One For Israel

Dr. Erez Soref: October 7th in many ways was a wake-up call for Israel.

Dr. Seth Postell: The amount of loss we'll never know is immeasurable.

Dr. Erez Soref: But there's a there's a huge interest in God.

Dr. Seth Postell: I think the greatest weapon to defeat an enemy is the gospel because it makes your enemy your brother.

Dr. Erez Soref: Shalom and welcome to another episode of Pod for Israel. I'm Dr. Erez Soref and I have with me Dr. Seth Postell. Shalom Seth.

Dr. Seth Postell: Shalom Erez.

Dr. Erez Soref: Today we want to talk about the date that just have passed since which is so significant here the 7th of October. It's been three years since the the you know most difficult event in modern Israel's history happened and we have experienced something very special the last few days. We were fortunate I guess in some way. I mean it was a tough experience but we visited the Gaza envelope on October the 7th.

Dr. Seth Postell: Yeah.

Dr. Erez Soref: And that is something that touched us deeply and arose many not only emotions but thought. What what did it do to you personally?

Dr. Seth Postell: I think the most memorable moment for me was when we were walking in the Nova Festival and as we entered there's the memorials with the pictures of the fallen with posters and there was one man probably in his 30s and he was bent over weeping uncontrollably at the foot of a a picture and there was a woman there trying to comfort him and I think you know we all experienced being here October 7th and each of us have our grief but I think that that was something that was just made it very deeply personal. We were there with a group also of people that love Israel and are here and visiting and we brought them to the site and I think that it was something that made the loss profoundly real and and I think another thing that really hit me was that the there was a woman there with this man I don't know wife, sister but she was holding him and you know I started thinking about scripture and thinking about Yeshua as our mediator and how Yeshua he prays for our people.

He weeps for our people and thinking that there was probably that invisible hand there too. In other words she she in my sense it felt like Yeshua was there weeping and mourning and comforting and so I think that that was that was a memory that really stuck out for me. I'm wondering you know for you what were what was something that really stuck with you when you were there in the Gaza envelope?

Dr. Erez Soref: So I I saw that I saw that it's young man it was very very very touching. I think what really shocked me was before before you got to that part there was some posters with the pictures and the life story of of some of the people and there were some I mean everybody was so young and so promising and it was just it was just terrible.

Dr. Seth Postell: I think one side of the Holocaust and one side of October 7th maybe that people don't even look at and that is you know you have the tragedy of human life but you wonder how many future inventors and doctors were never born because of the Holocaust. How many cures to diseases maybe cures to cancer, melanoma you know all these cancers what what literature was not written what I I think that that the amount of loss we'll never know is immeasurable and yet you know one of the things that has always struck me about our people is that there are all sorts of reasons to lay down and cry and play dead and and and be victims right or just poor us but I also saw for instance we went to the kibbutz.

Dr. Erez Soref: I was just thinking about that.

Dr. Seth Postell: We went to this kibbutz where they were actually they literally defended their kibbutz with with rocks. They ran to the fence with rocks. They didn't even have any way to defend themselves and they they they stood in right and they they they gathered around and they were able to defend their kibbutz and the word that came out there was resiliency and what struck me about that experience is the power of community and what the church can learn right what the church can learn from the Jewish community in terms of the power of community, the importance of community and to be a part of a spiritual community that you have these common values and goals that can hold you together.

Dr. Erez Soref: I was reading this morning surrender to God, stand against Satan and he'll run from you.

Dr. Seth Postell: Yes.

Dr. Erez Soref: And and that that past you know that that experience were there over there in the kibbutz reminded me of that. The word that came to my mind was also another word that came to my mind there was hope because they were able to you know they didn't leave. I mean they had to evacuate but they all came back. You know they all came back. They they built a new neighborhood. They're building you know we were privileged to help them build a a kindergarten I mean a playground and then they build a paddle board courts and a swimming pool and they're rebuilding themselves.

I mean and they say we're going to stay here. We're going to be bigger. We're going to stronger. So I hope was another theme that I have taken from from that visit to be honest with you. I mean difficult as it was on that day.

