ARTICLES

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

To much of the world, Iran is known primarily as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Yet that reputation reflects only the actions of its ruling Islamic regime, not the character, faith, or history of its people. For months, citizens have risen courageously against this violent and repressive government, protesting decades of corruption, brutality, and economic despair. Their cries for freedom are echoing across the globe, even as their rulers respond with bloodshed.

The regime’s crackdown has been ruthless. Civilians are deliberately shot in the eyes by snipers. Thousands have been beaten, arrested, or disappeared. Unidentified bodies are stored in warehouses with no regard for the dignity of life. Reports estimate the civilian death toll at twenty thousand or more, though the true number is impossible to confirm due to the ongoing internet blackout.

Meanwhile, the same regime that murders its own people also funds terror abroad. On October 7, 2023, Hamas—one of Iran’s proxies—launched its barbaric assault on Israel. Within hours, anti-Israel demonstrations erupted around the world, as if choreographed. Yet few voices have risen to condemn Iran’s mass killings of its own citizens.

Gordon Robertson, President of The Christian Broadcasting Network, voiced his dismay: “I was expecting mass support, unified pressure by the Western powers for the ayatollah to step down.” Instead, the world has largely looked away.

Outside of Christian news networks such as CBN and a few other faithful outlets, global media has been almost silent. The bravery of ordinary Iranians fighting for freedom has received only minimal coverage. Meanwhile, many of the loudest voices that condemn Israel have fallen quiet. Amir Tsarfati, founder of Behold Israel, posted a striking observation on his Telegram channel, listing activists who often denounce Israel yet have ignored Iran’s slaughter: Greta Thunberg, the United Nations, Francesca Albanese (the UN rapporteur for Palestinians), and journalist Mehdi Hasan. Tsarfati’s words ring true: “No Jews, no news.”

The Islamic regime’s dictatorship continues to embody the warning of Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” Evil has reversed moral vision. The ayatollahs and their followers glorify violence as virtue and deceit as truth. Yet the Bible assures us that God’s judgment against such moral inversion is certain.

If President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or Iran’s exiled leader Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi find a path to support the Iranian people, the outcome will not depend on human strategy alone. Isaiah 14:24 reminds us that “The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.’” God’s sovereign plan will prevail.

The people of Israel and Iran now face a common enemy: the same tyrannical brand of Shia Islam that oppresses both. The Islamic regime has brought death and destruction to both nations and beyond. Yet history and prophecy remind us that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus will triumph. It is vital that Christians pray fervently for both peoples, seeking ways to alleviate suffering and encourage freedom.

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the late shah, has become a symbol of hope for a new Iran. Speaking at a video press conference on January 16, he outlined his vision, which he calls the Cyrus Accords—named after Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Pahlavi recalled his visit to Israel in April 2023, explaining, “I went to Israel to show that we are the descendants of Cyrus the Great, who freed the Jews and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. That is the real Iran. Not the terror, not the chants, not the executions.”

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was on the path to modernization. The Pahlavi monarchy had established greater rights for women, strengthened education, and opened Iran to the international community. When the revolution deposed the shah, the nation traded progress for oppression. Forty-seven years later, the Islamic Republic has left a trail of suffering and spiritual darkness.

Pahlavi’s vision for a free Iran includes restoring peace, ending nuclear ambitions, and normalizing relations with the United States and Israel. He declared, “Support for terrorist groups will cease immediately. A free Iran will work with regional and global partners to confront terrorism, organized crime, and extremist Islamism.” His dream echoes the prayers of millions who long for their nation to rise from the ashes of tyranny.

February 11 will mark forty-seven years since the Islamic regime seized power. In those decades, Iran’s rulers have waged terror across continents, funding proxy wars, assassinations, and attacks through Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. They spend an estimated sixteen billion dollars annually to spread chaos. Their goals remain the same: the destruction of Israel, hatred of the United States, and global domination.

Yet Iran’s people are not the same as their rulers. They are Persians, not Arabs, and they speak Farsi, not Arabic. Their heritage is ancient and luminous, known for poetry, architecture, learning, music, and hospitality. Iran’s true soul longs for joy and dignity, not death and tyranny.

Let us pray that God restores the beauty of Persian culture, freed from oppression and fear.

Isaiah’s words remain a divine warning to every generation. Evil may disguise itself as good for a season, but it cannot prevail forever. Truth, light, and freedom belong to God, and He will restore them in His time.

Our CBN Israel team invites you to join us in prayer this week for the people of Iran who face unimaginable suffering and oppression.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for strength and endurance for Iranians who are grieving and exhausted.
• Pray for freedom and justice to take root swiftly across the nation.
• Pray for wisdom and unity for President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
• Pray for more nations to speak boldly in defense of the Iranian people and to support their struggle for liberty.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

A week ago in Queens, New York, anti-Zionist protesters gathered outside a synagogue where a Jewish school was in session. Their chant pierced the air: “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.” The words may have sounded rhythmic, but their message was deadly. Behind the rhyme was a call for violence, glorifying the massacre carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.

These voices of hate are not isolated. They are accompanied by actions. In Jackson, Mississippi, the historic Beth Israel synagogue was set ablaze, one of twenty-one synagogues around the world targeted or burned since October 7. The hateful words of the past have reignited into literal fires.

The language of hatred did not end in 1945 when the Nazi regime fell. It has simply evolved, adopting new slogans, new technology, and new disguises. The same vocabulary that once fueled genocide now echoes again in chants, graffiti, and social media posts.

When Hamas orchestrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, the world’s reaction revealed how easily old hatreds can reawaken. The phrase “Never Again,” once a sacred vow after World War II, is being challenged by those who seek to make it happen again.

How could the Nazis have engineered the industrialized murder of six million Jews? How could they have convinced more than sixty-five million Germans to follow such evil? Understanding their methods provides insight into today’s dangerous rhetoric.

Before World War II, Jews made up less than one percent of Germany’s population. Yet their contributions to science, medicine, literature, and the arts were extraordinary. They were fully integrated citizens who spoke the same language and shared the same culture. Twenty-four percent of Germany’s Nobel Prize winners were Jewish. Despite this, Hitler considered Jews an inferior race that had to be eradicated.

