Jerusalem, Israel — It’s rarely been more challenging to be an Israeli.
Yet never have Lynn and I been more grateful.
Yes, the war that was launched against us by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies on October 7th has been brutal.
We and our fellow Israelis are living through our nation’s darkest hour.
The Iranian regime and its terror proxies are relentlessly attacking us from every side.
It is exhausting.
We are all grieving the deaths and the wounding of so many Israelis and Palestinians.
And sadly, so few of our people personally know the Messiah whom God sent to save us, bless us, redeem us, and transform us some 2,000 years ago.
That said, I love living here.
I love being an actual citizen of the State of Israel.
I have great hope for the future of our country.
And today – exactly 76 years after our first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, declared our independence – I want to share with you 76 reasons why I love this country.
(please share them with family and friends on social media – thanks)
I LOVE ISRAEL BECAUSE…..
1. The rebirth of the modern State of Israel – on May 14, 1948 – was one of the greatest miracles in the history of mankind and the fulfillment of ancient biblical prophecies that most people in the world thought were fairy tales, or lies, and would never come true.
2. The very existence of Israel today – and the survival of the Jewish people throughout human history, with so many people trying to destroy and annihilate us – is living proof of the existence of God and the Bible as His Holy Word.
3. God declared in the Scriptures that He loves Israel – “The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.’” (Jeremiah 31:3)
4. God calls Israel the “apple of His eye” – “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.’” (Zechariah 2:8)
5. God declares that He lives in Israel – “For the Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3:21)
6. God made in clear in the Scriptures that He sovereignly chose Jerusalem – the eternal capital of Israel – as His very own city. “I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.” (II Chronicles 6:6)
7. God regards Israel – and our capital, Jerusalem – as the epicenter of the world. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with [the rest of the] countries all around her.” (Ezekiel 5:5, NIV) In II Chronicles 33:4, God says, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.”
8. God sovereignly chose to send the Messiah to be born in Israel, to live in Israel, to do miracles in Israel, to preach the Gospel in Israel, and to die and rise again in Israel as a Jewish man. (see all four Gospel accounts in the New Testament)
9. Indeed, the most famous Israeli of all time – followed and beloved by more than 2 billion people worldwide at present – is Jesus of Nazareth.
10. When the Messiah returns to govern the entire world for 1,000 years, He will come to Israel and live in Jerusalem. (see Zechariah 12 and the Book of Revelation)
11. The Hebrew prophet Daniel called Israel “the beautiful land” – and he was right. (Daniel 8:9, 11:16, 11:41)
12. The State of Israel allowed my family and I to make aliyah, move here, and become citizens of this beautiful, miraculous country.
13. I have made some of my dearest friends of my life here in Israel.
14. Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, was right when he famously said, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.”
15. Israel’s three greatest exports are the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity.
16. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the number of Christians is increasing. The Christian population grew by 1.3% in 2023 to 187,900 and Christians make up 1.9% of the population of Israel, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
17. Israel is the safest and freest country in all of the Middle East and North Africa for followers of Jesus to live, work, and practice our faith.
18. Wonder Woman is an Israeli — Gal Gadot, who played the superheroine in the film that has raked in $821 million at the box office worldwide, was born and raised in Israel. Gadot (pronounced “Ga-DOTE”) is arguably the most famous Israeli in the world today, eclipsing the Prime Minister.
19. Israel has more museums per capita than any other country in the world.
20. Israel is the only country in the world to have more trees today than it did 50 years ago.
21. Drip irrigation was invented in Israel — “Amazing to think that the huge worldwide industry of modern drip irrigation all began when Israeli engineer Simcha Blass noticed a tree growing bigger than its neighbors in the Israeli desert, and found that it was fed by a leaking water pipe. Today, Netafim, the company founded in 1965 to commercialize his idea, is recognized as the worldwide pioneer in smart drip- and micro-irrigation. It has revolutionized the agricultural industry, operating systems in 112 countries with 13 factories throughout the world and 2,400 employees.” (Israel 21c)
22. The world’s leading desalinization system was invented in Israel — “Israel’s IDE Technologies is the leading company worldwide in desalination – the process of turning seawater into drinking water — with 400 desalination plants in 40 countries producing 2,000,000 cubic meters of water a day. IDE Technologies operates the world’s two largest desalination plants in Israel and is now building China’s largest and greenest desalination plant. The new plant uses runoff steam from a power plant to help run the desalination machinery – producing water for the power plant, drinking water for the community and salt to sell.” (Israel 21c)
23. Cell-phone technology was invented in Israel — “It was at Motorola’s Israel R&D center that Israeli engineers first developed original cell-phone technology. Most of the technology in your mobile phone can be traced back to Israeli engineering. From the tool that guards your mobile identity to a new keyboard solution, Israeli expertise keeps your phone from getting bigger yet staying cutting edge.” (Israel 21c)
24. Voice mail technology was invented in Israel.
25. The most impressive, state-of-the-art GPS navigation app – Waze – was invented in Israel. In 2013, Google bought the Israeli company, Waze, for a cool $1.15 billion.
