Beloved, Yeshua came to earth as a Jew from the line of David. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew and died as a Jew.

He is the undeniable fulfillment of all the Hebrew Bible Messianic prophesies. He identifies Himself as Israel’s King and the Light of all mankind.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16).

As believers, we need to embrace and celebrate the Jewishness of our faith. We need to remember and be prepared to make the case—that our Redeemer was and is a Jew.

Consider…

Yeshua was educated in the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, He quoted from Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:18,19.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Jesus personally handpicked His 12 disciples, who were all Jewish. These men became the foundation of His ministry (See Matthew 10:1-4). In fact, three of them became His “inner circle” and closest companions—Peter, James and John.

After His resurrection, Yeshua confronted and recruited the apostle Paul.

“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’” (Acts 22: 6 – 8).

Paul was not only a Jew but also a Pharisee, according to his own words: “But Paul, perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in the Council, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.’ When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:6 – 8).

Paul would eventually go on to author two-thirds of the New Testament and become an emissary to the Gentiles.

Both Yeshua and His apostles celebrated the Jewish Holidays. For example, in Acts 20:16 we read about Paul being in a hurry to get to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Holiday called Shavuot, which is translated in English as Pentecost. In John 10: 22, 23 we read about Yeshua participating in the celebration of Hanukkah – called the Feast of Dedication.  (The Hebrew word Hanukkah is translated in English as “Dedication”).

And in Matthew 26:18 we read about Yeshua celebrating Passover with His Disciples.

Perhaps, the ultimate symbol of Yeshua’s Jewish lineage was the sign they posted on His cross at His crucifixion.

“And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King pf the Jews” (Matt. 27:37).

Today, like never before, we are faced with rising skepticism concerning the tenets of our faith. Understanding that the foundation of our faith is rooted in the Hebrew Bible will ground us in unshakable truth and create in us the right perspective when we read and study God’s Word.

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Rabbi Kirk Schneider hosts the impactful television program, “Discovering The Jewish Jesus,” which is available in more than 100 million homes in the United States and nearly 200 nations worldwide. In 2021 he began broadcasting on radio and now airs across America. Rabbi Schneider imparts revelation of Jesus’ Jewish heritage and His fulfillment of Messianic prophecy.  Questions of how the Old and New Testaments tie together, and how Yeshua completes the unfolding plan of The Almighty Yahweh, are answered with exceptional clarity. Visit his website at

Ever since I was a small child in Hebrew school classes, I was fascinated by the Tabernacle. I was amazed that when the Creator of the universe, the One who was all-knowing, all-powerful and all places wanted His people to build a home for Him, He asked them to build Him a tent.

Not a palace of stone, but a tent.

Years later when I became a believer in Yeshua (Jesus), I found Exodus 25:8, 40 and Hebrews 8:5; these verses caused me to begin studying the Tabernacle in more detail.

“Have them make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9You are to make it all precisely according to everything that I show you—the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all the furnishings within—just so you must make it” (Ex. 25:8-9).

“See that you make them according to their pattern being shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25:40).

“They offer service in a replica and foreshadower of the heavenlies—one that is just as Moses was instructed by God when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For He says, “See that you make everything according to the design that was shown to you on the mountain” (Heb. 8:5).

The word pattern in the text seemed to pop off of the page as if in 3D and this drove me to look at and search for every element that was commanded to be used in its construction. As I did, I found that everything that was used to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings had a symbolic prophetic nature.

From the wood used to build the poles that held up the curtain, to the Ark of the Covenant, each individual piece was designed by G-D and perfectly integrated to share something about His redemptive plan for mankind, and each piece in some way focused our attention on Yeshua.

I spent hours and hours digging into each and every piece and was amazed time after time how intricately G-D designed each cell of the Tabernacle so that every piece connected to every other piece to weave a beautiful tapestry depicting His plan to redeem mankind.