The groundwork for genocide began early. In 1920, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party adopted a 25-point platform that formally segregated Jews from “Aryan” society. Hitler’s election as chancellor in 1933 unleashed the machinery of propaganda and persecution that would culminate in the Holocaust. The same spirit of deception and moral corruption that poisoned Germany now poisons parts of our world once again.

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, perfected the weaponization of words. His job title, “Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment,” masked the regime’s true goal: replacing truth with lies. Propaganda began not with violence, but with ideas, slogans, and symbols. Public book burnings became early rituals of purification, conducted by university students and soldiers who cast thousands of works by Jewish and “un-German” authors into the flames.

Goebbels’ lies spread through every available medium—radio, newspapers, magazines, and film. In a world without television or the internet, there was no competing voice. Repetition and manipulation slowly desensitized the German public. Neighbors turned against neighbors, convinced that Jews were parasites, subhumans, and enemies of the state. The Nazis used bureaucratic language to disguise atrocities, replacing “murder” with “final solution” and “deportation” with “relocation.” By the time the Holocaust began, consciences were dulled, and moral clarity had vanished.

The parallel with today is sobering. The demonization of Jews is once again normalized. Protests that glorify terror are defended as “free speech.” Terms like “Zionist,” “colonizer,” and “occupier” are used as modern euphemisms for “Jew.” The phrases “globalize the intifada” and “resistance by any means” are shouted on college campuses and city streets. The internet amplifies this rhetoric faster than Goebbels could have imagined, spreading lies to millions within seconds.

After Hamas’s massacre on October 7, these ready-made slogans appeared almost immediately. Posters, chants, and scripts materialized in coordinated demonstrations across the world. Like the Nazis’ propaganda machine, today’s movements rely on repetition, manipulation, and intimidation. The result is the same: fear, division, and moral confusion.

It is worth remembering that the Nazis’ rise from ideology to power took only fourteen years, from their 1920 manifesto to Hitler’s 1933 election. Evil grows quickly when words are left unchallenged.

In today’s climate, a new “dictionary of rage” has emerged. Phrases once meant to promote justice are distorted into calls for violence. “Resistance” becomes justification for murder. “Liberation” becomes a banner for antisemitism. “Social justice” is twisted into a weapon that excludes Jews and silences truth.

This rhetoric is not confined to the Middle East. It has infected Western universities, newsrooms, and social media platforms. It fuels arson attacks, vandalism, and assaults on Jewish students. It also targets Christians and conservatives who refuse to surrender to the shifting language of hate.

Words shape reality. Proverbs 12:18 warns us, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” The challenge before us is to resist this verbal violence with truth, courage, and faith.

History teaches that silence in the face of evil is complicity. Today, the faithful are called to use words that honor God, speak truth with wisdom, and defend what is right without hysteria or hate. Each of us bears responsibility to restrain reckless speech and to train our hearts toward integrity and courage.

When words become weapons, silence becomes surrender. The moral clarity of the faithful must overcome the noise of rage.

Our CBN Israel team invites you to join us in prayer this week, remembering that God remains sovereign and truth remains undefeated.

Prayer Points:

• Pray fervently for the Iranian people as thousands continue to be massacred, injured, or imprisoned.
• Pray that free nations will send aid and support to those risking their lives for liberty in Iran.
• Pray that people of goodwill will speak boldly on behalf of the oppressed in Venezuela and Iran.
• Pray that mainstream media will report truthfully and widely about events in Iran.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Two oppressive regimes are trembling. Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, now sits in a Brooklyn, New York, prison cell, awaiting trial after being extradited to the United States. Meanwhile, Iran’s aging Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly arranged an escape to Moscow, where Vladimir Putin will likely grant him refuge even as he orders continued violence against the Iranian people. Both nations have long crushed freedom and faith, but the tide appears to be turning.

Predictably, leftist critics have condemned President Donald Trump’s bold decision to arrest and extradite Maduro, but their outrage cannot silence millions of voices rising for freedom. In Iran and Venezuela, people who have endured decades of oppression are filling the streets, calling for justice, dignity, and self-determination. Together, their populations total more than one hundred million people whose cries for liberty can no longer be ignored.

Late Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated President Trump on social media, writing, “Congratulations President Trump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.” Netanyahu, who has long understood the Iranian regime’s global threat, also voiced his support for the Iranian people, saying, “We, in Israel, sympathize with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom and justice. It is very possible that we stand before a decisive moment, in which the Iranian people take their destiny into their own hands.”

In Venezuela, the celebration is unmistakable. After years of hardship, citizens were waving American flags in gratitude for Maduro’s arrest, although much of the mainstream media has ignored their jubilation. An estimated eight million Venezuelans had already fled their homeland due to economic collapse, political persecution, and humanitarian crisis. Those who remain filled the streets to celebrate, shouting prayers of thanksgiving.

A Venezuelan exile living in Florida posted a blunt message to American leftists who defend Maduro: “None of them have ever been to Venezuela, and none have any personal connection. I dare them, come to Miami. Hear our stories. Understand why we are overjoyed and how Maduro betrayed and destroyed our country.”

Venezuelan refugees in Panama and Chile have joined the celebration, tearing down Maduro’s posters and rejoicing at what many are calling “a miracle from God.” Swiss authorities quickly froze Maduro’s international assets, valued at more than $800 million. Christian leaders also view his capture as an answer to prayer. Worship leader Sean Feucht said, “For years, the church of Venezuela has been fasting, praying, and crying out to God for deliverance. The removal of Maduro was an answer to their prayers.”

The technology community has also played a role. Elon Musk announced that his Starlink satellite network will provide free internet access to Venezuelans through February, helping them stay connected as their nation transitions toward freedom. In Iran, where the government had shut down internet access to silence protesters, Musk activated Starlink to give the people a voice again.

The same longing for liberty echoes across Iran. After forty-seven years under an oppressive theocratic regime, citizens are risking their lives to challenge their rulers. Some Western commentators have dismissed the uprising as merely economic, but those who know Iran’s people understand it is a cry for freedom.

Marziyeh Amirizadeh, an Iranian-born Christian and now a U.S. citizen, was imprisoned in 2009 for sharing her faith and distributing twenty thousand Bibles. She narrowly escaped execution after nine months in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Today, she speaks boldly on behalf of the persecuted. “The people are shouting ‘Long live the Shah,’” she said, referring to the late monarch’s exiled son, Reza Pahlavi. “The Iranian media has betrayed the people, who are united and only want freedom.”