26. Amazon’s Kindle eBook platform was invented in Israel — “The Java platform inside Amazon’s best-selling Kindle was developed in Israel. Some four years ago, Amazon contacted Sun, later acquired by Oracle, and asked the company to develop a customized platform to run the software in a new e-book reader device under design. Sun handed the project on to its Israeli R&D office in Herzliya, and it was designed and developed there. After several years, a prototype was created to Amazon’s satisfaction, and manufacturing began. Amazon is now the undisputed leader in the e-reader category.” (Israel 21c)
27. PlayStation was invented in Israel — “Circuit technology engineers at the IBM Haifa Development Lab played an integral role in developing the cell broadband engine chip controller that powers the Sony Playstation3 introduced in late 2006. The idea for the powerful chip came from Sony-Toshiba-IBM and was turned into an actual product through the collective efforts of 30 researchers working in Israel. The Playstation3 sold 197,000 units on the first day of its debut on the market, and one million within the first six weeks. IBM R&D Labs in Israel was established in 1950 and now encompasses about 1,000 employees at the Haifa Research Lab, the IBM Israel Systems and Technology Group Lab and the IBM Israel Software Lab. Locations include Haifa, Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Rehovot and Jerusalem.” (Israel 21c)
28. The first USB flash drive was invented in Israel.
29. One of the world’s most advanced early microchips – the Intel 8088 – was invented in Israel.
30. The world’s first instant-messaging system was invented in Israel.
31. Two of Microsoft’s most important operating systems, NT and XP, were developed primarily in Israel. Microsoft has had a strong presence in Israel for many years and has two R&D centers in Herzliya that employ around 2,300 people. In 2021, Microsoft opened a new campus in Herzliya. It expects to employ around 4,500 people when it finishes current expansion projects.
32. Semiconductor chip maker Intel was one of the first multinationals to come to Israel. It set up a small chip design center in Haifa in 1974 – Intel’s first outside of the United States. Today, Intel Israel employs around 13,900 people, and is the corporation’s headquarters for global R&D for wireless technology. The 8088 processor was designed and developed here, as were important processors such as the 12th generation Alder Lake processor, powering millions of laptops worldwide. In 2021, Intel announced a $10 billion investment in manufacturing and R&D in Israel.
33. The Pill-Cam was invented in Israel — “Founded by Dr. Gavriel Meron in 1998, Yokneam-based Given Imaging revolutionized the world of gastrointestinal diagnosis by developing a miniature camera in a pill, called the PillCam, to visualize and detect disorders of the GI tract. The PillCam is now the gold standard for intestinal visualization and is sold in more than 60 countries around the world.” (Israel 21c)
34. The world’s leading collision prevention and driverless car technology – MobileEye – was invented and created in Israel.
35. The game Rummikub was invented in Israel.
36. The game MasterMind was invented in Israel.
37. Six of the 15 current Justices on Israel’s Supreme Court are women.
38. Until recently, the president of Israel’s Supreme Court was a woman — Esther Hayut. The U.S. has never had a woman serve as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
39. Chaled Kabub, an Israeli Arab citizen, became the first Muslim Israeli Arab to serve on the High Court. Previously, he served as vice president of the Tel Aviv District Court.
40. There are 35 women serving today in Israel’s parliament – the Knesset – the highest number in the modern history of the country.
41. Ten Arab Israeli citizens currently serve as Members of Knesset, Israel’s national parliament – and overall, 100 Israeli Arabs have served in the Knesset throughout the nation’s modern history.
42. Mansour Abbas – an Israeli Arab Muslim politician who leads an Arab political party called Ra’am – in 2021 became the first leader of an Arab party to join an Israeli coalition government. He says he is a proud Israeli and has pushed back against critics by rejecting the notion that Israel is a country practicing “apartheid.”
43. Raleb Majadele – an Israeli Arab politician who used to serve in the Labor Party – in 2007 became the first Arab Muslim ever to be appointed as an Israeli Cabinet Minister. He first served as Minister Without Portfolio. Later, he served as Israel’s Minister of Science, Culture and Sport. This represented a dramatic breakthrough in Israeli Arabs serving in the government.
44. In 2023, 3 million tourists visited Israel, up 12.5% over 2022. While below the pre-Covid high of 4.5 million, it is a dramatic increase from the previous year, even accounting for tourism screeching to a halt after Hamas invaded on October 7th.
45. Approximately 50% of all tourists to Israel are Christians.
46. Of the 7,000 languages in the world, Hebrew is the only dead language in history ever to have been revived from effective extinction.
