Jonathan Bernis - Don't Stop Praying
Jonathan Bernis: Shalom and welcome to a special, post-election episode of Jewish Voice. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Jonathan Bernis, and I'm joined once again by my co-host, Ezra Benjamin. Today, we're gonna navigate the path forward in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory. As followers of Jesus, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment. No matter how you voted, in this episode, we're gonna explore how all believers can draw strength and guidance from the scriptures in knowing how to obey authority, stand for what is godly, and live out our moral convictions, including to keep standing with Israel.
Ezra Benjamin: Amen.
Jonathan Bernis: Ezra, it was a shock to me that trump had such a landslide victory.
Ezra Benjamin: Right. And there was so much uncertainty preceding the election that if it was very close on either side, right, if it was indecisive, there could have been violence, there could have been rioting, there could have been widespread accusations of voter fraud, you know. I'm thankful, I'm thankful that there was a clear decisive victory.
Jonathan Bernis: And as of today, there hasn't been rioting, there hasn't been any violence, although it was predicted that there would be terrible violence regardless of who was elected. Thank God for that.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure. And many, Jonathan, who are watching today, the president elect may be the one you voted for, and for some who are watching, he may not.
Jonathan Bernis: One caution is this Messiah complex. Trump is not the Savior for America. This is so important. He's not going to save America. He's an amazing individual by any standards, but he's not the Messiah. And it's very important that our focus as believers is on the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the president of presidents. And my prayer is that Donald Trump, who is now saying that the Lord spared his life, will grow into a relationship with God. This is really something on my heart. And I wanna encourage all of you that love Donald Trump, that voted for Donald Trump, that are thrilled that he's the next president, he's the 47th president, will pray for him to become more and more godly, more and more devoted to biblical world view. I don't think he's there yet, I honestly don't, but I think it's a start.
Ezra Benjamin: Right. It's a great prayer point, Jonathan.
Jonathan Bernis: One other point, on the other side, there's a small group that are watching, and this is true of the younger generations, they're in despair because Donald Trump has been portrayed as a Hitler, as the destroyer of our democracy. That is not the case either. So, I just wanna talk about both sides. He's not the Savior, and he's not Hitler, and he's not the destroyer of democracy. God is watching over this country, and I believe that he's not done with America. And again, also, if you are in despair that Donald Trump is our next president, look above the political scenario and look to the one who's seated on the throne. God is in control and the Kingdom of God has not been shaken, there's no division in the Kingdom of God, and we have to work now on bringing the country back together.
Ezra Benjamin: Absolutely.
Jonathan Bernis: As believers.
Ezra Benjamin: Absolutely.
Jonathan Bernis: That's our job. We're agents of reconciliation. We're a priesthood, right? Called to bring reconciliation. I just wanted to say that, this is an important inverse.
Ezra Benjamin: And it's really a matter of prayer. And I'll say for many who may be saying, "The person I voted for is in office, praise the Lord". Don't stop praying. And we're gonna get into some specific ways, I'll spit it out, some specific ways that you can continue praying in this episode for the United States, for revival in America, especially for Israel and for the Jewish people as times remain tough.
Jonathan Bernis: So, people that voted for trump are elated and, "The victory, the victory is won". Well, whatever is just getting started. The country has to be united again, and there's a lot of work to be done, a lot of work to be done, and we have to play a part in that, ladies and gentlemen. We really do. Read this.
Ezra Benjamin: So Jonathan, this is Romans 13:1, and the context here is Paul speaking to believers, really, believers in Jesus, believers in Yeshua. And we have to remember that the Ceasars, the leaders in the Roman Empire were treacherous, dangerous, horrific, self-centered leaders. I mean what the Roman Church, if you will, the Ecclesia, the body of believers in this time when this book was written was going through probably far exceeded any of the political upheaval, or scandal, or you know, accusations against leaders that we're seeing today.
Jonathan Bernis: And the great thing is that the church was growing in the midst of turmoil.