Elam Ministries, founded a decade after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, reports that the Iranian church is now one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world. Despite persecution, thousands are coming to faith through underground churches and digital evangelism.

Yet the regime continues its brutality. According to UN Watch Director Hillel Neuer, Iranian security forces have cracked down in seventy-eight cities since late December, killing more than thirty people, injuring dozens, and arresting nearly one thousand. The United Nations Human Rights Council has issued no resolutions and held no emergency sessions. The silence of the global community is deafening.

Iran and Venezuela have been allies for more than two decades, united by their hatred of the United States and Israel. Their partnership began under Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and deepened under Maduro, who opened his nation to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and its terror proxy, Hezbollah. The two regimes used Venezuela as a weapons depot and trafficking hub, exchanging gold, oil, and arms to sustain one another under international sanctions. In 2022, they formalized a twenty-year cooperation pact covering energy, defense, and infrastructure.

That alliance now lies in ruins. On January 3, U.S. Special Forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve, a flawless overnight mission that captured Maduro and his wife while they slept. The dictator who impoverished his people now faces justice in an American courtroom.

In Iran, millions of citizens are defying Khamenei’s authority, shouting for freedom, waving pre-revolutionary flags, and calling for the restoration of their monarchy under Reza Pahlavi. As one Iranian protester said, “We have lived in darkness for too long. Now we want light.”

Psalm 72:4 offers a fitting prayer for this historic moment: “May He defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may He crush the oppressor.”

The world remains volatile, filled with both brutality and blessings. Yet amid the chaos, the hymn In Christ Alone reminds us of a timeless truth: “No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

Our CBN Israel team invites you to pray with us during this pivotal time in world history.

Prayer Points:

• Pray with thanks for the excellent meetings between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Pray that the citizens’ freedom in Iran and Venezuela become a reality.
• Pray for those in Iran who are risking their lives for freedom.
• Pray that Reza Pahlavi can return to his country to help shape a new Iran with freedoms.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels 

New Year’s resolutions are nothing new. They can be traced back some four thousand years, when ancient Babylonians promised annually to pay any debts and honor their king. Nor is the custom of marking an event by dropping a “time ball” new. The first-time ball, installed at the Royal Conservatory in Greenwich, England, was something 19th-century ship captains set their navigational instruments to each day.

In the United States, efforts to set New Year’s resolutions are as famous as our iconic Times Square celebrations. 

Just before midnight on December 31, 1907, the very first ball dropped to welcome the New Year of 1908. The spectacle of fireworks had been banned, so New York Times owner Adolph Ochs conceived of the ball drop instead. The seven-hundred-pound ball was constructed with wood and iron and studded with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. Yet the revelers standing in Times Square over a hundred years ago could not have imagined this year’s creation! It weighed 12,350 pounds (about twice the weight of an elephant), was covered with over 5,000 Waterford crystals, and was illuminated by an 32,256 dazzling LED lights.

In fact, the 2025 pyrotechnic display was a first for the Times Square Ball Drop and featured the late Ray Charles’s beloved rendition of “America the Beautiful.” After the midnight countdown on New Year’s Eve, a fantastic burst of red, white, and blue confetti covered revelers celebrating the coming United States Semiquincentennial. The momentous new year marks our nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence! In a grand collaboration between America250 (formed in 2016 to plan the nation’s 250th birthday) and One Times Square, the unforgettable moments will long remain in the memories of Times Square crowds and millions of viewers worldwide.

The years seem to come faster and faster, and 2026 is no exception. The 24/7 news cycle bombards us with devastating events near and far—and thankfully also awakens our hopes with good news. As we make and keep new goals, New Year resolutions help us personally. They also provide a valuable exercise to determine how we can have a helpful influence on others, our country, and our ally Israel. 

What follows is my curated list of New Year’s resolutions for Christians who ask, “What can I do or say to help Israel?” This selection offers choices for a New Year’s resolution to implement your support for Israel in 2026. 

A quote from Robert F. Kennedy’s 1966 address to South African youth provides a plan for personal and help-focused New Year’s resolutions: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”

Together, the Christian community possesses abilities to “change a small portion of events” that are coming in 2026. In doing so, we honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus Who makes His eternal intentions clear in Jeremiah 31:35-36. This is what the LORDs says, He who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of armies is His name: “If this fixed order departs from Me,” declares the LORD, “then the descendants of Israel also will cease to be a nation before Me forever.”

It is never too late for any generation to befriend the Jewish state and Jewish people across the world in tangible ways. As we head into 2026, I have taken the liberty of curating an action list for your New Year resolutions to bless Israel. Research your own ideas or feel free to choose what resonates with you, then act on it.

Every Name Counts presents a meaningful volunteer opportunity: to be part of building a digital memorial organized by Arolsen Archives, the International Center on Nazi Persecution. Volunteering to help is simple. Arolsen Archives emails a list of Holocaust-era names that must be digitized on their easy-to-use document, then emailed back. The Center houses the most extensive documentation of victims and survivors following World War II, and much of the information still remains on paper notecards after eighty years. Allies founded the Arolsen Archives in 1948 after the Holocaust. Originally called the International Tracing Service, the organization officially changed its name in 2019 to Arolsen Archives. This change reflects not only its location in Bad Arolsen, Germany, but more importantly its purpose as an important, award-winning archive inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “Memory of the World” register. Of note, Arolsen Archives is upgrading its digital resources to engage the Gen Z population to help. 

Genesis 123 Foundation (Genesis123.co) is a U.S.-based non-profit. Its purpose is to build bridges between Jews and Christians working together on special projects and outreaches in and for Israel. Some examples include providing hot soup and warm jackets for IDF soldiers and distributing children’s games to Israeli families now living in hotels due to the upheaval of the Hamas war.

The CBN Israel Resilience Center is a timely addition in 2025 for many thousands of Israelis suffering traumas, shock, and living in survival mode even after the war. The Resilience Center’s hub matches patients’ needs to a pool of counseling professionals for both adults and children—psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and social workers, as well as financial and parenting coaches. Although the Israeli government provides private therapy for direct victims, their families and friends need counseling as well. The Resilience Center is also available to and focused on the faith community, which is struggling with the aftereffects of war and in need of spiritual encouragement.

https://cbnisrael.org/2025/04/23/cbn-israels-resilience-center-helps-trauma-victims-2/

On social media, be sure to comment whenever you read or hear lies about Israel. Be civil, make certain your facts are correct, and avoid accusations and name-calling. 

