Special Report from Matt and Laurie: TBN in the Holy Land
There’s hardly a nation on earth that has avoided the impact of COVID-19. We praise God for the recoveries and pray His peace over those still walking through this difficult season. We also remember the pandemic’s first victim in Israel, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor named Arie Even.
Before these unprecedented events began, Laurie and I joined a group of TBN Partners this past January for a 10-day tour of the Holy Land. And what we saw renewed our deeply held conviction to pray for and stand with the Jewish people as a whole.Modern Israel is like a tiny island. But instead of being isolated by a vast ocean, Israel is surrounded by hostile governments and factions that seek the nation’s destruction—extremists who don’t represent the views of most Middle Eastern people.
For the length of recorded history, these and many other enemies have tried to cripple and destroy the Jewish people, but they have not succeeded. God has faithfully delivered those whom He chose millennia ago.
As Believers, we know Israel is at the center of God’s plans for bringing the Gospel to the world. And we come in agreement with Psalm 122:6: Pray and seek for Jerusalem’s peace, for all who love her will prosper! (TPT).
Beautiful Israel—where Jesus prayed and taught us a better way to pray and paid the ultimate price so you and I and all Believers could live in freedom—is such a special place.
Nevertheless, the fact remains: God’s people have always been the focus of hatred and persecution by His enemies. The same is true today. Across the world, this opposition takes several forms. Persecution of Christians is one. Anti-Semitic hatred of Jewish people is another. A third is the widespread and growing hatred for the nation of Israel.For all these reasons, we are writing today to provide you, dear TBN Partner, with truths about Israel you won’t find in the mainstream news media. And insider insights into what you and TBN are doing together to fight these trends in the midst of everything going on around the world today.
Isolating Israel
We could cite example after example revealing Israel’s need to be held in our prayers and receive our support. Here are just a few:
During the first days of our tour, fighting broke out in Syria and Iraq, which are north and east of Israel, respectively. Israel’s military went on high alert, on guard against attack from those directions. At the very same time, in the south, rocket and incendiary balloon attacks resumed against Israeli citizens, and riots erupted on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip.Despite these events, we were never in harm’s way and experienced a spiritually moving and memorable tour. The remarkable people of Israel have simply figured out a way to live life and carry on in the face of these constant threats.
We also saw the negative economic impacts of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement on businesses based in Israel. BDS is a dangerous movement designed to cripple and isolate Israel economically through boycotts of Israeli goods and to force investors in the U.S. and Europe to stop investing in Israeli companies.
... the effects of ill-informed boycotts and sanctions can be seen in Israeli businesses, the arts, and more.
Israeli economy is strong. Even so, the effects of ill-informed boycotts and sanctions can be seen in Israeli businesses, the arts, and more. On our tour, we witnessed the impact of BDS on many locally owned businesses in Jerusalem. Our tour guide explained how some of the city’s biggest marketplaces for Israeli goods often are closed. This hatred for Israel is very much related to anti-Semitism, and both have spiritual roots.Adding This All Together
All of this means one thing: TBN’s longstanding, special relationship with Israel and her people is more important than ever. We believe you feel the same way.
The people of Israel need to know that Christians around the world love them and stand with them.
We’re determined to be your voice of support and encouragement to the people of this remarkable land. The people of Israel need to know that Christians around the world love them and stand with them.
And TBN’s global platform—which depends upon your support—carries Biblical truth about Israel to people on every inhabited continent in 17 languages.
TBN Programs Share the Truth About Israel
A few readers may recall my parents’ interviews with Israeli prime ministers, presidents, and other government leaders. We praise God for opening those doors. It has led to TBN’s unwavering support for Israel on behalf of evangelical Christians worldwide. Laurie and I have been honored to build on this legacy, most recently on the January 21, 2020, episode of Praise, where I welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In this exclusive interview, he told me about the “tyrants of Tehran” and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both have long worked for Israel’s destruction. What’s more, he shared some shocking news about the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. He told me that, back in January, a prosecutor for the ICC—the same body that previously tried and convicted Nazi war criminals—announced that Israeli citizens should be prosecuted for war crimes!
“It is so outrageous and so defiant of history and truth, and our common values and traditions,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Watch the interview and find out what you can do to oppose this ruling at watch.tbn.org/videos/praise-493.)Perhaps at no other time in history has TBN’s creation of Israel-focused content and programming been more urgently needed to help turn the tide of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hatred that is spreading around the world like a cancer. We must continue creating TBN programs that demonstrate and explain God’s providence over His chosen people and nation.
How You Can Help
We understand how many good people can feel powerless to make a difference in the face of such evil and disturbing trends. But today … right now, as we emerge from the pandemic … there are two things you can do to support the land and the people of Israel:
The first way is to pray. Your prayers combined with those of thousands of other like-minded individuals will support TBN’s efforts to combat raw hatred toward Jewish people in Israel and around the world.The second thing you can do is share a gift of support. Every gift sustains TBN’s Biblically grounded defense of Israel and her people. Likewise, your gift helps TBN’s Jerusalem studio, where Gospel-centered programs are produced and shared with the world. It will also encourage and bring comfort to God’s people in their time of need. Please join with us. Let’s pray for Israel with one heart.
Remember, God promised Abraham He was going to create “a great nation” from his seed (Genesis 12:2, NKJV). He added this promise: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (v. 3, NKJV).
Laurie and I invite you to join with us in prayer and in support of Israel. We thank God for His blessing over our efforts and those of you who are standing with TBN as we stand with Israel!
In peace and solidarity with Israel,
Matt and Laurie Crouch