Ezra Benjamin: And yet the church grew.
Jonathan Bernis: Economic upheaval, political upheaval.
Ezra Benjamin: So, even in that context, okay? This is what Paul says to the believers in Rome. "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established". Notice, there's no party. There's no party. There's no political persuasion in it. "There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against that authority is rebelling against what God has instituted and in doing so will bring judgment on themselves". And just skipping down a bit to verse 4, it says, "For the one in authority is God's servant for your good". So, isn't that interesting? The Lord establishes, the Lord, in his foreknowledge, in his omnipotence being the King of kings and Lord of lords, actually allows or establishes who would be in authority. And it says their purpose in God's economy, in God's kingdom is to actually be a servant of his purposes.
Jonathan Bernis: And they don't always appear to be a great choice.
Ezra Benjamin: Exactly.
Jonathan Bernis: And they don't always do the right thing.
Ezra Benjamin: Right.
Jonathan Bernis: But whether you're a huge Donald Trump fan and you're elated, or you're in agony over this because you think he's going to destroy democracy, we all must pray for this man. That's what the Bible demands. We must pray for this man and we must be reconcilers to bring unity. We have to do that.
Ezra Benjamin: That's the thing. And just, you know, real quickly on that, Jonathan. It says, "They'll know you're my disciples," right? The scriptures say very clearly, "They'll know, the world will know that you're my followers by your love for one another". So, the election's over, the season of political discord and turmoil has come to an end, we understand the clear answer right now. However you voted, our calling is to love one another. That preempts political divides. It's a Kingdom of God love.
Jonathan Bernis: Ezra, one concern that I have now.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure.
Jonathan Bernis: With the election over. We're not seeing riots etcetera, but I think as changes are made, and there's gonna be very significant changes made, just beginning with the border for example, there's gonna be a lot of push back and there's gonna be this growing animosity and tension. And the question is what's our role in this, other than praying? I mean, we can easily be barking at each other from each side.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure. As we have been.
Jonathan Bernis: Yeah, as we have been.
Ezra Benjamin: And I think it's important to distinguish here real issues that are very clearly spelled out in the Bible. And at times, the us government, or any government, if you're watching oversees, I know we have a large and growing international viewership. Governments have to engage with issues where there's clearly a, right out of the scriptures, righteous choice, and there's an unrighteous choice. And on those issues, may we be unified as a body of believers to make the righteous choice. But on so many other issues, Jonathan, the economy, taxes, foreign policy, there isn't necessarily a clear, biblical righteous and unrighteous choice. And may our preference on those things as the new administration comes in, as changes begin to happen, may they not divide the body, because what a shame that would be, whether or not we get our way, that they would divide the body and cause us to hate one another.
Jonathan Bernis: One example that just comes to mind, and I'll go right into the...
Ezra Benjamin: Sure.
Jonathan Bernis: I'll go right into the battlefield here. I'm antiabortion. I'll just say it as clear as I can say it. I'm antiabortion. I would talk anybody, I would beg my daughters if they were considering that.
Ezra Benjamin: Yeah.
Jonathan Bernis: I don't think they ever will, thank God. But it's a human life. But, I also understand that we're in a democracy, and that we had this come up in Arizona, and the vote was to allow abortion.
Ezra Benjamin: Overwhelming, in fact, the vote was to allow it.
Jonathan Bernis: And...
Ezra Benjamin: Up to term to be specific.
Jonathan Bernis: Up to term. And we have to accept that fact. And I do. So, in one sense, I can support pro-choice because I believe in free will. But as a believer, I would want to be led to women that are confused and fearful and are contemplating abortion and talk about alternatives with them. I would just love that opportunity. That's one thing where we can be a voice of peace and reconciliation and hope. That's just on example.