Pray for Israel, its leaders, and its citizens. International Christian Embassy Jerusalem hosts the weekly Isaiah 62 Global Prayer Gathering online.

Sign up for a tour to Israel. Root & Branch Tours offer a new, hands-on tour where Christians harvest olives in Israel and interact with IDF members, hostage families, and survivors. Their projects blend Christians from all over the world with Israeli Jews in a powerful demonstration of unity, symbolized by the ancient olive trees they harvest together. Root & Branch is an enactment of Romans 11 that Christians are grafted into the covenant God made with the Jewish people: that the Root supports the Branch.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Make a financial contribution that champions the soldiers of the IDF and cares for their needs as they protect the State of Israel, democratic values, and Western civilization. FIDF is the official organization authorized to collect charitable donations for the IDF in the United States. 

Enjoy an inspiring 2026 with successful New Year’s resolutions that bless and strengthen you, your family and friends, the United States, and Israel! Remember, silent voices accomplish nothing. Make yours heard with actions that speak louder than words.

Our CBN Israel team sends our warmest wishes and prayers for a blessed 2026.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Israelis enduring ongoing traumas. 
• Pray with thanks for thousands of Christians who came to Israel on solidarity tours.
• Pray for the fine organizations on this New Year’s list.
• Pray for the wisdom and safety of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Dedication and Lights, began this year under both joy and sorrow. On the first day of Chanukah by the Sea at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate. The theme was “light overcoming darkness,” marked by family festivities, music, food, and a five-foot-tall menorah. But just as candles were being lit, gunfire shattered the air.

Two attackers, reportedly inspired by Islamic State ideology, opened fire on the crowd, killing sixteen Jews and injuring forty others. Australian police quickly neutralized the father, while a courageous bystander, Ahmed al-Ahmedi, tackled the son and seized his rifle, preventing further deaths. Ahmed, a Muslim, risked his life to defend Jewish celebrants, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. His father, Mohamed, later said, “My son is a hero. He served in the police. He has the passion to defend people.”

Though the Jewish community grieved deeply, their spirit was not broken. Refusing to surrender to fear, local leaders carried on with the celebration the following day. The menorah was lit once again. The crowd sang traditional songs in Hebrew and English, joined together in the Australian national anthem. Rabbi Yossi Shuchat addressed those gathered, saying, “Yesterday was a tragic event, which words cannot explain. Darkness cannot continue where there is light.”

The rabbi also retold the ancient story of Hanukkah and the miracle that gave it meaning. More than two thousand years ago, the tyrannical Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV sought to eradicate the Jewish people and outlaw their faith. A small band of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees rose in defiance. Though vastly outnumbered, they fought with divine strength and won. In 174 B.C., they reclaimed Jerusalem and the desecrated Temple, rededicating it to the God of Israel. This act of courage and faith inspired the Feast of Dedication, known in Hebrew as Hanukkah.

Today, Hanukkah still symbolizes the triumph of faith over oppression. Its eight nights recall how a single cruse of pure oil, enough for one day, miraculously burned for eight days in the restored Temple. That miracle continues to echo across the centuries, reminding both Jews and Christians that God’s light can never be extinguished by human hatred.

As Israel faces ongoing threats, the ancient meaning of Hanukkah feels especially relevant. Since the attacks of October 7, 2023, anti-Semitism has risen sharply around the world. Israel’s soldiers, often called the modern Maccabees, continue to defend their homeland on multiple fronts. Just as the Maccabees once faced the armies of Antiochus, today’s Jewish defenders stand against those who seek once again to erase their people from history.

For Christians, Hanukkah carries profound meaning as well. The Gospel of John records that Jesus Himself celebrated the Feast of Dedication. “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade” (John 10:22-23). Earlier in the same Gospel, Jesus declared, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). His presence in the Temple during Hanukkah was no coincidence. He embodied the very light that the menorah represents.

When Christians remember that their Savior observed Hanukkah, they gain a deeper understanding of how their faith is rooted in Judaism. The word “Hanukkah” means to dedicate or to renew. That same spirit of renewal applies to every believer’s life, calling both Jews and Christians to stand together against darkness with courage and faith.

The Embassy of Israel in Washington recently shared an uplifting glimpse of this season’s celebrations in Jerusalem. In the Western Wall Plaza, a monumental bronze menorah more than six feet tall and weighing nearly a ton stands as a symbol of light, resilience, and unity. The menorah was lit each night by different representatives, including hostage survivors, bereaved families, wounded soldiers, police officers, ambassadors, and IDF troops. As an orchestra played, Isaiah 51:11 came to life: “And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song.” The verse carries added meaning this year, as Israel welcomed home the last remaining hostages released from Gaza in October.

History offers yet another remarkable Hanukkah story. In 1917, during World War I, British forces liberated Jerusalem from the Muslim Ottoman Empire after four centuries of occupation. The victory took place during Hanukkah, from December 9 to 17. On December 11, British General Edmund Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot out of reverence for the Holy City, ending the Ottomans’ rule and freeing the city from devastation. The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs later called it one of the great salvation moments of Jewish history, ranking it alongside Hanukkah and Purim.

Hanukkah, which ends this year on December 22, remains a festival of courage and light. Its message is timeless: darkness may strike suddenly, but light always prevails. As Psalm 27:1 reminds us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

In this season of miracles, may every candle lit on the menorah remind us that the same God who strengthened the Maccabees still strengthens His people today. The light that began in Jerusalem continues to shine across the world, calling all who believe in Him to stand firm, to act with compassion, and to be bearers of hope.

Our CBN Israel team invites you to reflect on this verse spoken by King David: “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (2 Samuel 22:29).

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the safety of Jewish communities worldwide during Hanukkah observances.
• Pray for the families grieving the loss of loved ones in the Bondi Beach attack.
• Pray for churches and pastors to speak biblical truth with courage and to stand in solidarity with Israel.
• Pray with gratitude for the hero who stopped the attack and saved lives.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels 

As 2025 draws to a close, the Christmas season once again fills homes, churches, and cities with light and joy. Advent candles glow in churches across America, while Bethlehem’s Manger Square is illuminated by a Christmas tree lighting ceremony that has returned after a two-year pause. With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, many communities are extending their celebrations through the weekend.

