This summer, as Israel continued its righteous war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, I flew all over the United States – from Milwaukee to Spokane to Lubbock and more – to speak about my new book and to launch new local branches of Israel365. Along the way I met many extraordinary people, both Jews and Christians, who gave me great encouragement and hope for the future. Their love for Israel and refusal to remain passive was incredibly inspiring.
During my visit to Texas, I met a Jewish leader with a fascinating spiritual journey. Like so many other Jews in America today, she grew up in a secular home with little knowledge of God, the Bible or Jewish tradition. But fortunately for her, she grew up in Texas surrounded by faithful and believing Christians. As she grew older, the way her Christian friends spoke – quoting scripture and praising God – began to rub off on her. Her friends’ faith inspired her to return to her own roots and explore the Jewish tradition she knew so little about. Today, she is a deeply committed and faithful Jew – because of her Christian friends.
In Babylon’s Vale of Duro, the Emperor Nebuchadnezzar erected a colossal golden statue and demanded that all of his subjects bow before it or be burned to death in a fiery furnace. While the Jewish masses complied and bowed to the statue, three Jewish officials—Hananya, Mishael, and Azarya—defiantly refused, declaring allegiance only to the God of Israel. Enraged, Nebuchadnezzar ordered them cast into the flames. Miraculously, the three men were not harmed by the flames, astonishing the Emperor and the people. It was an awesome moment – a public sanctification of the Name of God.
The sages taught: When Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah emerged unscathed from the fiery furnace, all the nations of the world came and slapped the people of Israel upon their faces, saying to them, ‘You have such an [awesome] God as this, yet you worship an idol??!!’ Immediately, the people of Israel opened their mouths and confessed:
The sages’ interpretation of this story is fascinating. While both Jews and gentiles witnessed the miraculous rescue of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the fiery furnace, it was the gentiles who first grasped its significance. They confronted the Jews who had bowed to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, saying: “How could you worship an idol when you have such a powerful God?” Only after this rebuke from other nations did the Jewish people acknowledge their error and cry out for God’s forgiveness. Sometimes, the Jewish people need outsiders to remind them of God’s miraculous interventions on their behalf.
The very same dynamic is expressed in Psalm 126, the psalm of redemption:
First, the nations of the world will recognize God’s awesome actions. Only then, after the nations recognize the miracles of God, will the Jewish people say:
Why do my people, the people of Israel, God’s chosen nation, need the nations of the world to awaken us to God’s miracles?
For two thousand years, we have suffered. Centuries of antisemitism, trauma, and fear have made it difficult for many of us to believe in our own redemption. Paradoxically, it often falls to other nations – including those historically responsible for much of our suffering – to remind us of God’s enduring love and to point out the miraculous deeds that God performs on our behalf.
This dynamic serves a dual purpose: it helps to heal the Jewish people’s spiritual trauma, while also giving the nations the opportunity to repent and rectify past wrongs by actively supporting and affirming God’s love for Israel.
There is no doubt that Christians play a crucial role in the healing of the Jewish people and the redemption of the entire world – a role that we as Jews must recognize and deeply appreciate. But the psalmist and the sages are clear: this support must not come by trying to change us and converting us to Christianity. Rather, the true calling for Christians is to encourage and support us in returning to our own faith, to Judaism.
Long before Jesus walked the earth, God permanently and eternally selected the people of Israel as His chosen nation. The Jewish people, as faithful Jews, have a unique and critical role to play in the unfolding redemption. It is time for Christians to acknowledge this truth, respect the unique path of the Jewish people, and love us unconditionally – without trying to change us.
We are living through the time of redemption – a time of great pain, but also a time of great healing. Islamic jihadists and radical leftists have united in an unprecedented alliance to wage war against Jews and Christians. In response, for the first time in almost two thousand years, Jews and Christians are turning to one another in love and friendship. If we do this right – with mutual respect and admiration – we will accomplish more for God than we have ever dreamed of.
It’s up to us.
Rabbi Elie Mischel is the author of a new and sensational book, The War Against the Bible. If you yearn for spiritual clarity amid today’s turbulence, let the power of the Hebrew Bible’s prophecies and call to action strengthen your faith. Get your copy of The War Against the Bible: Ishmael, Esau and Israel at the End Times today!
