that you'll take away is that you stand on the right side of history and become part of telling the truth, shining the light, and being an advocate and a voice for the apple of God's eye, the Jewish people, and your covenant brothers based on God's word.

I want to thank you for joining us for this important conversation and I encourage you to find out more about the previous conversations we've had regarding this at jhm.org. >> Looking for encouragement, truth, and powerful messages anytime, anywhere? Subscribe to the official HGY Ministries YouTube channel for life-changing sermons, uplifting worship, and exclusive content from pastors John and Matt Hegy.

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