Recently, however, as I was reading through Exodus again, two different words popped off of the page and caused me to read these words from a different perspective. These two words are “sanctuary” and “dwell.” These words changed my focus on the Tabernacle and I hope they will change yours a little also.

While it is absolutely true and extremely important to remember that when G-D provided to Moses the blueprints for the Tabernacle, the materials which were used and the furniture was designed purposely to tell G-D’s prophetic plan.

However, the Bible actually states that the purpose of the Tabernacle was to provide a sanctuary and a dwelling place for G-D. Now, before I go on, please note that I know that G-D didn’t need a tent to have a home. After all, Isaiah 66:1 tells us: “…that heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.” 

So, because the purpose of the tabernacle was so that it would be a sanctuary and dwelling place for G-D, I began to look into these two concepts. First, a sanctuary by definition is a sacred place or holy place, and a dwelling is a place to abide in or live in.

Being that we know that G-D didn’t need a sacred place or a dwelling for Himself, we must conclude the purpose of the Tabernacle was so that we would have such a place, a sacred or holy place to dwell in with G-D. However, the more I studied, the more I realized that the Tabernacle wasn’t just a replica of what is in heaven, but was also a visual example for us. If the Tabernacle was G-D’s design for His home on earth, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the Tabernacle was also His design for what our homes should be?

Now, before you start thinking that I am encouraging everyone reading this to sell their houses and move to tents, that is not where I am going. I believe there is a deeper and much more meaningful pattern in the Tabernacle that G-D wants us to design our homes according to.

In this blog, I will only be looking at one aspect of the pattern and its meaning for us. If our homes are to follow the pattern that G-D provided for a home, then our homes must be more than just places in which we eat and sleep. Our homes must also be sanctuaries, holy places, sacred spaces.

I believe the design of the Tabernacle provides a pattern for our homes and there was a reason the Tabernacle had three distinct and separate sections.

The Outer Court: (Our patios, our backyards); this space was open and available not only to the priests and Levites, but also to anyone who chose to come to the Tabernacle. Our homes should likewise have space where everyone is welcome, where both those who know G-D and those who do not yet know Him may come and fellowship.

The Holy Place: (Our living rooms, or Dens); this space was just available to the Levites and Priests. Our homes should have spaces where only those who are in relationship with G-D are welcomed. This space must be sacred and holy, a safe space for our families and friends to fellowship with each other and G-D. (As you read this, please understand that I am not saying we should never invite those who do not yet believe in Yeshua into our homes. I am simply providing a spiritual application for the Tabernacle pattern.)

The Holy of Holies: (Our Bedrooms or Prayer Rooms) This space was only for the High Priest. This space in our home must be limited only to those and that which is holy and sacred. There is a reason for what we read in Matthew 9:23-25: Yeshua was honoring and following this Tabernacle pattern.

“When Yeshua came into the synagogue leader’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said, ‘Go away, for the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.’ And they began jeering at Him. But when the crowd had been cleared out, He went in and took her hand, and the girl got up” (Matt. 9:23-25).

To make what I am describing a little easier to comprehend. In the outer courts, you may allow conversations about the news of the day. In the Holy Place we welcome believers and ask G-D to enlighten us concerning the news of the day, to show us in his word how to respond to the news of the day and to pray and worship our way through the news of the day (The Menorah, The Table of Showbread, The Altar of Incense).

In the Holy of Holies we as individuals boldly enter into G-D’s presence to intercede concerning the news of the day both good and bad. This is only one example of the many patterns provided to make our homes a Tabernacle, or Sacred Place of Dwelling. In future blogs, or maybe a new book, I will share more.

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Eric Tokajer is the author of “Overcoming Fearlessness,” “What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?,” “With Me in Paradise,” “Transient Singularity,” “OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry,” “#ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer,” “Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians” and “Galatians in Context.”

