As an American teenager I had an unusual goal. I longed for world peace to come about. It was obvious that we as humanity were not “fitting” together. This pursuit took me from the anti-war demonstrations of the 1960s to a farming commune in the high mountains of New Mexico. Yet not until Jesus found me, did I find the world’s only hope for peace among the nations, for He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). I had been a humanist, unaware of a personal, divine Creator. Consequently, I was thrilled and fulfilled to find Him as the Source of my long-standing conviction—that every human being is of equal and exquisite value.

Through the Scriptures I became more aware of my Jewish heritage and its meaning in the larger plan of God. This awareness in no way separated me from my non-Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah. On the contrary, it enriched our sense of shared significance in the Kingdom. I first experienced this during Passover celebrations that highlighted the presence of Yeshua in the ancient feast. That our Savior was sacrificed during Passover, just as the lambs in times of old, revealed the interwoven truths of the Old and New Testaments for all of us.
In time, we realized that our destiny was to live in Israel. Again, God’s word was our roadmap. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and their fellow prophets spoke of a regathering of the Jewish people after long exile, back to the land promised to Abraham. From the time Israel became our permanent home, in 1992, our Christian friends from around the world have supported us and cheered us on. They’ve expressed joy and gratitude that God’s words of covenant are being fulfilled at last.
Their encouragement and unfeigned friendship touched me deeply—so much that I began searching the Scriptures to discover the significance of this relationship. What I uncovered became a book about the essential bond of Israel and the nations, of Jewish and Gentile disciples of Yeshua.* Based on the partnership of King Solomon and King Hiram in building God’s House of worship in Jerusalem (1Kings 5), I wrote about our shared calling to see Israel restored to her Messiah and to see the nations revived in His Spirit. I wrote about worshiping Him together.
I, as a father, hold each of my children in the highest value. I see the uniqueness of each of my sons and daughters. In the same way, our Heavenly Father prizes His sons and daughters equally, each one with their distinctive personality and ancestry. Our gifts and callings are different, yet complimentary. Neither Israel nor the nations have anything of which to boast. As we cooperate with Him, the Prince of Peace will reconcile us to Himself and then to each other. That’s how we can truly come together.
*What About Us? The End-Time Calling of the Nations in Israel’s Revival