Ezra Benjamin: Mother Teresa said years ago, you know, when she was alive, she said on this issue of abortion, she said, "If you don't want your babies, give them to me". And her point was if you're gonna be serious about a pro-life stance, be serious about adoption. And we're on, kind of, a tangent here, but the point is whether or not we get our way in the way the laws are formed, we have biblical requirements before God...
Jonathan Bernis: The government in Arizona cannot enforce that. But you know, and I can support that, that's the decision of the people. But I'd love the opportunity to help people through that. To help couples through that, young girls through this.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure.
Jonathan Bernis: And I think that's something we should be aspiring to and praying about. We need to take a quick break, but I wanna remind you that at Jewish Voice, we want everyone to be saved and to understand the truth, especially Jewish people because the gospel is to the Jew first. Here's an opportunity for you to join in our work and share the good news of Yeshua, Jesus, with Jewish communities around the world by becoming a shalom partner right now.
Jonathan Bernis: Welcome back. We're so grateful for your commitment to stand with Jewish people and partnering with Jewish Voice. We just wanna say thank you. Ezra, this is a time of healing for our country, I hope and I pray.
Ezra Benjamin: Amen.
Jonathan Bernis: And we all have a lot of issues that are important to us.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure.
Jonathan Bernis: But this is Jewish Voice.
Ezra Benjamin: Yes, it is.
Jonathan Bernis: So, we need to talk about the future for Israel. Israel is in a crisis, they're fighting a war on five fronts, six fronts, I've lost track.
Ezra Benjamin: Right. With Iran as the puppet master.
Jonathan Bernis: As the puppet master, and this looming threat of nuclear war.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure.
Jonathan Bernis: If they develop this nuclear weapon. And they're close. I don't know exactly how long, but I'm hearing reports continually that it's getting closer, and closer, and closer.
Ezra Benjamin: Right.
Jonathan Bernis: And we unfortunately enabled that with finances unfortunately.
Ezra Benjamin: Certainly. So, we understand the outcome of the election a few weeks ago. That's set, we're making practical preparations for the new administration to come into office in January. Now, the question is what do we do? And the exhortation is we need to pray. And on the issues of Israel and the Jewish people, let's just spend a few minutes, Jonathan, talking about how practically our viewers can pray for the Lord to use this next U.S. Presidential administration.
Jonathan Bernis: Absolutely. Well, one thing that is very clear, Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations committed to the destruction of Israel. They are advocating genocide, okay? Genocide. They want the destruction of the Jewish people. Actually, not just in Israel but right now in Israel prop, yeah. They need to be wiped out and we need to pray that they're eradicated just for the wellbeing of the world, not just for Israel.
Ezra Benjamin: Right.
Jonathan Bernis: And we need to pray that the Palestinians survive, thrive, and develop a new mentality, a new world view, a new paradigm for how to live in peace. And develop a culture of life, not death. We need to pray for that because we care about them. We support many Arab ministries at Jewish Voice, and we care about them, and we need to be praying for them.
Ezra Benjamin: And we say this so often, but we'll just say again. Israel, certainly the United States, but also the nation and government of Israel are not anti-arab, they're not anti-Palestinian. They're not even anti-muslim. There's over a million muslim Israelis, Arabs with Israeli citizenship. Israel is anti, and may the next us administration be fiercely anti radicalized, jihadist, terrorist regime. That's the real threat to Israel's existence.
Jonathan Bernis: That's right. We need to pray that the Abraham accords continue because this was very, very helpful for Israel through this whole process.
Ezra Benjamin: Right. You know, I'm thinking, had October 7, 2023 happened ten years ago, even five years ago, Jonathan, before the Abraham accords, it would have been a very different situation for Israel. It would have been Israel against every one of its neighbors.
Jonathan Bernis: The landscape has changed, but it needs to continue.
Ezra Benjamin: Yeah.
Jonathan Bernis: This process needs to continue.
Ezra Benjamin: Right.
Jonathan Bernis: And there is strong potential for true peace in the Middle East.
