Q&A with Dr. Jeffrey Johnson
Author of “50 Days with God: A Jubliee” and Founder of Israel Today Ministries
Q: Why did you decide to do a 50-day devotional?
A: In Scripture, the Jubilee is a year of release, rest and forgiveness which occurs every 50 years, after seven Sabbath years. The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word “yobel,” which means “ram’s horn.” The Jubilee was marked by the blowing of a ram’s horn trumpet to signal the beginning of the year. The number 50 represents a release from debts and burdens, freedom, and a new start. I hope this book will strengthen, encourage, and remind believers that when the sun comes up in the morning, we get to have a do-over.
Q: What makes this devotional unique?
A: “50 Days with God” offers insights from biblical Hebrew and Jewish traditions that help make the First and Second Covenants (Old and New Testaments) meld together. Christians ignoring the Old Testament will miss the meaning of everything written in the New.
Q: You have made several trips to Israel since the attack on October 7. How are the people doing in the midst of yet another war?
A: Both Jewish and Arab people in Israel want peace. Over the decades, Israel has been involved in many wars, yet they have never started any of them. Antisemitism has increased over 500% and is now globally worse than during World War 2. Even our ministry has been receiving hate mail, and many churches and colleges have provided security details in the last couple of years during my speaking engagements. But this is not a surprise. The bible prophets foretold that Israel would become a “burdensome stone for all the peoples.”
Q: Why is it important for Christians to support Israel?
A: You are never more alive then when you walk where Jesus walked. The greatest spiritual battle is happening right now in Israel. My mother was Jewish so it is in my blood. October 7 was a big labor pain that is setting the stage for Gog and Magog. I sat and talked with a Captain in the IDF. She asked me directly, “Why do people hate us (Israel) so much?” When October 7 happened, it only took one month for the news media to start blaming Israel, and only nine months later for the whole world to blame Israel. You have to put yourself in their shoes. They have 9 million people in Israel. If the United States were attacked proportionally the same as Israel was attacked on October 7, 40,000 Americans would have been killed. They would have taken 10,000 U.S. hostages, 1100 of whom would be children. I have been shown surveillance footage the IDF had of some of the most grotesque things Hamas has done. We feed children in the part of the country where the attack took place. We are there from two weeks to three months at a time, doing our best to comfort them and to give them much-needed food. We need to understand that the Palestinians are a political ideology, not an ethnic, nor a religious sect. They are simply Arabs, and they have been attacking Israel for decades. Genesis 15:18 describes the land area from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. This is in part the same location as Israel today, but it is not all the land God promised. The fulfillment of that is yet to come.
Q: Do you believe all of these things are signs of the end times?
A: Scripture reveals that certain events will take place in the latter days that pertain to Israel. We may not understand God’s will at times, but we know that Satan is on a leash. The clock is ticking down so as Christians we must be alert, look up, watch, and pray. When you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you are praying for the Kingdom to come. From my own personal experience, I know that the hearts of the people of Israel are open. They ask us why we keep coming back to serve them as there are very few tourists coming in right now. But it has been our mission to serve and feed children in Israel, as well as Holocaust survivors and their families for the past two decades, and we will continue to do that as long as we are able.
A: In Scripture, the Jubilee is a year of release, rest and forgiveness which occurs every 50 years, after seven Sabbath years. The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word “yobel,” which means “ram’s horn.” The Jubilee was marked by the blowing of a ram’s horn trumpet to signal the beginning of the year. The number 50 represents a release from debts and burdens, freedom, and a new start. I hope this book will strengthen, encourage, and remind believers that when the sun comes up in the morning, we get to have a do-over.
Q: What makes this devotional unique?
A: “50 Days with God” offers insights from biblical Hebrew and Jewish traditions that help make the First and Second Covenants (Old and New Testaments) meld together. Christians ignoring the Old Testament will miss the meaning of everything written in the New.