There is a Satanic lullaby here in the West. A very subtle droning lullaby that is causing the church to drift asleep. That’s how one Iranian woman described the American church when her family moved here before deciding to return to Iran. The simmering pressure and intensity in the underground church kept their faith alive and real, in a way that started to diminish in the lukewarm churches in the West.

That woman, along with two other women leaders in the underground church in Iran felt the Spirit of God placed an urgent prophetic message on their hearts to share with American Christians.

As they watched Biden’s speech in Sept. 2022, they were moved by his demonizing pro-life supporters as “potential terrorists.” Disconnected from American politics, they heard Biden’s words and felt an eerie similarity to the rhetoric they have listened to in their country before.

In an interview with Charisma magazine, Joel Richardson shares some of the profound testimonies coming out of the underground church in Iran and their triumph amid the heavy persecution.

Speaking on behalf of one woman in particular, he says, “Like so many women in Iran, she had experienced profound sexual abuse growing up.” The identity of the woman is anonymous for her protection. This specific woman was suffering abuse at the hands of her father’s business partner. When her father found out she had been raped, he blamed her.

The Iranian woman decided to hang herself with a thick copper wire. She kicked the chair out and the next thing she knew, she woke up on the floor after having survived. She had “a very vivid vision or dream where she was a little girl and she was sitting on Jesus’ shoulders,” Richardson says.

“We as Christians are stewards of the only message on the earth. We are stewards of the message the entire Muslim world is yearning for and seeking,” he says. That woman is now a radical follower of Jesus and a full-time evangelist in Iran. She has led hundreds upon hundreds to the Lord, baptizing 400 people in one year. She has been doing this for a decade.

In the rest of the interview with Richardson hear about Global Catalytic Ministries and the profound move of God happening in the underground church.

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Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.

Who would have ever thought reading a book based on biological reality and biblical principles would garner national outrage and protests from men dressed as women?

That is sadly exactly what is coming against Kirk Cameron as he continues unabated to read books promoting American and biblical values to children at publicly funded libraries.

Those who work under the umbrella of the far-left leaning American Library Association, have taken exception to Cameron’s work and are making moves to stop him.

The hatred for Cameron, and his goal of teaching children biblical values, has become so strong that one library director was recently fired for attempting to sabotage a story hour in the middle of Cameron’s reading.

As reported by Faithwire, “The board of a library in northern Tennessee voted this week to fire the director of its Hendersonville library after he allegedly tried to sabotage a February event with Christian author and actor Kirk Cameron.

“In a 4-3 vote, the members of the Sumner County Library Board booted Allan Morales, according to Sumner County Mayor John Isbell, who confirmed the ouster was ‘related to the Kirk Cameron event.”

The event was co-hosted with “Duck Dynasty” star Missy Robertson and former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Riley Gaines, who said that initially Morales was very cordial and excited to host the event.

Two days before the event took place the library released a statement highlighting their excitement:

“We are working hard to ensure they have the platform to read their books and citizens have a comfortable venue to participate. Mayor Clary [of Hendersonville, TN.] is working with our Hendersonville Police to ensure traffic and logistical issues are addressed,” the statement read.

That was until he learned about Cameron’s conservative Christian beliefs.

“He started a campaign in the community to shut [the event] down without officially canceling it, because then he knew that it wouldn’t be good for their library,” said Robertson on the “Unashamed with Phil & Jase Robertson” podcast.

Yet once Cameron, Gaines and Robertson were on-site to shoot a promotional video for the event, Morales and several library staff began making excessive noise during the shooting session, to include “banging books, kicking cabinets and playing loud music,” according to Robertson.

As it turns out, the targeting of Cameron’s Christian story hours is not an isolated incident.

More recently, a group of drag queens crashed Cameron’s reading at Fayetteville Public Library in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“The drag queens blocked the views of some families and children and distracted others from the book reading and remarks from the stage,” said Brave Books, Cameron’s book publisher.