This season is filled with both magnificence and simplicity. Recently, audiences around the world experienced André Rieu’s Christmas concert featuring his Johann Strauss Orchestra from Maastricht in the Netherlands. The concert combined sacred and secular music that moved many listeners to tears during the hymns of worship. It felt like a glimpse of heaven’s music. Yet just as meaningful are the humble “Watch Night” services held in small churches across Haiti on Christmas Eve. In all these settings, the heart of Christmas offers a renewal of hope for every soul.

Today, more than one hundred sixty nations observe Christmas, representing more than two billion people. The sacred and the secular often coexist in these celebrations. Yet amid carols, gifts, and lights, one truth deserves more attention. Bethlehem is known throughout the world as the birthplace of Jesus, but few remember that the nation of Israel itself was chosen as the setting for God’s entrance into human history.

On the outskirts of ancient Bethlehem once stood Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock. Though the structure no longer exists, the Bible preserves its meaning. Micah 4:8 reads, “As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” Micah 5:2 continues, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.” Genesis 35:21 also records that “Jacob camped beyond Migdal Eder after burying Rachel near Bethlehem.” The Hebrew phrase Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock.” For generations, this structure stood as both a lookout post and a birthing place for the sheep destined for Temple sacrifice.

According to Jewish tradition recorded in the Mishnah, shepherds in Bethlehem had long told stories of Migdal Eder. By the fourth century, a Byzantine monastery had been built on the site to mark its sacred significance. The Sadducees, who oversaw Temple sacrifices, appointed Bethlehem’s shepherds to care for the flocks used in worship. These shepherds were priestly caretakers trained to ensure that each animal was fit for sacrifice. When lambs were born, they were brought inside the lower chamber of the tower. The newborns were gently wrapped in strips of cloth to prevent injury and laid in a stone feeding trough until they were calm. Only perfect lambs could be offered in sacrifice, fulfilling Exodus 12:5: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.”

This ancient practice reveals a powerful prophetic connection. Centuries later, angels appeared to these same Bethlehem shepherds and announced, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11–12). The shepherds needed no directions. They knew the exact place where newborn lambs were wrapped and protected. They ran to Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock, where they found the promised Messiah lying in a manger. The very shepherds who cared for sacrificial lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God, born where the sacrificial lambs were once laid.

As the lambs reached one year old, they were herded into Jerusalem for Passover. The priests examined each animal, accepting only those without blemish. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, fulfilled this image perfectly. He became the final Passover Lamb, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. It is no coincidence that the Lamb of God was born in the very place where Temple lambs were raised.

Centuries later, the story of that night spread around the world, shaping faith and culture alike. The celebration of Christ’s birth reached what historians call a tipping point, a moment when faith and festivity merged into a global observance. In the nineteenth century, this transformation gathered momentum through books, music, and tradition. In 1822, Reverend Clement Moore wrote A Visit from St. Nicholas, better known as Twas the Night Before Christmas. Two decades later, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, inspiring renewed generosity and compassion. The United States established Christmas as a federal holiday in 1870. By the 1880s, Christmas carols such as “Away in a Manger” appeared in magazines, and the legend of Santa Claus, based on St. Nicholas, took hold in popular culture.

After World War II, Christmas shopping became a hallmark of the season, reshaping global economies. In 2024, Americans spent more than six hundred billion dollars during the holiday season. While the celebrations have grown increasingly elaborate, the sacred story remains unchanged.

For believers, the challenge is not to abandon the joy and beauty of Christmas, but to keep Christ at the center. Israel, the Holy Land, remains the cradle of our faith and the birthplace of the Savior. No other nation can make that claim. Author Max Lucado expressed it beautifully: “The story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us.”

As Christmas fills our hearts and homes this year, may we remember that the true light of the season still shines from Bethlehem. The promise of redemption began in a manger and was fulfilled on the cross. The same God who orchestrated the birth of His Son in Migdal Eder continues to call humanity to Himself with love that never ends.

CBN Israel invites readers to pray and reflect on Israel, the cradle of the Christian faith and the land of the Savior’s birth.

Prayer Points:

• Pray with gratitude that Israel allows citizens and visitors the freedom to celebrate Christmas in peace.
• Pray for protection throughout Israel, as terrorist attacks often increase during the holidays.
• Pray for Israel as it observes Hanukkah from December 14 to 22.
• Pray for the members of the IDF as they defend their nation on multiple fronts amid ongoing conflict.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

It is no surprise that the Bible remains the world’s top best seller. With Christmas approaching, this is an ideal time to reflect on how we know about Jesus and His birth.

God designed His redemptive plan through forty Jewish scribes from many backgrounds, personalities, and professions. Over a span of fifteen hundred years, they recorded His words in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, on three continents, and across hundreds of subjects. In ancient times these scribes could not collaborate with one another, yet God directly inspired them to write His truth in both the Old and New Testaments.

In From God to Us: How We Got Our Bible, the authors write, “The Bible possesses an amazing unity of theme—Jesus Christ. One problem—sin—and One solution—the Savior—unify its pages from Genesis to Revelation.” The Bible’s supernatural harmony fills our lives with purpose, peace, and hope.

Almost six centuries have passed since Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. During that time an estimated five to six billion Bibles have been printed, making it the most published book in human history. Although our world is filled with deception and despair, the hunger for the Bible’s truth continues to grow.

Bible sales have increased dramatically since 2024. According to Circana, a company that tracks book sales, the Bible boom reached 2.4 million copies sold in September 2025 alone. Circana attributes much of this rise to Charlie Kirk’s influence among young conservatives and beyond. More than eighteen million Bibles have been sold so far this year.

Interest in the Bible accelerated after the 2023 Asbury College revival. Across many states, both organized and spontaneous worship gatherings continue to emerge, especially among college students. Stadiums are filled with people of all ages praying, worshiping, and studying Scripture. Social media is filled with testimonies, baptisms, and Bible studies.

The Bible is also experiencing renewed interest in modern Israel. A quiet spiritual awakening is taking place as Israelis search for meaning during a time of national crisis. Many are turning to Scripture to rediscover their Jewish roots and to understand the times they are living in.