Ezra Benjamin: Yeah. During the first trump administration, the us embassy, surprisingly, was moved to Jerusalem. Out of Tel Aviv.
Jonathan Bernis: And it was going to be an upheaval worldwide, supposedly, never happened. And there it is, our us embassy is there. Great move and for us as a country.
Ezra Benjamin: The prayer point here is under the first trump administration, the Lord saw fit to use that administration for some advances in the United States aligning with God's kingdom purposes. Jesus, Yeshua is the Prince of Peace, and we were able, to some degree, to help with some peace in the Middle East, it's not gonna happen entirely till Jesus returns as the ruling and conquering king. But recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the Jewish state. So, the prayer point here is under the second administration, second round that the Lord would direct, it says he directs the hearts of kings like channels of water in his hand, wherever he pleases. So, may the Lord direct the heart of Donald Trump and his administration into his kingdom purposes for Israel.
Jonathan Bernis: Amen. We have to band together with Israel. The us, our allies, Israel have gotta make a concerted effort to dismantle Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons. And if that means taking out the regime somehow, we've gotta do it. We've gotta protect the people of Iran who actually are very supportive of peace and many of them have no qualms with Israel.
Ezra Benjamin: Right and again, like we said earlier, about the Arabs and the Palestinians, Israel's enemy, and I hope you can agree, your enemy, our enemy is not the Persian people. The Lord loves the tens, hundreds of millions of Persian people on earth. But the current administration of Iran, this revolutionary guard that continues has adopted a radicalized form of Islam whose main goal is to eradicate Jewish people in the state of Israel.
Jonathan Bernis: Right.
Ezra Benjamin: That has to be dealt with.
Jonathan Bernis: And their top priority is nuclear, and they've made it clear, and I believe them. I believe them 100% percent, they are not lying, as soon as we have the weapon systems ready, we're firing our rockets against Israel. We've gotta dismantle this.
Ezra Benjamin: Amen.
Jonathan Bernis: And we've gotta be totally committed, all of the powers, you know, the allies of the United States with Israel need to do this.
Ezra Benjamin: Going more globally to another very important prayer point, more important now, perhaps, than it's been since the end of World War II is the sharp increase in antisemitism. A few weeks ago now, you know, the incident outside the soccer stadium in Amsterdam, right? It was a pogrom. It was a premediated, violent riot against innocent Jewish sports fans just leaving the stadium.
Jonathan Bernis: The state of Israel actually had to send aircraft to pull them out and take them to...
Ezra Benjamin: To rescue.
Jonathan Bernis: To rescue them.
Ezra Benjamin: Jews.
Jonathan Bernis: Yeah.
Ezra Benjamin: Israelis.
Jonathan Bernis: Yes.
Ezra Benjamin: From what became a hostile neighborhood overnight. Not the Netherlands, but radicalized Islam.
Jonathan Bernis: I don't know if people understand what a pogrom is, but this is...
Ezra Benjamin: Premeditated violent riot against a specific religious group, specifically the Jews.
Jonathan Bernis: And this is, I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime. Yeah, when I lived in Russia, I had people yelling at me, "Dirty Jews," whatever, but I've never seen anything like this.
Ezra Benjamin: Right. So, we need to pray that the Lord would use this administration to eradicate growing antisemitism worldwide.
Jonathan Bernis: And I wanna let the cat out of the bag. We're coming out with a campaign soon to love your Jewish neighbor, and we sure hope you'll get behind that. You're gonna see ads about, this is a big push for us because we're committed, as a ministry, to fight against the rise of antisemitism.
Ezra Benjamin: Jonathan, another key item we need to be praying for, you at home need to be praying for as the new administration takes office in a few weeks is, not in the Middle East, but it does affect hundreds of thousands of Jewish people. It's the war in Ukraine.
Jonathan Bernis: Yeah.
Ezra Benjamin: The ongoing war.