Cameron released this statement after the disturbance:

“The small group of protesters, which included some grown men wearing silly makeup, dressed in skirts and heels, pretending to be women, listened to the reading of a kids book about God’s view of gender called, ‘Elephants Are Not Birds.’

“At the close of this sweet and funny story of a singing elephant named Kevin who was tricked by a vulture named ‘Culture’ into thinking he might be a bird, the reader then asked the 300 children, ‘Do you think elephants can be birds, even if they strap on silly wings and a beak?’

“In unison, and with great laughter, all 300 children confessed with gusto, ‘No!’

“I felt sad for the men in skirts. As it is written, ‘You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies,’ (Ps. 8:2).”

Do not expect this to be the last of these types of incidents either.

There is a spiritual war going on for the souls of the children of America, and Satan is doing everything he can to warp the minds of these innocent children.

He aims to confuse them about their designed genders and identities, identities that can only ever be fully realized in relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, there are those like Cameron, Robertson and Gaines who are standing up to this indoctrination of gender ideologies, but there needs to be more Christians engaged in the spiritual battle.

This is not the time to drop one’s guard, but to put on the full armor of God and take the fight to the enemy, much like Cameron is doing. By speaking life to these young children, he is helping set them up on a path of success, purpose and most importantly, teaching them that there is a God in heaven who designed them and loves them. {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

In the Bible, Jesus assures believers that they will be persecuted and hated for His name’s sake, “but he who endures to the end will be saved.” Pray for Awatif Abdalla Kaki of the Sudan that she will be able to endure, especially after what she’s been through since she became a Christian.

Abdalla Kaki, who professed her faith in late January after a relative told her about Christ, has been subjected to torture through electric shocks, chained in her own home and has lost her four children all in the name of leaving Islam, Morningstar News has reported.

Morningstar reported that, a few days after accepting Jesus as her Savior, Abdalla Kaki had a dream in which Christ appeared to her, and she told her relatives about it and her new faith at her parents’ home in Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, where she, her husband and children lived, a source said.

When her husband discovered her newly found faith, he tried to force his wife to renounce it by “chaining her legs and tightening the chains,” the source said. Her husband called her “mad,” and then forcibly took her to a psychiatric hospital, where she received an “unidentified” injection and electrical shocks against her will.

Abdalla’s legs were injured from the chains. Her husband has taken the children to his parents’ house to live, but he remains a threat to Abdalla. The oldest of her four children is only eight years old.

The source said that she is receiving no assistance from any Christians, but will not renounce her Christianity.

“She continues to live in mental anguish,” the source told Morningstar News.

Abdalla’s parents and siblings are all Muslims who believe she is suffering mental illness for believing in Christ. “I fear for her safety and pray that she can get a refuge outside her home so that she has peace of mind and can grow in her new faith.”

Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch list of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christians lists Sudan at No. 10. It was No. 13 the previous year. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

In a sharp reversal of his predecessor’s crackdown on places of worship during the pandemic, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling on his fellow New Yorkers to make New York City “a place of God,” citing lack of faith as the largest challenge facing the city.

“How do we take a city that is the center of power in America and turn it into a city, when you enter it, everyone sees faith and sees God?” Adams asked during a faith-based summit held at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “Our challenge is not economics. Our challenge is not finance. Our challenge is faith. People have lost their faith.”

Just two weeks prior to his most recent comments, Adams lamented the damage caused by the separation of church and state at an interfaith breakfast.

“Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body, church is the heart,” said Adams. “You take the heart out of the body, the body dies. I can’t separate my belief because I’m an elected official.”

Clarifying his statements, Adams also said, “Government should not interfere with religion, and religion should not interfere with government.”

These statements have caused many within Adams’ own party to question exactly what his goals and plans are moving forward regarding religion and government in New York City.

Rabbi Abby Stein, who attended the breakfast, was quite alarmed by the mayor’s statements.