The Rosenberg Report recently featured Victor Kalisher, director of the Israel Bible Society, who spoke about a remarkable development in Israel’s biblical engagement. He explained that the Hebrew Bible was written in a 2,700-year-old form of Hebrew, which can be difficult for modern readers. To help Israelis understand the Scriptures more clearly, the Society is completing a modern Hebrew translation of the entire Old Testament. For English speakers, it would be similar to reading a modern translation rather than the King James Version of 1611.

Kalisher also reported that Israeli Jews are reading the New Testament in modern Hebrew translated from Greek. He called this a “national breakthrough.” Readers have responded with enthusiasm, saying, “We never understood the Bible before.” He noted that “reading the modern translation allows the Word of God to truly touch their hearts.” Tens of thousands of Israelis have expressed gratitude for this project.

In 1959, the Bible Society printed the first complete Hebrew Bible in Israel. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion celebrated the milestone, declaring, “We can now print the Bible in the Land of the Bible.” The Society continues this legacy today with new tools such as the first Hebrew cross-reference Bible. “It is a parallel Bible that contains 90,000 cross references showing how the Old and New Testaments are one Word of God,” Kalisher said. These projects stand as powerful evidence of God’s continuing work through His Word.

The word “covenant” provides a perfect example of this connection. It appears 282 times in the Old Testament and 34 times in the New, symbolizing God’s enduring promise to His people. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells one unified story of redemption.

Yet the Bible’s power only changes lives when it is read. Kathleen Cooke, international speaker and founder of The Influence Lab, has written a devotional titled Hope 4 Today: Stay Connected to God in a Distracted Culture. Her book speaks directly to the fast pace of modern life, especially during the busy Christmas season.

Cooke cites studies showing that “too busy” is the number one reason people fail to read the Bible, followed closely by “too distracted.” Most Americans own at least four Bibles but rarely open them. Her devotional draws on research from The Center for Bible Engagement, which surveyed 100,000 Christians over eight years. The results show that believers who read the Bible at least four times a week experience measurable changes in their attitudes and behavior. Those who read less than four times a week show little difference from nonbelievers.

Hope 4 Today offers short, practical devotionals that help readers stay consistent in Scripture. Cooke encourages readers to see Bible reading not as a task, but as an opportunity to deepen their relationship with the Creator who speaks through His Word.

As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas, believers have every reason to rejoice. God inspired Jewish scribes to give us the Bible. Revival is stirring hearts in Israel and around the world. The birth of Jesus remains the ultimate expression of divine love. Yet this is also a moment for renewed commitment. In a world filled with division and moral confusion, the Bible must be more than a symbol on a shelf. It must be our lifeline.

Both Israel and the United States will hold national elections next year, and the world’s instability continues to grow. Now is the time for believers to root themselves more deeply in Scripture so that their faith remains unshaken in the storms ahead.

CBN Israel invites readers to join in prayer this week, reflecting on 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the ongoing work of the Israel Bible Society as it spreads God’s Word throughout the Holy Land.
• Pray that Israelis will find peace, purpose, and truth through the modern Hebrew translations of the Scriptures.
• Pray for the continued healing of former hostages who endured captivity in darkness.
• Pray with gratitude for the sustaining power of Jewish faith and the psalms that helped hostages survive.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels 

Throughout years of travel introducing Christian leaders to Israel, one of the most memorable experiences has always been meeting members of the Israel Defense Forces. Whether standing on the Israel-Lebanon border or overlooking Syrian terrain, IDF briefings have consistently revealed the realities of enemy tactics and regional threats. At the conclusion of these gatherings, participants often expressed gratitude to the soldiers, recognizing that while they defend their own nation, they also stand on the front lines of freedom for the United States.

The enduring partnership between Israel and the United States continues to provide enormous benefits to both nations. Israel serves as America’s most trusted ally and as its eyes and ears in one of the world’s most volatile regions. As families gather around Thanksgiving tables to reflect on God’s blessings, prayers for the U.S. military, the Israel Defense Forces, and their families remain heartfelt and essential.

Together, Israel and the United States have worked to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military and nuclear ambitions. In the Twelve Day War this past summer, both nations significantly disrupted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, delaying its program for months or even years. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran’s extremist rulers have branded the United States as “the Great Satan” and Israel as “the Little Satan.” For decades, the regime has sought to expand its influence far beyond the Middle East, establishing a presence in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in Latin America.

Venezuela offers a striking example. Once the thriving jewel of South America, it has collapsed under the socialist dictatorships of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro. Now allied with Iran, Venezuela has become a focal point of Iranian activity in the region. For too long, Americans viewed Iran as a distant threat to Israel and Arab nations in the Middle East. That perception is no longer accurate. Venezuela stands today as a close ally of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

In September, controversy arose after President Trump authorized the destruction of illegal drug shipments from Venezuela bound for the United States. U.S. warships were stationed in the Atlantic as part of a broader effort to disrupt Iran’s growing foothold in the Americas. A Rand Corporation report revealed that Tehran has turned Venezuela into its weapons depot and trafficking hub. Since 2007, Iran has built factories in Venezuela to manufacture armed reconnaissance and kamikaze drones.

The partnership has generated billions for Maduro’s regime and allowed Iran to evade sanctions while expanding its “axis of resistance” against the West. The distance between Iran and the U.S. has effectively shrunk to roughly two thousand air miles. Elements of Iran’s elite Quds Force have even trained parts of Venezuela’s military.

Venezuela shares a border with Colombia, whose western coastline meets the Pacific Ocean. This geography facilitates the flow of drugs, weapons, and money through both the Atlantic and Pacific corridors. Hezbollah, an arm of the Iranian regime and a designated terrorist organization, remains active throughout Latin America. It operates in Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, and other nations, financing its activities through drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal mining, and identity theft.

According to The Daily Mail, Venezuela’s cooperation with terrorists extends beyond military ties. Between 2010 and 2019, the Maduro regime issued more than ten thousand passports to individuals from Iran and Syria. Lebanon, home to Hezbollah, also benefited from these arrangements. Determining how many of these individuals have entered the United States remains virtually impossible.