Jonathan Bernis: That's a biggie. And I'll just maybe step out here and take a risk and say this war has to come to an end. It does. I feel like we, NATO, American NATO has really been pushing things towards the brink, towards a really catastrophic result with the allowing of American aircraft and American missiles to now fire into Russian. And my concern is that there's a madman at the helm of Russia that is actually threatening, verbally, to use nuclear weapons.
Ezra Benjamin: Right.
Jonathan Bernis: And I think we have to find peace, and we need to pray that this administration, that this new administration has this, the wisdom and the prayer support and God's favor to bring this war to an end.
Ezra Benjamin: To prevent World War III, to prevent nuclear war.
Jonathan Bernis: I would say my greatest concern for my kids is nuclear war. Well, for all of us now. I have other concerns for my kids, world where they're gonna be a lot longer. I really feel that this is the greatest threat we face right now. Imminent threat that this war, Ukrainian war could turn into nuclear war. And I pray, please pray with me that this administration that Donald Trump, who says, "I'll have this thing wrapped up before I'm in office". Let it not be bluster, right? Let it actually be a word from the Lord that comes to pass. This has to end.
Ezra Benjamin: Amen. And you know, you may be watching, and maybe you're watching overseas saying, you know, "America isn't the Savior of the world," and of course we're not. If you think we are, think again. It's not, certainly not in the pages of the Bible. But Jonathan, the Lord has afforded the United States the influence, some of the power, the resources, the relationships internationally to affect great change. And so, may the Lord use the next administration to affect great change for peace and for wellbeing, and an end to needless war for his kingdom.
Jonathan Bernis: If you wanna talk about really godly principles, peace, peace and limiting human life being destroyed is critical. We need to take a quick break, but I wanna remind you that at Jewish Voice, we want everyone to be saved and to understand the truth, especially Jewish people, because the gospel is to the Jew first. Here's an opportunity for you to join in our work and share the good news of Yeshua, Jesus, with Jewish communities around the world by becoming a shalom partner right now.
Jonathan Bernis: We take time in every program to pray. Pray for those that have written with prayer requests. We're gonna do something a little different today because of the theme of the program. We're gonna pray for the president elect, and we're gonna pray for his cabinet, we're gonna pray for the leaders that are appointed, we're gonna pray for the new senators and representatives that come into the house. We're praying for our government and for our country today. Just before we do that, I just wanna say that you may be watching, and you have never given your heart to Jesus. You're not a believer but you know that it's true that he died for you, that he rose again for you, and I wanna urge you, today is the day of your salvation. Don't wait till tomorrow. You can just pray a simple prayer, "God, please change my life. I ask you to forgive me of my sins, and I wanna live for you". And that's it. He'll come in you, inside of you by his spirit and he'll change your life forever. It really is life transforming. Don't wait. Ezra, let's pray together. You start and I'll finish.
Ezra Benjamin: Sure. Lord, we thank you that in this next four years that you would use this new group of still imperfect men and women for your kingdom purposes. Lord, that you would bring revival to America, that you would cause us and our laws and out behavior as a nation to raise up righteousness and to tear down wickedness, and that you would use this nation, and Donald Trump and his cabinet, and the congress, and the senate, Lord, and all those in authority to be tools in your hand unto the furthering of kingdom purposes in Yeshua's name.
Jonathan Bernis: Well as we wrap up this special, post-election episode of Jewish Voice, we wanna thank you for joining us. No matter who you voted for, remember, fist and foremost, Gods promises remain true, and so does his call for us to be an example and to pray. We invite you to go deeper and find meaningful ways to support and bless Israel and the Jewish community worldwide by logging on to our website. It's Jewishvoice.tv. You'll find resources that will help you grow in your faith, opportunities to make a positive impact, and you can send prayer requests to us on the site. And remember that the greatest news you can give any Jewish person is the good news of their Messiah, Yeshua. As always, I wanna ask you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We're exhorted to do that in Psalm 122:6. Until next time, this is Jonathan Bernis, along with Ezra Benjamin saying shalom and God bless.