“There was a lot of people who were like, ‘No, no, no, no, what is happening? What is he talking about?'” Stein said. “At least half of the room was not with him when he talked about separation of church and state.”

Stein also called the mayor’s speech “Unhinged and also very dangerous.

“When elected leaders start calling their beliefs more important than serving the people, that’s very dangerous,” she said. “I’ve personally seen what happens when people use God, or their conception of God, to control people.”

Yet the criticism is not slowing Adams down in the slightest. He is currently pushing to enlist more young people in New York City to apply to become police officers and bring back a semblance of law and order in the crime-plagued city.

“We should be part of the rallying call of having good, God-fearing young men and women play this awesome role of public safety in our city,” Adams said at a gun violence summit.

This stance is in sharp contrast to NYC’s previous mayor who appeared to intentionally target houses of worship during the pandemic for gathering publicly and even went so far as threatening them on social media and welding shut the gates to a playground in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,” tweeted de Blasio. “I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”

De Blasio’s aggressive and anti-religious actions eventually found their way to the Supreme Court, which then blocked the out-of-control mayor from enforcing the lockdowns.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his opinion:

“It is time—past time—to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques.”

To many Christians, the mayor of New York City has rarely been a position that championed the cause of faith among its citizens, especially recently. But God is the God of the impossible, and He uses those who will listen and have a heart for Him.

The political leanings of an individual do not matter for God to use them. Was Saul of Tarsus not a legalistic persecutor of Christians? Did Donald Trump not live a life of carnality in pursuit of the flesh?

The Lord can use whomever He desires to accomplish His goals, which are much greater than ours. It is in the pursuit of obedience to His calling that many Christians endure a refining process through His holy fire that results in a change of heart proven through different behavior and attitude.

As it says in 1 Samuel 16:7: “…For the Lord sees not as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Beseech the Lord that this is the case for Mayor Adams, and that the people of New York have a leader who praises and honors the Lord God in heaven. Then, their city would truly become a place ripe for a harvesting of souls. {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on :

California County Caught Spying on Church Members from Next-door Church

A California church has denied coercion with county officials after being accused by a neighboring church of spying on its members who defied lockdown orders during the COVID pandemic.

Media reports say that Substack investigative journalist David Zweig obtained court documents that revealed enforcement officers with Santa Clara County began spying on the congregation at Calvary Chapel San Jose and reported details about the church’s worship, prayer and other church meetings.

Pastor Mike McClure defied the mandated social distancing order and reopened the church during the pandemic in 2020 for regular church services and business.

‘Jesus Revolution’ Smashing Records and ‘Cultural Desperation’

“Jesus Revolution” is apparently resonating with everyone—believers and non-believers alike—and the box office numbers are showing it.

In its three-week run since debuted in theaters on Feb. 24, the film starring Kelsey Grammer and “The Chosen’s” Jonathan Roumie has surpassed $40 million in sales and is showing no signs of slowing down. In its opening weekend, it earned a third-place position at the box office, far exceeding its expectations while raking in $15 million.

In an exclusive interview with Charisma News this week, co-producer and director Jon Erwin shared how the movie’s delay in getting made turned out to be God working in His perfect timing.

Bolz Prophetic Dream: Is the Lord Releasing Deliverance?

I want to take a few minutes to share a prophetic dream I had this week and what it might mean for you.

I heard the Lord say: “We are in a season of deliverance. Both deliverance from demonic oppression but also a season of deliverance from societal, racial, financial and political oppression.

I had a dream and multitudes of people were worshiping together in a stadium. It was being telecast to stadiums around the world. There were leaders, but suddenly someone in the crowd stood up and began to prophesy and their voice was loud even in such a vast auditorium. {eoa}

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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Is it possible that the Israeli government this year could pass legislation making it illegal for people to share the Gospel message in the very land where Jesus was born, raised, preached, died, buried and rose from the dead?

Unfortunately, yes.