Dr. Seth Postell: You know another thing that you know as I I'm coming back to I I keep coming back to that woman that's holding this young man crying and it it does remind me some scripture. So you know I think about Daniel in chapter 9 and how he prayed for Israel and it's interesting. I mean you think of Daniel as this godly man right and he's reading the prophets and because he's reading the prophets he has hope.

Dr. Erez Soref: Yes.

Dr. Seth Postell: Right he knows what's coming but at the same time reading the prophets he has this full identification with his people and so what does he pray? He doesn't pray you know Israel sinned.

Dr. Erez Soref: Right they

Dr. Seth Postell: Israel failed. Israel's right. What did he he he goes to this we right? So there's this we of confession. You know we have sinned. We have failed as a people. You know to us the shame but he appeals to God's character and God's favor and God's goodness and and and and God's covenant and I felt like you know you know looking at this woman comforting this man right and and just realizing that that to a certain extent that's what we're called to do and to stand in the gap and to pray and to pray we prayers not they prayers.

Dr. Erez Soref: Amen.

Dr. Seth Postell: To pray we prayers and to realize that we actually have an intercessor at the right hand of the father that also doesn't say me and them but we and that he holds and carries our burdens and another thought that I had too it's interesting as Yeshua identifies with our suffering as a people you know the the the the famous Marc Chagall painting white crucifixion and I I find it to be one of the most remarkably sobering pictures because Marc Chagall draws Jewish history and he depicts it as Yeshua being crucified with a prayer shawl.

Dr. Erez Soref: Yeah as a Jewish man yeah.

Dr. Seth Postell: As a Jewish man and I think that that's something that knowing that Yeshua fully identifies with our people with our suffering and again that knowledge that we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother and one day as a people we're going to look and we're going to have this reunion of weeping just like Joseph and his brothers and there's going to be an incredible time of of healing and comfort for people that has been through so much and God is going God is faithful in spite of all the challenges. So again there's hope.

Dr. Erez Soref: You know going on the theme of hope we've talked we've talked in last week. We had an opportunity to talk with somebody a person that was very senior previously I mean in his former life kind of thing a very senior in the Israeli a security world and he said that I mean it was I think a couple of days after October 7th and so we were still all of us under that that experience. He said you know was as as difficult as sad as October 7th was and you know he said he personally lost friends and and people that he personally knew um he spoke about hope.

He said in some way from a purely security perspective October 7th in many ways I'm trying to remember the word. I think he almost said saved Israel was a was a wake-up call for Israel and his point was the planned attack was not just Hamas I mean not just this horrors but a combined attack from Iran from you know Syria, from Iraq and from Hezbollah in Lebanon which would have been immeasurably worse and you know as difficult as as several hundred lives you know innocent people that have died it would have been dramatically worse and so again from his perspective strictly from a security the man is I mean I think he has faith in God but he's not a believer in Yeshua.

He said we are now from strictly a security standpoint Israel now the Jewish people are you know in a much better position against Hamas, dramatically better position against Hezbollah certainly better position against Iran, Syria Iraq, the militias there just a significant improvement. Now we're not out the woods as a country and we know that ultimately their difficult times coming but you know again it was interesting to hear that from a a strictly you know security perspective.

Dr. Seth Postell: As you're sharing it's interesting I mean we were just you know as we study through scripture you 've got the Haman's and they have their final solution the Hitler the Hitler's the you know the all the enemies of Israel they have their final solution that never comes to pass because God has his solution and and I think that that 's the that the comfort in all of this is that in spite of all the Haman's that rise up to defeat and destroy us and they've all these plans, they've all these councils that that that they're trying to defeat and it's not a battle with the Jewish people it's not a battle against the Jewish people.

It's it's a battle against the God of Israel and so we 've got a God who is a wonderful counselor. He is a miraculous planner and so I think that your you know this this man that worked in security kind of you know affirms and confirms the fact that God is ultimately in control and there's going to be a happy ending to this story. Our people have hope and by the way God's faithfulness to Israel is never a threat to our neighbors. It's always good news for all nations.

