43-year-old Rabbi Tuly Weisz believes that in the prophetic Biblical timeline it’s time for Jews and Christians to work together. He’s the founder of Israel 365 which seeks to reconnect people with the land of Israel and is dedicated to educating evangelical Christians about the Biblical significance of Israel.
“God had a very specific plan for specific people to be in a specific area, and all of the landscape and the geography is so essential to understanding the Bible. Because the Jews have been outside of Israel for so long, we’ve been disconnected from Israel, the land. And the Christian world has been disconnected from the land of the Bible,” the rabbi told The Christian Post.
75 years since Israel became a Jewish state, he observed the reunification of the Jewish people and the land of Israel feels like a marriage.
Rabbi Weisz sees the Old Testament in three sections – the history, the laws and the prophecy. He sees the first stage of prophecy as the exiled Jews returning to their land; the second is the revitalisation of the land itself; and the third is the spiritual restoration or redemption of the people.
He believes that where Isaiah 2 says that all of the nations will flow towards and up to Jerusalem, it represents the idea that the Word of God and the recognition of the One God of Israel will start to spread all over the world to the Jews and Gentiles. “It’s describing a spiritual partnership between all faiths who recognise God and who recognise Jerusalem,” he asserted.
The US-born and raised rabbi told The Christian Post his own return to Israel has opened his eyes “to the spiritual shift that’s happening” in the world. “I started to really appreciate the Bible much more once I understood Israel’s role. I also appreciate Israel’s role in the world by understanding the Bible,” he added.
He insisted that Jews and Christians “have more in common than what divides us, even though there are important distinctions. Of course, between Judaism and Christianity, we have so much in common.” But he conceded that due to their complicated history, “Jews don’t really know Christians and how much they love Israel sincerely, while Christians don’t understand the Jewish experience.”
The rabbi remains upbeat about his efforts to forge closer ties between Christians and Jews. “Now, for the first time, we’re in this golden age of Christian-Jewish relationships, but it’s still in its infancy. We need to nurture that and we need to encourage others to participate. It’s a blessing to be a part of God’s plan. It’s not just a plan for Israel; it’s a plan for the Jew, the Gentile, Israel, America, and the whole world,” he concluded.