As Palm Sunday and Easter approach – the two most sacred days on the calendar for those who follow Jesus as both God and Messiah – two members of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) introduced a bill last week that would ban any and all efforts to tell people about Jesus.

The bill would send violators to prison.

Should it begin to gain traction inside the Knesset and begin moving towards passage, the bill could create a major new headache for Netanyahu’s government by sparking a serious clash with Evangelical Christians in the United States and around the world who are among the biggest supporters of the State of Israel.

In the United States alone, there are some 60 million Evangelicals.

Globally, there are an estimated 600 million, according to the World Evangelical Alliance.

The bill could also draw sharp criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, in the executive branch, among U.S. governors and others who love Israel and have always stood with the Jewish state, but would fiercely oppose efforts to silence followers of Jesus in the Holy Land.

Former U.S. Ambassador of International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback – who served during the Trump-Pence administration – is the first American leader to publicly warn that this new bill poses a massive threat to free speech, human rights and religious freedom.

On Friday, ALL ISRAEL NEWS emailed Brownback – a long-time and consistent friend and supporter of Israel – a professional translation of the bill in English, which was originally written in Hebrew, of course.

Surprised and concerned, the ambassador replied with the following statement:

“Free and democratic countries simply do not outlaw the free exchange of ideas and that includes religious beliefs and convictions. Article 18 of the Universal Charter of Human Rights – which Israel has signed onto – guarantees freedom of religion, including the right to decide your own faith beliefs.”

WHAT DOES THE NEW BILL ACTUALLY SAY?

The proposed legislation would outlaw all efforts by people of one faith who, in any way, want to discuss or try to persuade people of other faiths to consider changing their current religious beliefs.

The punishment for doing so would be “one year imprisonment.”

If the conversation is with minor – someone under the age of 18 – the punishment would be “two years imprisonment.”

This bill would apply to people having spiritual conversations with Israelis of any religion.

However, in their official explanation of the bill, the two Israeli legislators specifically emphasized the warning to stop Christians, in particular.

The bill’s primary objective, therefore, appears to be making it illegal for followers of Jesus (“Yeshua” in Hebrew) to explain why they believe that Jesus is both Messiah and God with the hope that Israelis might consider following Him.

The bill does not only make a simple personal conversation about Jesus with another individual a crime.

It would also make it illegal for “someone who solicits a person – directly, digitally, by mail or online – in order to convert his religion.”

Thus, producing and publishing online videos explaining the Gospel to Jewish or Muslim people in Israel – and to those of any other religious faiths – would suddenly become illegal.

Publishing books, other printed literature, online articles, podcasts or other forms of media that explains the life and ministry of Jesus and His message found in the New Testament would also become illegal.

So would discussing the Gospel message via email, text messages, written letters and/or on social media, including answering questions initiated by people who don’t follow Jesus.

It is already a crime in Israel to try to proselytize minors or bribe people of any age with money or material goods to change their religious views.

But this new legislation seeks to go much further.

“At times these attempts do not involve monetary promises or material gains and are therefore not illegal according to the current law,” the bill notes, “but the many negative repercussions, including psychological damages, warrant the intervention of the legislature.”

“Therefore, it is proposed that, alongside the prohibition of giving favors as an incentive to convert religion, also prohibited will be the act of solicitation to convert religion, when it is done directly to a person,” whether that be face-to-face or via any other means of communication.

WHO WROTE THIS ANTI-CHRISTIAN LEGISLATION?

The authors of this legislation, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, are ultra-Orthodox Jewish members of Knesset.

Both are members of United Torah Judaism (UTJ), a Haredi (highly religious) political party holding a total of seven out of 120 seats in the current Knesset.

And both are influential voices – and important votes – inside the 64-seat governing coalition led by Netanyahu.

Gafni is 70 years old. He was first elected to the Knesset in 1988 and has served almost continuously since then. Today, he serves as the chairperson of the Knesset’s powerful Finance Committee, as well as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Joint Committee for the Defense Budget.