Hezbollah’s history in Latin America is long and deadly. In 1992, the group carried out a bombing at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing more than twenty people. Two years later, it bombed a Jewish community center in the same city, killing eighty-five and injuring more than two hundred others. These attacks were among the deadliest in the Americas before September 11, 2001. Although Israel has dismantled much of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in Lebanon, the group’s ideology of hatred continues to inspire acts of terror worldwide. Its growing presence in Latin America poses a renewed threat to both the United States and Jewish communities around the world.

Given Iran’s expanding influence in the Western Hemisphere, recent U.S. military strategies appear designed to disrupt the regime’s ambitions closer to home. On November 24, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced the designation of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The statement declared: “Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other senior members of the illegitimate regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary. Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles, along with other designated organizations including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, is responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

The late Andrei Sakharov, Soviet physicist and human rights advocate, once observed, “A country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbors.” Venezuela’s alliance with Iran and its oppressive governance tragically illustrate this truth.

As Thanksgiving is celebrated across the United States, believers are reminded to give thanks for nations where Christians are free to worship, and to pray for those where persecution persists. Israel stands as a nation where Christians are protected and welcomed, a stark contrast to regions where they are targeted for their faith.

The U.S.-Israel partnership has proven mutually beneficial in countless ways. Israel’s investments in the American economy create thousands of jobs, while more than 2,500 U.S. firms maintain a presence in Israel. Israeli technology helps protect U.S. airports, cyberspace, and vital infrastructure. The two nations share not only intelligence but also a foundation of faith, freedom, and innovation that continues to strengthen their alliance.

As this season of gratitude unfolds, the CBN Israel team extends warm wishes for a memorable Thanksgiving. 1 Chronicles 16:34 reminds us: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”

Prayer Points:  

• Pray for the armed forces of the United States and Israel, and for the families who share their sacrifices for freedom.
• Pray for persecuted Christians in Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan, and other nations where faith is under attack.
• Pray for the 11,000 IDF soldiers diagnosed with mental health issues and physical injuries after two years of war.
• Pray for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to be guided by divine wisdom and protected as they lead their nations.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Two important questions are often missing from the heated debates about Israel amid the tidal wave of Jew-hatred dominating the news and public discourse. Taking a step back from the noise, both detractors and evangelicals would do well to ask: “What if modern Israel never existed?” And further, “how would its absence, or its destruction over the last seventy-seven years, affect me, my family, my friends, or my nation?”

If we accept God’s perspective as revealed in Scripture, we must act on it. For those of us in the evangelical community, it is now essential to equip ourselves with accurate, fact-based talking points about our ally, Israel. We are engaged in an information war that relentlessly targets the Jewish state, our spiritual homeland. The time has come for us to speak truth and counter lies with courage and clarity.

In addition to our biblical foundation, we must also rely on trustworthy secular sources. Many who oppose Israel reject the authority of the Bible altogether. That should motivate us to meet falsehoods with verified, factual information. Today, we have access to excellent resources that promote information integrity, the responsible use of truth to confront information warfare.

I am an admirer of historian and commentator Victor Davis Hanson, whose scholarship and clarity bring both depth and reason to public debate. In his November 15 broadcast, Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words, he addressed the troubling Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes interview that drew more than sixty thousand viewers.

Hanson, who identifies as “a person of Christian faith,” is not a self-proclaimed Christian Zionist, yet he stands out as one of the most eloquent pro-Israel voices in the conservative world. He described Fuentes and Carlson, the former a Holocaust denier and white supremacist and the latter increasingly hostile to Christian Zionists, as representatives of what he calls the “Alt-Alt-Right.” This fringe group accuses Christian Zionists of being “crazy” and of “getting America into wars.”

One of Hanson’s points is especially compelling. Supporting Israel is in the national self-interest of the United States. He notes that Israel is a constitutional parliamentary republic, a democracy surrounded by hundreds of millions of people in nations that are not. As the Zionist Organization of America points out, Israel occupies only one-tenth of one percent of the landmass of the Middle East.

When critics claim that the United States wrongly gives Israel three-and-a-half billion dollars each year in security assistance, Hanson calls it a wise investment. He describes it as a “return on our money,” since Israel’s intelligence and technology cooperation greatly benefit America. He adds, “When we give them F-35s, they don’t call us up and say, ‘It’s broken.’ They improve it, and it works even better.” He also praises Israel’s Iron Dome and Iron Beam defense systems as innovations that serve both nations. His entire podcast is worth hearing.

While Hanson’s argument about national self-interest is persuasive, I believe we can also make a case for personal self-interest. Genesis 12:3 declares God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This verse is not only a covenant but also a divine principle of blessing.

Evangelicals who use truth and knowledge to defend Israel participate in information integrity, an act of faithfulness that honors God and benefits all people, believers and nonbelievers alike. As Proverbs 12:22 reminds us, “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy.”

When it comes to tangible blessings, Israel’s innovations have improved and often saved lives around the world. These facts provide powerful evidence that the modern state of Israel fulfills God’s promise to be a blessing to the nations.

According to Israel Advanced Technology Industries, a nation of just ten million citizens—eight million Jewish and two million Arab—hosts approximately 1,800 life sciences companies. Israel’s technological and medical advances reach every corner of the globe.

PressureSafe is a handheld device that detects bedsores before they become visible. Bedsores affect two-and-a-half million patients annually in the United States, causing sixty thousand deaths and costing nearly twenty-seven billion dollars in healthcare expenses. PressureSafe is ninety-two percent accurate across all skin tones.

MobileODT, another Israeli innovation, helps prevent cervical cancer, which kills three hundred thousand women each year. The portable, battery-powered ThermoGlide system allows physicians to detect and treat precancerous cells in a single visit. It is used in more than sixty countries where access to follow-up care is limited.

CorNeat KPro is a revolutionary artificial cornea that restores sight in less than an hour of surgery. Each year about two million people lose their vision to corneal blindness, yet donor corneas remain scarce. CorNeat’s synthetic alternative is changing that reality.

MeMed distinguishes between bacterial and viral infections within fifteen minutes using a small blood sample. Misdiagnosis leads to the overuse of antibiotics, and MeMed’s accuracy is saving lives and combating antibiotic resistance.

Flexible Stent technology, first developed in Israel in 1996, has saved countless lives. Israeli companies pioneered drug-eluting cardiovascular stents and innovative nasal stents for sinus surgery.

