Our Succot Message to Israel: ‘Believe Your Prophets!’
Published on: 28.9.2023
By: David Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman

This was meant to be the year Israel celebrated its 75th anniversary as a restored nation. But there have been many disruptions that have drawn attention away from this important milestone – the sharp internal divisions over judicial reform, the persistent threat of Palestinian terrorism, and the looming danger of a nuclear Iran, to name a few.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials also have been under pressure to deal with a recent spike in Jewish harassment and attacks on Christians, which has brought yet another challenge to the nation’s already over-stretched police and security forces.

Oddly, the recent Jewish agitation against Christians has included raucous protests against Evangelical Christians, who are widely considered to be good friends of Israel. Yet, the protestors and those who back them have expressed doubts about our friendship. They are afraid it is a cover for missionary activity. Others question our motives for standing with Israel, saying we are just here out of guilt for past Christian antisemitism, or we want to bring back Jesus, or – worst of all – we are out to force the Apocalypse.

On behalf of tens of millions of Evangelicals worldwide, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has been refuting these claims for decades, both through our words and our benevolent deeds in the Land. Thankfully, many Israelis have come to trust Evangelical support. As for those who remain skeptics, we know it is not easy to turn attitudes around so quickly after centuries of Christian hostility and violence towards Jews.

But it is imperative that Israelis understand more clearly what is driving most Christian Zionists today. Succinctly, we are motivated by a compelling love to see the Jewish people safely reach their divinely appointed destiny back in the Land, as promised through Israel’s own Hebrew prophets.

We realize the Jewish people went through a long, hard journey of exile among the nations over many centuries, and this involved much suffering. Regrettably, many of these travails were inflicted by Christians.

Our Scriptures also tell us that much of Israel’s suffering was for our sake. That is, while dispersed among the nations the Jewish people brought great blessings to the Gentiles. Most notably, you brought us the Bible and the precious knowledge of the one true, loving Creator God and how we should walk uprightly before Him.

Christians also know God has given Israel great promises through the Hebrew prophets concerning your physical restoration to the Land and even a spiritual return to God. There are too many such prophetic passages to list here, but Ezekiel 36:24-38 is one of the clearest and most powerful of these hope-filled passages.

These same prophets also said that when God begins to regather the Jewish people back to the Promised Land, there would be Gentiles at your side to help with this great Ingathering, and even your own Jewish Sages have taught this down through time (see e.g., Isaiah 49:22-23).

Indeed, there has been a profound sea change in Christian attitudes towards the Jewish people in modern times. Whereas past generations of Christians reviled and persecuted the Jews in their midst, this has totally shifted today. When you look around the world at present, it is Christians who are standing with Israel, especially the Evangelicals – who now number over 700 million worldwide. The 400-year Evangelical movement largely was never involved in any forced conversions or acts of violent antisemitism against Jews. Yet we are the Christians most determined to do something to mend the wounds of that tragic legacy.

Thus, we are helping bring Jews home on Aliyah flights, caring for Holocaust survivors, fighting antisemitism, and providing bomb shelters for vulnerable Israeli communities. We care deeply about the security and future well-being of the Jewish nation and people. Thus, we also can zealously proclaim: Am Israel Chai – “The People of Israel Live!

This historic transformation of Christian views on Israel is displayed every year at the Feast of Tabernacles, when thousands of Christians gather from some 100 nations to celebrate Succot with the Jewish people in Jerusalem. For over forty years now, Christians have been faithfully coming to the Feast – even in times of war and terror campaigns, as only the global Covid pandemic managed to prevent their arrival. This year, thousands of Christians are ascending once again to Jerusalem to observe this festival of remembrance, harvest and joy alongside the Jewish people here in the Land of Israel.

Yet this, too, was foreseen by the Hebrew prophets. Our very first Succot gathering in 1980 was inspired by the vision of the prophet Zechariah, who foresaw a time when all the nations will ascend to Jerusalem “from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

Israel’s former Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren recognized this connection when he spoke at the ICEJ’s second Feast celebration 42 years ago and proclaimed over our Christian delegates: “Blessed are they who come in the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 118:26)

Chief Rabbi Goren also told that Feast gathering: “Your sympathy, solidarity and belief in the future of Israel – this to us is tremendous. We consider you part of the fulfilment of the prophetic vision expressed by Zechariah in chapter 14. Your presence here will always remain a golden page in the book of eternity in heaven. May the Lord bless you out of Zion.” In that spirit, we will again celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles alongside the Jewish people over coming days. We know that this is a difficult time for the nation of Israel, with sharp divisions internally and many threats on your borders. But our presence here at this very time carries a message of solidarity and hope. So, we simply say: “Israel, believe your prophets.” For surely there are better days and even a glorious future ahead for this nation!