Asher, age 57, was first elected to parliament in 2013. Today, he serves as chairperson of the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Protection Committee.

Gafni has a long history of opposing followers of Jesus.

He first introduced legislation to impose a legal ban on evangelism in Israel back in 1999.

His bill went nowhere, but Gafni has repeatedly re-introduced versions of his legislation ever since.

WILL NETANYAHU – A GREAT FRIEND OF EVANGELICALS – ALLOW SUCH ANTI-CHRISTIAN LEGISLATION TO PASS?

To his credit, Netanyahu has never allowed such legislation to advance or be approved in the past.

Nor has his center-right Likud party.

Why?

Because Netanyahu and most, if not all, members of the Likud party have always demonstrated that they are adamant about preserving and protecting the Jewish state as a liberal democracy.

They have always believed that even unpopular views must be allowed to be held and voiced in Israel, and that the rights of religious and ethnic minorities must be protected under the rule of law.

Netanyahu and Likud have, therefore, rejected such explicit breaches of freedom of speech, blatant violations of religious freedom and aggressive assaults on fundamental human rights.

What’s more, Netanyahu has proven himself as a great friend of Evangelical Christians over the past three decades

While he does not agree theologically with Evangelicals about who Jesus is, Netanyahu has long viewed the Evangelical community as a true blessing and a strategic asset to the State of Israel and to the Jewish people worldwide.

That’s why for three decades Netanyahu has actively and consistently courted and cultivated strong support for Israel among Evangelical Christians, of which there are some 60 million in the United States and some 600 million worldwide.

Netanyahu meets regularly with Christian leaders from a wide range of denominations, and often speaks at Christian conferences and forums, including at the “Christian Media Summit,” organized by Israel’s Government Press Office each year in Jerusalem.

Just last year, I brought a delegation of Evangelical business and media leaders to meet with Netanyahu at the Knesset.

During his book tour several months ago, Netanyahu also spoke on numerous Christian TV networks, including TBN and CBN, the two most viewed Evangelical networks in the United States.

WHY COULD THIS YEAR BE DIFFERENT?

That said, Evangelical and Messianic Jewish leaders who have spoken to ALL ISRAEL NEWS in recent days say they are concerned that in the present political environment the legislation introduced by Gafni and Asher could actually become law.

They note that out of the 120-seat Knesset, the current government coalition is comprised of a large number of Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox members.

These members are far more aggressive in this legislative session than ever before in pushing for legislations to be passed that advance their theological worldview.

And these members appear to believe that Netanyahu cannot afford to lose their votes if he hopes to remain prime minister and hopes to advance his other important policy priorities, including stopping the Iranian regime from building nuclear weapons, making peace with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, strengthening and expanding the Israeli economy (especially as the U.S. economy slows), and passing sweeping judicial reforms.

Indeed, the current judicial reform movement raises further concerns for Evangelical and Messianic Jewish leaders.

Many believe reforms are, in fact, needed to improve Israel’s flawed legal system.

However, they worry that if the Knesset passes an extreme version of an “override clause” – one of the most controversial and hotly-debated of the proposed reforms which would allow the Knesset to override Israeli Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority vote of just 61 out of 120 Members – this could severely endanger the human rights and civil liberties of all minorities in the country, including religious minorities, such as followers of Jesus.

It would be a different matter if the “override clause” required a supermajority of, say, 90 seats in the Knesset to pass legislation previously struck down by the Supreme Court.

Even a compromise on the “override clause” issue could be both positive and acceptable, where the final legislation requires less than 90 votes but far more than 61 to overturn a Supreme Court decision.

But legislation that would allow a simple majority to overrule the High Court, they believe, poses a serious threat for a number of reasons.

For example, if the Gafni-Asher bill becomes law, the Supreme Court would likely strike it down as a violation of free speech, basic human rights and freedom of religion.