Q: You have made several trips to Israel since the attack on October 7. How are the people doing in the midst of yet another war?
A: Both Jewish and Arab people in Israel want peace. Over the decades, Israel has been involved in many wars, yet they have never started any of them. Antisemitism has increased over 500% and is now globally worse than during World War 2. Even our ministry has been receiving hate mail, and many churches and colleges have provided security details in the last couple of years during my speaking engagements. But this is not a surprise. The bible prophets foretold that Israel would become a “burdensome stone for all the peoples.”
Q: Why is it important for Christians to support Israel?
A: You are never more alive then when you walk where Jesus walked. The greatest spiritual battle is happening right now in Israel. My mother was Jewish so it is in my blood. October 7 was a big labor pain that is setting the stage for Gog and Magog. I sat and talked with a Captain in the IDF. She asked me directly, “Why do people hate us (Israel) so much?” When October 7 happened, it only took one month for the news media to start blaming Israel, and only nine months later for the whole world to blame Israel. You have to put yourself in their shoes. They have 9 million people in Israel. If the United States were attacked proportionally the same as Israel was attacked on October 7, 40,000 Americans would have been killed. They would have taken 10,000 U.S. hostages, 1100 of whom would be children. I have been shown surveillance footage the IDF had of some of the most grotesque things Hamas has done. We feed children in the part of the country where the attack took place. We are there from two weeks to three months at a time, doing our best to comfort them and to give them much-needed food. We need to understand that the Palestinians are a political ideology, not an ethnic, nor a religious sect. They are simply Arabs, and they have been attacking Israel for decades. Genesis 15:18 describes the land area from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. This is in part the same location as Israel today, but it is not all the land God promised. The fulfillment of that is yet to come.
Q: Do you believe all of these things are signs of the end times?
A: Scripture reveals that certain events will take place in the latter days that pertain to Israel. We may not understand God’s will at times, but we know that Satan is on a leash. The clock is ticking down so as Christians we must be alert, look up, watch, and pray. When you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you are praying for the Kingdom to come. From my own personal experience, I know that the hearts of the people of Israel are open. They ask us why we keep coming back to serve them as there are very few tourists coming in right now. But it has been our mission to serve and feed children in Israel, as well as Holocaust survivors and their families for the past two decades, and we will continue to do that as long as we are able.
Dr. Johnson with Yarden Bibas
Q: Tell us about your encounter with Yarden Bibas.
A: On October 7, Yarden Bibas and his wife Shiri, and their two small boys, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel were kidnapped by Hamas. Yarden was released after 484 days. Tragically, his wife and sons were brutally murdered and their bodies paraded around in a macabre ceremony led by the Hamas terrorists as the world watched in horror. I was introduced to Yarden through his cousin. I first offered to him "tanchumin" (tahn-koo-meen), a Hebrew word that means condolences or comfort. This word doesn't have a direct English translation, but its profound meaning is felt deeply by someone experiencing a devastating loss. We had a heartfelt conversation, and I told him I would always encourage people to remember him in their prayers. Speaking at the funeral, Yarden expressed his sorrow to his sons and wife, saying, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all." The Bibas family’s story is simply heartbreaking.
A: On October 7, Yarden Bibas and his wife Shiri, and their two small boys, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel were kidnapped by Hamas. Yarden was released after 484 days. Tragically, his wife and sons were brutally murdered and their bodies paraded around in a macabre ceremony led by the Hamas terrorists as the world watched in horror. I was introduced to Yarden through his cousin. I first offered to him "tanchumin" (tahn-koo-meen), a Hebrew word that means condolences or comfort. This word doesn't have a direct English translation, but its profound meaning is felt deeply by someone experiencing a devastating loss. We had a heartfelt conversation, and I told him I would always encourage people to remember him in their prayers. Speaking at the funeral, Yarden expressed his sorrow to his sons and wife, saying, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all." The Bibas family’s story is simply heartbreaking.