Outside of medicine, Israel has given the world drip irrigation, WaterGen (which produces clean drinking water from air humidity), cherry tomatoes, ReWalk robotic exoskeletons that help paraplegics walk, and countless breakthroughs in AI, cybersecurity, agriculture, and biotechnology. Israel’s USB drives, GPS systems, and cancer therapies continue to shape our world every day.

Since 1948, this small nation has had an outsized influence on global health, agriculture, technology, and humanitarian relief. Israel’s culture of tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase for “repairing the world,” continues to inspire both Jewish and non-Jewish innovators alike.

Imagine a world without modern Israel. Millions would suffer or die without its medical technologies. Farmers across continents would lose efficient irrigation systems. Computers, cars, and hospitals would operate with less security and precision. Even those who deny Israel’s right to exist benefit daily from its creativity and compassion.

To equip yourself with verifiable facts rather than opinions, visit Unpacked, a leading resource that documents Israel’s global impact. Become part of the Information Integrity movement and speak boldly about the innovation nation that God has used for centuries to bless humanity.

Our CBN Israel team invites you to join us in prayer and to share truth about our spiritual homeland.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Christian courage to speak truth with wisdom and grace to counter misinformation.
• Pray with thanksgiving that all hostages have finally returned home, whether alive or deceased.
• Pray for the brutalized hostages who continue to suffer from severe trauma.
• Pray for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to have mutual wisdom as they address the complex challenges in Gaza.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

The contentious criticism of Zionism we see today is not new. In 1975, the United Nations passed Resolution 3379, declaring that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” Israel endured that indignity for sixteen years until 1991, when the UN finally revoked its slanderous decree. Yet a new form of condemnation is now emerging. This time, it comes not only from traditional detractors but also from some self-described conservatives and extremists who have turned against Christian Zionists.

Although Christian Zionists differ on certain points, we are united by one truth: Zionism is rooted in God’s unbreakable biblical covenants. Simply put, the Jewish people have the divine and historical right to a sovereign state in their ancestral homeland of Israel. Even so, opinions about Christian Zionists are spreading across social media, especially following a recent and disturbing interview.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson invited Nick Fuentes, a self-proclaimed anti-Jewish influencer, for a two-hour conversation. Fuentes, founder of the livestream program America First, is a white supremacist who openly admires Hitler and Stalin and denies that the Holocaust ever happened. His profile on X reads “America First, Christ is King.” It is troubling that some media outlets describe his movement as “Christian based,” which is how Fuentes himself labels it. Although most platforms have banned him, X reinstated his account last year, and he has since gained more than a million followers.

Fuentes’s destructive remarks were predictable. Among them was the assertion that “Jews have no place in Western civilization because they are not Christian.” Even more disturbing, Carlson did not challenge him. Instead, he went further, claiming that he “despises Christian Zionists more than anyone on earth” and calling Zionism a “dangerous heresy” and a “brain virus infecting the church.”

Both men ignore the warning of Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” They may dismiss the warning, but God will not. He will fulfill His perfect plan. Christian Zionists, knowing God’s sovereignty, must stand firm in proclaiming His truth in a world increasingly hostile to it.

My perspective comes from more than twenty-five years of involvement in the pro-Israel Christian movement.

In conversations at churches and online, I have often heard misconceptions about Christian Zionists. Some assume we view Israel through rose-colored glasses, as if the Jewish people and their leaders are perfect. That could not be further from the truth. Like the United States, Israel is imperfect. Jews and Christians alike are imperfect. Yet Christian Zionists choose to be loyal friends to Israel in a world where antisemitism continues to spread like poison.

We base our belief on the biblical “deed” God issued in Genesis 17:8, where He declares His eternal covenant with Abraham’s descendants: “I will give as an everlasting possession the land of Canaan.” God owns the land and has entrusted its stewardship to the Jewish people. That deed still stands.

Israel’s rebirth in 1948 fulfilled Isaiah 66:8: “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day, or a nation be brought forth in a moment?” The miracle of Israel’s modern establishment is unmatched in world history.

Christian Zionists believe that Scripture is true from Genesis to Revelation. We affirm that God’s covenants with Israel are permanent. We reject replacement theology, which falsely teaches that the church has replaced the Jewish people in God’s plan. The early church was entirely Jewish for nearly a decade after Jesus’ resurrection. Gentiles were later grafted into God’s promises through faith in the Jewish Messiah. Christianity was born from Judaism; it is inseparable from it. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is, and always will be, the Eternal Zionist.

We revere both the Old and New Testaments as one complete revelation of God. Sadly, some Christians focus only on the New Testament, dismissing the Old as outdated. That is like leaving half a loaf of fresh bread untouched. Christian Zionists recognize that the two together form one living Word.

Our support for Israel is not based on politics but on gratitude. We are thankful for the Jewish roots of our faith. Out of that gratitude flows our desire to bless Israel and the Jewish people.

Christian Zionism is not a single movement but a diverse and vibrant community. Hundreds of Christian organizations, large and small, continue to stand with Israel in prayer, advocacy, and action. Since Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7, 2023, Christian Zionists have intensified their efforts—praying, giving, traveling to Israel, and speaking out for truth. The church must not repeat the passivity of many Christians in Nazi Germany.

Christian Zionists see the evil of terrorism clearly, yet we are not driven by hate. Many of us have deep friendships with both Christian and Muslim Arabs in Israel. We serve, dialogue, and cooperate wherever possible.

Those of us in Christian media strive to share accurate reporting about Israel and the Middle East. We check facts, challenge lies, and stay informed about the realities on the ground. We understand both biblical and modern Israel as a light to the nations. Despite widespread bias in global media, Israel continues to send humanitarian aid across the world—often to nations that refuse to acknowledge its legitimacy.

Motivated by a perfect God, we press on despite human imperfection. Our allegiance is not to politics or personalities but to Scripture, which we regard as God’s unchanging truth.

We invite you to join our CBN Israel team in prayer and in sharing truth during these consequential times.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Christian wisdom and courage to take a stand for God’s chosen people and land.
• Pray for thousands of new believers in the Gen Z generation to understand why Israel matters.
• Pray for Christian organizations reaching younger generations with truth and love for Israel.
• Pray that the bodies of the four remaining hostages will be returned to their families.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.