47. Today, there are over 10 million Hebrew speakers in the world today. Most of them reside in Israel.
48. The population of Israel today is more than ten times larger than it was in 1948 — 9.975 million, compared to only 805,000 back then.
49. Some 7.28 million Jews are citizens of Israel today, 73% of the population.
50. Some 2.095 million Arabs are citizens of Israel today, 21% of the population. (another 5% of Israelis identify as an ethnic group other than Jews or Arabs).
51. About 31% of Israel’s entire population are immigrants while the rest are “sabras,” born here in the Land.
52. Remarkably, 74,000 new immigrants came to Israel to become citizens in 2023 – despite the October 7th war – representing an increase over 2022.
53. The international legal legitimacy for the modern State of Israel comes from UN Resolution 181, which is more commonly known as the “Partition Plan.” The resolution “was approved on November 29, 1947, with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent.” These are the countries who voted for the resolution, and thus for the creation of the State of Israel: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian S.S.R., Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukrainian S.S.R., Union of South Africa, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela.
54. On March 26, 1979, Israel signed an historic peace treaty with Egypt, following intense negotiations at Camp David in September 1978.
55. On October 26, 1994, Israel signed an historic peace treaty with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
56. On September 13, 1993, Israel tried to make peace with the Palestinian people, signing an interim peace agreement with the Palestinians known as “Oslo I.”
57. On September 28, 1995, Israel went even further in trying to make peace with the Palestinian people, signing a second interim peace agreement with the Palestinians known as “Oslo II.”
58. On September 15, 2020, Israel signed the “Abraham Accords,” an historic peace and normalization agreement, with the United Arab Emirates.
59. On September 15, 2020, Israel also signed the “Abraham Accords” with the Kingdom of Bahrain.
60. On October 23, 2020, Israel and Sudan announced a dramatic and historic peace and normalization agreement.
61. On December 10, 2020, Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco announced a dramatic and historic peace and normalization agreement.
62. Israel and Saudi Arabia are growing increasingly close and leaders of both countries have expressed a desire to forge an historic peace and normalization agreement with help from the United States.
63. Israel is the leading country for venture capital fund investment per capita, leading the United States.
64. In 2023, Israel ranked the No. 3 country worldwide in terms of startup companies, per capita.
65. Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship – and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 – in the world.
66. Israel recycles 90% of the wastewater it creates – more than any other country in the world.
67. More Jewish people live in Israel than any other country in the world, including the United States – in fact, 43% of the world’s Jewish population now lives in the State of Israel.
68. Israel ranked as the 4th happiest country in the world in 2023.
69. Fully 80% of American Evangelicals believe that the Abrahamic Covenant that granted the Land of Israel to the Jewish people was a promise God made for all time, that it was unconditional, that it could not be revoked – a mere 5% disagree. (see Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem survey by LifeWay Research)
70. Fully 80% of American Evangelicals believe the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 is the fulfillment of Bible prophecy – only 20% think it was merely an interesting geopolitical event but unrelated to God keeping His promises. (see Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem survey by LifeWay Research)
71. Nearly 8-in-10 Evangelicals (76%) believe that Christians should support Jewish people’s right to live in the sovereign state of Israel. (see Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem survey by LifeWay Research)
72. More than 7-in-10 American Evangelicals (72%) say they want to know more about what the Bible teaches about Israel’s future. (see Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem survey by LifeWay Research)
73. American Evangelical Christians are deeply concerned about the need for Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace with one another. Indeed, 59% of Evangelicals believe Christians should do more to love and care for Palestinian people, and fully 66% of younger Evangelicals believe this. What’s more, 73% are concerned for the safety of Christians in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. And 41% agreed with the statement: “Jewish people have a biblical right to the land of Israel, but also have a responsibility to share the land with Palestinian Arabs.” Only 28% disagreed with this statement, while 31% said they weren’t sure. (see Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem survey by LifeWay Research)
74. The United States was the first nation in the world to recognize the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 — and President Harry Truman, a devout Bible-believing Christian, made his decision to stand with the Jewish state despite intense opposition within his own administration, including from his Secretary of State. Truman’s decision was announced to the world 11 minutes after Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion declared the nation’s independence.
75. Israel currently has diplomatic relations with 168 countries, an extraordinary development given thousands of years of anti-Semitism and the efforts of many in modern times to isolate and shun the State of Israel.
76. The Bible promises that one day, “all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:26)
Could I go on?
I absolutely could.
But 76 reasons seem sufficient for the 76th anniversary of the prophetic rebirth of the Jewish state.
As Israelis both celebrate and grieve the deaths and wounding of so many this month, please don’t stop praying for Israel and her neighbors.
Please implore the Lord to set all the captives free, according to Isaiah 61:1-3.
Please pray that the Lord would graciously grant us victory over our enemies and mercy to us and our neighbors.
And please never, ever forget that the beautiful, miraculous story of Israel and the Jewish people is far from over
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