However, if the currently-proposed version of the “override clause” also becomes law, then a simple majority of just 61 Knesset members would be able to cancel the High Court’s decision.

That would enable the current Knesset to go forward with banning all forms of evangelism in Israel and would provide no legal recourse whatsoever to Jewish and Gentile people – Israelis or foreigners – who love Jesus and want to tell others about Him.

This is a major and disturbing new development in the country and one that ALL ISRAEL NEWS will be covering closely. {eoa}

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Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday the launch of a pro-Israel organization called “Progressives for Israel,” an advocacy group which aims to focus on promoting support for Israel among Democrats.

The former governor made the announcement at an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, hosted by Rabbi Shmuely Boteach, head of the World Values Network.

“I’m starting an organization called Progressives for Israel. And I’m going to call the question for Democrats: Do you stand with Israel, or do you stand against Israel? Because silence is not an option,” Cuomo said.

In pre-recorded remarks, Cuomo also said: “It’s time for our officials to condemn anti-Semitism, not just with their words, but their actions. You can’t denounce anti-Semitism but waver on Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.”

Cuomo’s political career has been marred by several scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment, which led him to resign in 2021. His latest move is seen as a step towards a potential return to politics.

According to reports, the former governor is expected to challenge New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand when she runs for re-election next year.

When making his announcement, Cuomo referred to himself as a “Shabbos goy,” a non-Jew who is asked by Jews to perform certain types of work that Jewish religious law prohibits a Jew from doing on Shabbat.

“The Shabbos goy can do the work that benefits both the Jewish community and the non-Jewish community,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo’s “Progressives for Israel” initiative comes as a pushback against progressive Democrats, such as Jewish Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who say the United States should start using its military aid to Israel as leverage and condition it upon policies towards the Palestinians.

Polls show that a majority of Democrats, especially among young Americans, hold more positive views towards the Palestinians than toward Israel. In addition, some 26% of Democratic voters say their party’s politicians are more in favor of Israel than they are themselves.

Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler of New York, who is also Jewish, did not welcome the former governor’s new pro-Israel venture.

“Perhaps Mr. Cuomo doesn’t understand that there are a number of progressive, pro-Israel organizations—like New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA)—right here in New York, doing just fine without his ‘help,'” Nadler said.

This article originally appeared on ALL ISRAEL NEWS and is reposted with permission.

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Tal Heinrich is a senior correspondent for both ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS. She is currently based in New York City. Tal also provides reports and analysis for Israeli Hebrew media Channel 14 News.

A Washington state high school football coach who was fired for silently praying on the field after games has been officially reinstated after he won his Supreme Court case last June.

Coach Joe Kennedy’s legal battle with the Bremerton School District began in 2015. The district claimed that his prayers violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. But the high court ruled that Bremerton School District actually violated Coach Kennedy’s First Amendment rights.

As CBN News reported, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last June that the public school district violated the coach’s free speech and free exercise rights when it barred him from praying on the field after games.” Then a U.S. district judge issued an order in November instructing the Bremerton School District to reinstate him before March 15, 2023.

The order enjoined the school district to reinstate Kennedy to “his previous position as assistant coach of the Bremerton High School football team on or before March 15, 2023.”

Evangelist Franklin Graham said of Kennedy on Facebook: “I am glad to hear that Joe Kennedy has finally been reinstated as a football coach at the Washington state high school he was dismissed from for praying on the field after games back in 2015. His case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where last summer justices made a 6-3 ruling in his favor.

“This is great news! I hope that Coach Kennedy will continue to kneel in prayer—on and off the field—and that this win will protect and encourage others in the same situation!”

The court’s order also said, “Bremerton School District shall not interfere with or prohibit Kennedy from kneeling at midfield to engage in a brief, quiet, personal religious ritual during the period after a football game in which the coaching staff are free to attend to personal matters.”

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at CBN News.{eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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