我們向以色列傳達的住棚節信息：「請相信你的先知！」
發佈於：2023年9月28日
作者：David Parsons，ICEJ 副總裁兼資深發言人

今年本來是以色列慶祝其復興國家 75 週年的一年。但也有許多干擾因素分散了人們對這一重要里程碑的注意力——司法改革的尖銳內部分歧、巴勒斯坦人恐怖主義的持續威脅以及伊朗核威脅迫在眉睫的危險等等。

與此同時，以色列官員也面臨著應對最近猶太人騷擾和襲擊基督徒事件激增的壓力，這給該國本已不堪重負的警察和安全部隊帶來了另一個挑戰。

奇怪的是，最近猶太人針對基督徒的騷動包括對福音派基督徒的喧鬧抗議，而福音派基督徒被廣泛認為是以色列的好朋友。 然而，抗議者和支持他們的人對我們的友誼表示懷疑。 他們擔心這是傳教活動的掩護。 其他人質疑我們與以色列站在一起的動機，說我們來這裡只是因為對過去的基督教反猶太主義感到內疚，或者我們想帶回耶穌，或者——最糟糕的是——我們是為了強迫世界末日。

幾十年來，耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館代表全世界數以千萬計的福音派人士，透過我們的言語和我們在這片土地上的愛的行為，一直在駁斥這些說法。 值得慶幸的是，許多以色列人已經開始信任福音派的支持。 對於那些仍然持懷疑態度的人來說，我們知道，在幾個世紀以來基督徒對猶太人的敵意和暴力之後，要如此迅速地改變態度並不容易。

但以色列人必須更清楚地了解當今大多數基督教猶太復國主義者的動力。 簡而言之，我們的動機是一種令人信服的愛，希望看到猶太人安全地回到這片土地，實現他們神聖指定的命定，正如以色列自己的希伯來先知所應許的那樣。

我們知道，猶太人民在多個世紀中經歷了漫長而艱難的流亡之旅，期間經歷了許多苦難。 遺憾的是，許多這些苦難都是基督徒造成的。

我們的聖經也告訴我們，以色列的大部分苦難都是為了我們。 也就是說，當猶太人分散到各國時，他們為外邦人帶來了巨大的祝福。 最值得注意的是，您為我們帶來了聖經和關於獨一、慈愛的創造主上帝的寶貴知識，以及我們應該如何在祂面前正直行走。

基督徒也知道上帝透過希伯來先知給了以色列偉大的應許，讓他們的身體恢復到這片土地，甚至屬靈上回歸上帝。這樣的預言性經文很多，無法在此一一列舉，但以西結書 36:24-38 是這些充滿希望的經文中最清晰、最有力的之一。

這些先知也說，當上帝開始將猶太人重新聚集到應許之地時，將會有外邦人在你們身邊幫助進行這一偉大的聚集，甚至你們自己的猶太聖賢也一直在教導這一點（例如，參見，以賽亞書 49:22-23）。

事實上，現代基督徒對猶太人的態度有了深刻的改變。儘管過去幾代基督徒辱罵和迫害他們中間的猶太人，但今天這種情況已經完全改變了。 當你環顧當今世界時，你會發現與以色列站在一起的是基督徒，尤其是福音派——目前全世界人數已超過 7 億。 長達 400 年的福音派運動基本上從未涉及任何強迫猶太人信主或針對猶太人的暴力反猶太主義行為。然而，我們是基督徒，最決心採取行動來治癒這悲慘遺產的創傷。

因此，我們正在幫助猶太人乘坐回歸航班回家，照顧大屠殺生還者，打擊反猶太主義，並為脆弱的以色列社區提供防空洞。 我們深切關心猶太民族和人民的安全和未來福祉。 因此，我們也可以熱忱地宣告：Am Israel Chai－－「以色列人活著！

在每年的住棚節期間，基督徒對以色列的看法發生了歷史性的轉變，來自約 100 個國家的數千名基督徒聚集在一起，與耶路撒冷的猶太人一起慶祝 Succot。 四十多年來，基督徒一直忠實地參加這個節期——即使在戰爭和恐怖活動時期，只有全球新冠大流行才阻止了他們的到來。今年，成千上萬的基督徒再次登上耶路撒冷，與以色列土地上的猶太人一起慶祝這個紀念、收穫和歡樂的節期。

然而，希伯來先知也預見了這一點。 我們於1980 年舉行的第一次住棚節聚會受到先知撒迦利亞異象的啟發，他預見到有一天，所有國家都將登上耶路撒冷，「年復一年地敬拜大君王萬軍之耶和華，並守耶路撒冷的節期」（撒迦利亞書14:16）。

42 年前，以色列前首席拉比什洛莫·戈倫(Rabbi Shlomo Goren) 在ICEJ 的第二屆節期慶祝活動上發言時認識到了這種聯繫，並向我們的基督徒代表宣告：「奉主名而來的人是有福的。」 （詩篇 118:26）

首席拉比戈倫也在住棚節上表示：「你們對以色列未來的同情、團結和信念——這對我們來說是巨大的。 我們認為你是撒迦利亞在第 14 章中所表達的預言異象的實現的一部分。你在這裡的存在將永遠成為天堂永恆之書中的金色一頁。 願主從錫安賜福給你們。」 本著這種精神，我們將在未來幾天再次與猶太人一起慶祝住棚節。 我們知道，對以色列國家來說，這是一個困難時期，內部分歧嚴重，邊境也面臨許多威脅。 但我們此時此刻來到這裡傳遞團結和希望的訊息。 所以，我們只是說：「以色列，相信你的先知。」這個國家一定有更好的日子，甚至更美好的未來！