Ministers and Young People Gather in Israel for Holy Land Experience
- Veronica Neffinger iBelieve Contributor
- Updated May 27, 2016
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As polls show rising anti-Semitism in the world, a group of ministers and young people are preparing to make a trip to Israel to experience the land of Christ’s birth firsthand.
CBN News reports that the trip the ministers and youth will be going on is called “Jerusalem Encounter” and is sponsored by the Fellowship of Israel-Related Ministries (FIRM).
Wayne Hilsden, the president of FIRM, spoke about the purpose and importance of the trip:
“Jerusalem is the center of the world, as Ezekiel talks about. It's the navel of the world, and we have people coming from all over the world – many of them for the first time – to Israel," Hilsden said. "And that's one of the key things we're trying to achieve is to get people in the land to experience the land of the Bible – the people of this nation – and to experience God – to encounter God. That's why we call it the "Jerusalem Encounter."
Hilsden was a pastor in Jerusalem for 30 years. He said his experience as a long-term resident of Israel taught him that many people have a skewed view of Israel and what is happening there.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is especially dwelt on, says Hilsden, while Israeli advances in medicine, agriculture, technology, and economic growth are often ignored.
The ministers and youth on the Jerusalem Encounter trip will go on tours which will be live-streamed on FIRM’s website.
"I believe it's an urgent hour," Hilsden explained. "I believe that the enemy, Satan, wants to come against the purposes of God for Israel and Jerusalem. And he's doing everything he can to stop that. So we're trying to get a message to the world that God is at work in this land. He's restoring people to the land physically, and He's about to restore the people of this land spiritually to Himself."
Publication date: May 27, 2016