As I was driving home today, I felt that the Lord wanted me to write something about safety and travel to Israel.
When I got home I received a confirmation in a message from an old college friend. She was asking if it was safe to come on our upcoming Living Stones tour. It is a valid question that I wrestled with before moving here.
I used to ask those who lived here if it was safe and they always looked at me as if they didn’t understand the question. After getting settled in the Holy Land, I understood how they felt. Thus, I submit the following:
1. I live here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, along with nearly 7,000,000 other Jewish Israelis. While I know the Lord has given us grace to live here, you should know that I have never seen a stabbing or an attack. My guess is that the international news paints a picture of war in the streets. That is not the case—not even close.
2. Do the math. Out of the nearly 7,000,000 Israeli Jews that live here, a few have been attacked each day recently and a few in total have died as a result. As tragic as each death is, you might, as a tourist, have a better chance of winning the lottery than being attacked. Consider also that virtually all attacks have been against soldiers, police or identifiably Orthodox Jews. My point is that an attack against a Messianic or Christian tourist in a group is not only unlikely, it has never happened (that I know of). I am not making light of those who have been attacked, but simply want to bring a little reality to what is happening in Israel.
3. I consider Israel safer than the U.S. We have alert police, border police and military everywhere, vigilant, protecting us. We are not afraid to say “Islamic Terror” and seek to defeat it.
4. As believers we have Psalm 91 that speaks of God’s angelic protection, “there shall be no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your tent; for He shall give His angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps. 91:10-12).
5. Consider the words of Sean K. who was on our most recent tour that ended last week:
“Everybody should go on a tour of Israel at least once. I’ve been 6 times and each tour has been different, with new things to see, but Ron Cantor’s tour stood out to me because it is led by Messianic Jews, who know that Jesus is the Messiah. We also visited some Messianic congregations. That makes a huge difference from being shown round by unbelieving guides, who may know the land and its history, but not its King. I would also urge Christians never to be afraid to go to Israel, even when there is bad news in the media, because it really is safe for tourists. In fact, I have always felt safer there than in England, and so have many others I have spoken to.”
So, if you feel that the Lord has called you to visit this amazing country, don’t be afraid. Once you are here, you will know what I mean. The truth is, we live in a dangerous world. We must make God our refuge, not a geographical location. Whether on one of our Living Stones Tours or someone else’s, Israel will change your life. I have never seen anyone leave Israel without having had an amazing experience.
Ron Cantor is the director of Messiah’s Mandate International in Israel, a Messianic ministry dedicated to taking the message of Jesus from Israel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cantor also travels internationally teaching on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. He serves on the pastoral team of Tiferet Yeshua, a Hebrew-speaking congregation in Tel Aviv. His newest book is Identity Theft. Follow him at @RonSCantor on Twitter.
For the original article, visit messiahsmandate.org.