Dr. Erez Soref: That's exactly right and you know maybe maybe turning it a little more to the spiritual aspect of things I think we have experienced certainly us at one for Israel I think it broader circles as well that since the war broke there is a tremendous which I think is common. It's not special just to Israel but there's a there's a huge interest in God and so of course for us we've seen a tremendous you know upswing in interest. People are interested in in learning about Yeshua, in ordering the New Testament, in downloading the the New Testament app and just hearing about him you know the forbidden man you know the forbidden Messiah of our people and kind of the hidden the hidden gem of our people where we call it you know Yeshua is the best kept secret in the Jewish world and so more people want to know more about that and that has been one of the encouraging factors again talking about hope.

Dr. Seth Postell: And I think that that would be something that would be good for our listeners. I think people are so you know they're so focused on the on the media. There's many times focused on politics and things like that. So maybe speak to the fact like where where was our YouTube following subscribers on October 7th? Where are we now? Have there been any new departments added as since October 7th to one for Israel?

Dr. Erez Soref: Yeah so that's that's the the numbers are pretty striking. Now Israel is a country of 10 million people on October the 6th 2023 we had 78,000 people subscribed to our YouTube channel meaning that they they like the YouTube channel. They want to get the video right when it with when it comes out. Now three years later there are more than 1.2 million subscribers to our Hebrew channel on YouTube meaning there are over you know it's one of every eight Israelis that says I want to get your videos as soon as they come out. I want to see them.

I want to hear about this and so the the you know the influx of people writing to us, texting, emailing whatever has grown so much that we needed to create and dramatically expand our discipleship and follow-up department and so that has been a blessed you know development even in the pain and in the in the you know the difficult season there there is hope and people are are looking for God a whole lot more.

Dr. Seth Postell: Amen. It's really encouraging so I guess you know we consider the pain. We also can look to the one who can turn our sorrows into joy and and so praise God. It's encouraging to see that you know the whole the hidden aspect of God at work and I would again I would encourage people you know as they're thinking about it and I think evangelicals as they think about Israel I think they need to think through the great commission lens and to realize that God is definitely at work and it's interesting too another aspect of the ministry that people don't even realize since October 7th is also the whole outreach to Muslims that are seeking Jesus and people from even from Gaza that have come to faith through our ministry and have have not only found Jesus but have actually been healed of vitriolic antisemitism and so God is also at work in those places as a result.

Dr. Erez Soref: And and I think that's something very very important for our viewers and our our listeners to to realize that you know the very prevalent it seems like cool in certain even evangelical circles to be anti-Israel is is is something that really is against the God of Israel. Many times it's actually a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit and it's super interesting to see our Muslim brothers and sisters that count on the Lord and they become passionate about about Israel about the Jewish people because they say we were taught you know this this and that and now that our eyes are open to to the living God to the Messiah something happened in our heart and we're we're transformed in that aspect as well and so that's something that hopefully will be very interesting and hopefully as you said something that we as the the global church can learn from and so we want to play our small part in in that as as one for Israel.

Dr. Seth Postell: Amen. You think about how to I think the greatest weapon to defeat an enemy is the gospel because it makes your enemy your brother.

Dr. Erez Soref: Absolutely.

Dr. Seth Postell: So as we conclude can you think of some maybe for our our listeners? What are some specific ways they can be praying for the ministry and for one for Israel but also for you know the situation here in the Middle East for for Israel and also for the Arabs.

Dr. Erez Soref: So there's definitely it's a season of change. It's a season of change in in Israel in the Middle East and I think actually around the world and and as followers of Yeshua I would encourage our viewers, our listeners to pray for the Arab nations that are around us. For the first time for many many of those nations they have free internet and they can learn about the Messiah and there are many many different organizations that are reaching out to Muslim people throughout the Middle East. We at one for Israel are doing our part as well and also for the Jewish people.

After almost 2,000 years of church history where the gospel never reached the Jewish people once again like in the book of Acts it's coming from within. We are telling our people about Yeshua and that's a dramatic qualitative change God is using it and I hope that's something that is both encouraging to you and positively challenging. Seth I want to thank you so much for this time and to your listeners may God bless you and shalom.